Hayman & Hill, Interchange, 2007, Santa Barbara County, California

I picked up a glass of this bombastic white at Morning Brew in Kailua last weekend in between the beach and the bookstore.  A while ago I remember H&H making a fairly decent low-priced Pinot, so I was intrigued when I saw it on the wine list.  Then when I saw they were pouring it for 6 bucks a glass, I said, "Screw coffee.  It's wine time!"
The Interchange is dark gold in color.  It's has a fairly complex but awkward nose of honey, banana, durian, algea, and heat.  It is mouth-coating, full-bodied, and almost like a desert wine in texture.  The flavor profile is dominated by honey lemon lozenge and round cantaloupe notes.  Although the acid is strong throughout, overall the flavor profile is a little clunky, cloying, as wells as sugary/bitter at the same time.  Maybe I should have stuck with the coffee?    

Kaena, Hapa Blanc, 2009, Santa Ynez Valley, California

Yeah I wanted to like this wine before I tried it but then I tried it and then I loved it and now I'm gonna tell you about it.  The Hapa Blanc is a Rhone-style blend consisting predominantly of Grenache Blanc along with Roussane.  Kaena is the baby of winemaker Hawaiian native turned California transplant, Mikael Sigouin.  Kaena is Hawaiian for "potential for greatness" and if the Hapa Blanc is any indicator, I believe Mikael has achieved his goal.  It is darker straw in color with slight orange highlights and a golden rim.  The nose moved from key lime pie to crushed rock to white chocolate almond bark to a brand new car smell with no traffic.

This wine is fluid fluid.  It swivels and sways and doesn't like to be pinned down over the few hours it hangs with you.  It disappears way too quickly and leaves you wanting more.  I got tastes of honey dew, honey, sliced and dew-kissed peaches, coconut and butterscotch that still ended dry.  But what I loved absolutely most about this wine was what was absent . . .   Citrus.  I didn't pick up any citrus on this wine!  Not like there is anything wrong with citrus in white wine but that the Hapa Blanc can be this complete and balanced without it is no doubt a feat.  With 100 cases produced a year, we are lucky to have access to this lovely wine on Oahu.  I can't wait to try to find the grenaches and grenache rose from Kaena when I hit up Santa Ynez in a few weeks.  Please pick up this wine if you can find it and if you don't like it, I'll put 15 bucks in your paypal.     

P.S. This woosh of roundness on the front end followed by the tingle of acidity on the finish reminds me of this love for smoking expressed in Jets to Brazil's "Sweet Avenue."  

this cigarette it could seduce

a nation with its smoke

crawling down my tired throat

scratch a part of me that's purring

softly stirring

P.P.S. Watch a great interview with Mikael on the Wine Down here.

Chateau Bonnet, Entre Deux Mers, 2011, Bordeaux, France

I just love it when white wine has a little stink to it.  For some reason, stinkiness is something people usually can appreciate in a red wine but when it comes to whites we're looking for something completely crisp, clean, pure etc.  I think that barnyardy poopy musty dirty sock flavors can bring complexity and balance to white wines as well.  Anyway, this Bordeaux from the far northern region of Entre Deux Mers was stinky but also spicy like the kick from bitter kale or chard.  I also smelled smashed banana and white flowers.  The spice carried through on the flavor of this entry level white wine work horse as well.  Tropical notes of coconut and lilikoi dominate the front end .  The acidity was not overwhelming but still super persistent balancing out the round honey mid-palate.  As the wine warmed, I was also was reminded of the strong desire to drink slightly flat 7-Up whenever I get even a slight upset stomach.    I love how wine can bring up the most random of memories.  Anyway, this is a lovely little balanced white blend for less than 15 bucks.

Ebgebaston “The Honey Pot” (79% Sauvignon Blanc, 13% Semillon, 8% Viognier), 2012, Stellenbosh, South Africa

I picked up this cute little bottle at R. Field Wine Company at Foodland.  They have a really unique wine selection mostly specializing in higher end wine but they have some great sales on mid-level entrees too!  I was excited when I saw this white blend from South Africa for less than $20.  The Honey Pot has a truly massive nose bursting with yellow apple, rainbow candy cane, potpourri, and pineapple.   Over time the potpourri started smelling like something you spray in the bathroom a bit too much for me.  This wine had a long puckery lemon finish but lacked secondary flavors and balance.  The Viognier was certainly present on the nose but besides that the other varietals didn’t really shine for me.  Even for less than twenty, I say pass on the Honey Pot.   

Imagery, “White Burgundy” (Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Meunier), 2009, North Coast, California

I have to admit I really fell in love with Chardonnay again on my recent trip to Sonoma.  I’m so sick of going into tasting rooms in Oregon and everyone always saying “this isn’t a California chardonnay” and serving a some totally boring stainless steel one note on a blank canvas.  There is nothing wrong with oak and all that oak can do if done with style and/or balance.  Though sometimes, fuck it, I don’t even want balance.  I’d rather have originality and verve.

This white blend has an extremely evocative, aromatic, and oceany nose.  I got lime essence and a bit of fabric softener as well. The Imagery has a nice medium weight with layers of lively flavors.  It had really unique clean roasted nut characteristic.  This was balanced out by vanilla and minerals.  I got some residual sugar on the back end but it integrated really well as the wine opened up and changed.  The fruit on the nose over time gave way to more sweet warm cedar.  Needless to say, this was a nice wine to spend a warm evening with.  I think this would pair really well with a buttery white fish with a bit of pepper.

aloha oregon (no, not that aloha)

Okay, I moved to Honolulu, Hawaii a few months ago after in Portland for 13 years straight.  I needed to put northwest winters behind me once and for all.  Don’t hate me.  Right now, after way too many shitty light beers and overly sweet tropical drinks, I’m missing Oregon wine.  Here are some reviews I somehow forgot to put up from a visit to the lovely east-side urban Enso Winery.  More review to come soon . . . promise. 

Enso, Resonate #2

This is a nice clean if a little unassuming white wine for the summer.  It a blend Oregon Gevurtraminer and Washington Riesling.  It’s got heaps of peach and sugar cane on both the nose and flavors.  It’s got a slight syrupy sweet edge but still ends quick and clean.  I would have liked more spice from the Gevurtz or mineral notes from the Riesling.  Still not bad at all.  Also, it’s a nice treat to be able to scoop up a wine with such a tiny production (52 cases!) at under 15 dollars. 

Enso, Pinot Gris, 2010, Wheatland Vineyard

A much brighter and drier wine compared to the resonate.  Lemon, golden raisin, and pear dominate the nose with a touch of wet rock.  This gris has some real unique qualities compared to a lot of others I have tasted lately.  It’s fruit forward but loaded with lemon candy and dried apricot as opposed to a lot of the day old puckery lime flavors I get from a lot of other Oregon Pinot Gris.  The fruit from this wine comes from Arcane Cellars Wheatland Vineyard, where the winemakers at Enso used to work.  You can tell that this fruit is in good hands.

Enso, Rose, Alder Ridge, 2011

This bottle was tasted about 3 weeks after being bottled.  It’s a southern French style blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mouvedre.  The fun factor on the nose (strawberry, watermelon, and bubble gum) is balanced out by some nice background herbal notes.  The strawberry carries through on the flavor profile with the addition of vanilla bean and tar.  The tannins are a bit bitter on the end.  This wine is definitely still young even for a Rose.  The 2010 Enso Rose was made up of different varietals.  It wasn’t as focused or clean as the 2011 but I do think it was a little more interesting.

Enso, Resonate #2, Washington, 2009

This 50/50 blend of Sangiovese and Counoise has super enticing nose with lots of clean earthy notes,  musk, and shoe leather polish.  Considering the strength of the nose, the resonate #2 is light on its feet on the flavor profile.  It’s a medium bodied wine dominated by plum, cinnamon, and cocoa powder flavors.  There is a nice acidity running throughout as well.  The winemakers call the resonate #2  “dominate yet strong” and I couldn’t agree more.  This wine would pair really well with lots of food and I think is a real value at $16 a bottle!

Enso, Resonate #3, Washington, 2009

The #3 is a blend of 50% Mouvdre, 25% Grenache, and 25% Syrah from the Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA.  This wine is also a brand new release for Enso.  It’s got a much darker color than the #2.  The nose is not as open ended and much darker.  There is a hefty dose of creamy oak rounded out by rose, violet, and crushed blueberry.  The #3 is closer to full bodied with a milky mouthfeel.  I found this wine to have lots of awesome sweet notes but still not dominated by fruit.  Think caramel, coffee, and fudge!  There is also a nice dose of black pepper and currant.  This is quite a rich wine that I couldn’t find much acidity in.  Still it’s far from flabby.  Good stuff to drink on its own once the weather cools down a little.

Evesham Wood Blanc du Puits Sec, 2008, Eola-Amity Hills

The Blanc du Puits Sec is an Alsatian style blend of 85% Pinot Gris and 15% Gewurtztraminer. The wine is fairly translucent with a slight cloudy white haze. Peach, dried-out lemon, whole wheat bread, olive oil and even a hint of barnyard are present on the nose. The BdPS has a nice weight and oily mouthfeel for a pinot gris/gevurtz blend. I pick up a lot of sour lemon on the flavor profile with hints of coconut, wet rock, and soap. The acidity is not quite as sharp as I would like it and it’s almost a little hot (at only 12.5%!) There is a good dose of residual sugar that comes across a little like artificial sweetener. It has a pretty long finish but only those crystal light sugary characteristics really carry through. The aromas are a lot more interesting than the flavors but there are just not a lot of good things going on in this wine. Overall, I been really excited about the values that are available in Oregon white blends but the 2008 Blanc du Poits Sec isn’t one of my favorites.

Domaine de Pajot “Les Quatre Cépages”, 2008, Cotes De Gascogne

This wine comes from Gascony, a region in southwestern France that is far better known for brandy than wine. The winemaker, Domien Barreau, utilizes sauvignon blanc and three obscure native varietals (ugni blanc, gros-manseng, colombard) to produce the Domaine De Pajot. The color is pale and straw and somewhere between a lighter chardonnay and a typical sauvignon blanc. The nose is reminiscent of a viognier and like walking through the perfume section of department store. There are also whiffs of warm cotton candy, orange marmalade, and candied ginger. The Domaine De Pajot is a light to medium bodied wine. Dried apricot is the dominant fruit on the front end of the palate. It’s definitely got a strong sugary-edge but I still found it pretty unique. There are also hints of rock candy, honeysuckle, and dandelion. A green melon component kicks in on the mid-palate and carries on into the finish. I found that the big dose of residual sugar really hid the acidity and threw the wine slightly off balance. You can pick this up at People’s Food Co-op for less than 10 bucks. It’s a great summer sipper if you don’t mind your whites on the sweet side!