Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc - 2014

Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc - 2014

Marlborough, New Zealand

Nose: Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit, Lemon Pith, Lemon-Lime Soda

Palate: Lemon-Lime Soda, Jalapeno, Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit Pith

Fermentation: Stainless Steel, short lees contact

The holiday season is a perfect time to try wines that friends and family bring to dinner parties. Often these wines are purchased at grocery stores or corner markets on their way to the gatherings. Such was the case with the 2014 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc that I tasted last week.

Initially the nose on this wine was very expressive of fresh citrus fruit and pith. Then as the wine started to reach room temperature it showed more of a lemon-lime soda expression, which was also very noticeable on my palate. I had to really search for other aromas at this point, because once I was hit with the "Sprite soda" notes, it was difficult for me see beyond this characteristic. There were notes of grapefruit and lemon pith on the nose, but it did lack the standard "grassy" notes that most people describe smelling in New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs.

On the palate the "Sprite soda" tones were very pronounced as the wine started to approach room temperature. I should mention that many people will not drink white wines at room temperature and therefore may not notice some of the same qualities mentioned here. However when evaluating wines for their full expressions, its best to allow all the wines to reach room temperature, but I digress.... I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice jalapeno note on the palate of this wine, something that I always enjoy in sauvignon blancs when matched with their citrus components. The grapefruit pith characteristics were also nice.

I was a bit perplexed by the mouth-feel of the wine, as it had much more weight than I had expected. It was more medium-bodied than I typically find with New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. I went the Oyster Bay's website to see if I could find more details about the wine production methods, and only came up with a couple of possibilities: 1) The 2014 vintage was warmer and drier than their average years, which could have allowed their grapes to become more ripe than normal. 2) The vinification notes did not mention any grape varietals for this wine. Although Sauvignon Blanc is on the label, there could be up to 15% of other grape varietals blended into the wine, and the wine could still be listed as single varietal on the label. I would say that some of the weight comes from very ripe grapes, but I think most of it comes from other varietals blended in. Sure the website stated, "short lees contact" but I couldn't find any hints of yeast notes in the wine and the round, weighted mouth-feel of this wine.

Lastly this acidity of this wine was less than enjoyable for me, instead of being striking and racy, it was unpleasantly harsh. I believe this is from the wine being acidified at the winery in an attempt to balance the possible over-ripeness of the juice. Again, most people are not going to drink white wines at room temperature, so don't consider this attribute as a fatal flaw, just make sure you serve this wine cold and most people will not even notice the harsh acidity.

Price to quality wise, I would give this wine a C and this is strictly speaking on the retail price of this wine verses the quality of wine for its varietal(s). This aspect of evaluation does not take into consideration that this wine had to come all the way from New Zealand to Portland, Maine before it was poured into my glass. Its not fair to compare a $12 NZ Sauvignon Blanc to a $12 French Sauvignon Blanc, or a $12 Spanish Sauvignon Blanc when living on the east coast of the United States. It simply costs so much more money to bring a wine from NZ to the east coast, than it does to bring one from Europe to the east coast. Considering this, I would personally prefer to drink a $12 Bordeaux Blanc, or a $12 Touraine Sauvignon Blanc, or $12 Rueda Sauvignon Blanc.

As for aging this wine...don't! In fact don't ever think about aging Sauvignon Blancs unless they blended with semillon and are from Sauternes or Lupiac France.

Galen's Score: 85 points

Retail Cost: $12

Distributed by: National Distributors

** Ok, so I totally over analysed a $12 bottle of wine, but I got wrapped up in the moment of picking out the flaws. Im not saying this wine is bad or undrinkable. It was just not what I expect from a NZ sauv blanc, which is a little unfair to say about a $12 NZ sauv blanc. That's like looking for sports car performance with econo-car pricing.

Barrel 27 - Right Hand Man Syrah - 2012

Barrel 27 - Right Hand Man Syrah - 2012
Central Coast, California

Nose: Dark cherry, red raspberry, cocoa.

Palate: Ripe raspberry, dark cherry, black tea, orange zest, soft tannins

Color: Dark purple throughout, nearly opaque.

Normally this isn't my style of wine: big, rich, robust, a quintessential "New-World juicy flavors" kind of wine with high alcohol. In fact this beast is listed at 15.2% abv, which means this wine could even be well over 16% abv; typically a huge turn off for me. But Im very surprised by the 2012 Right Hand Man Syrah, because it is well balanced with perfectly integrated fruit, a nice backbone of glycerin, and bursting with flavor. The acidity is bright and balanced, and the tannins are smooth and supple.

The fruit is clean and shows tons of layers. I gotta say this wine really delivers great flavors and wonderful balance all around. Im glad the winemaker chose to make this bombastic syrah in this style, and not to create a sort of mimic blend based on European regions, such as Cote-Rotie. It's nice to see this wine's individuality which allowed the extremely ripe grapes to really burst with flavor on the palate. I wish this wine showed a little more expression on the nose, as its slightly subdued at room temperature. With this much flavor on the palate I expected more pronounce aromas. Yet

I also wish I had some chocolate right now, because this wine is screaming for a sweet paring. Im just one glass deep and Im already starting to feel the buzz, but I'm still surprised that it still doesn't taste boozy or hot. Bring this juice bomb to your next holiday gathering and get granny lit-up on a glass or two, she needs to get her crunk on!

Price to quality wise I would give the Right Hand Man a B+, it definitely brings a lot to the table and demonstrates quality wine-making at a reasonable price. It's not an everyday wine for my bank account, but it won't make you go broke either. Ultimately, if you like really big, juicy wines, then you will love this. For those looking for a more subtle and delicate wine, you should be ready to get kicking in the teeth with this one.

This wine is ready to drink now or within the next couple of years. The soft, smooth tannins and the rich, ripe fruit will not improve with age. This is a buy-now, drink-now kind of wine.

Retail Cost: $21 

Distributed by: Mariner Beverages

Galen's Score: 91 points

Criteria for Evaluating and Reviewing Wines

This is the very first blog for the Portland Wine Review and I would like to take the time to set the stage for my own evaluations. I'm basing my criteria on the information from the WSET (Wine Spirits and Education Trust) advanced level text book and their official tasting sheets (which can be obtained in a PDF format from the link at the bottom of this blog). This is the most recent course I have taken and is the foundation for my continual wine education. Each author has some formal wine training as well as a lot of experience in the business, but please understand that each of us will have our own style of evaluation and even though we are trying to be as objective as possible, each persons' senses, and personal tastes are unique and will influence the different assessments. With that said I have outlined each section with brief descriptions of the sections, but please refer to the official WSET tasting sheets that cover each section (with the exception of wine preparations). This is the format I have used during my courses, and continue to use since it provides definitive points of evaluation. I have posted a link for the tasting sheets at the end of this blog because they are a great reference since they provide the full ranges for each section. Thank you for reading the Portland Wine Review Blog.

--Galen

Wine Preparations

• Temperature- All wines will be tasted at room temperature for initial reviews, however the reviewer may chill the wine after the first assessment as to note any changes.

• Aeration- Some wines require decanting however to be as fair as possible the initial review will be a "pop-and-pour." Again the reviewer may chose to use any method to aerate the wine after the first assessment as to note any changes.
  

• Foods- Some wines really need to be accompanied by food to show their true potential, but once again the reviewer will evaluate the wine first, then have the option to pair it with food and note the changes.

Appearance

• Clarity- In terms of wine appearance is very important. Cloudiness could be an indication of a flaw in the wine or it could indicate various forms of filtration or non-filtration, sediment due to age, etc. Range: Clear, Dull.
  

• Intensity of Color- Can tell a lot about the wine. what grape(s) used, the method of production, age, etc. Range: Water White, Pale, Medium, Deep, Opaque
  

• Color- The differences in color is another facet of evaluation that will again be used to review the grape(s) used, the method of production, age, etc. Range: White Wines- Colorless, Lemon/Green, Lemon, Gold, Amber, Brown. Rose Wines- Pink, Salmon, Orange. Red Wines- Purple, Ruby, Garnet, Tawny, Brown.
  

• Other Observations- Are there other features of the wine's appearance that are worthy of noting? I.E. Rim vs. Core color, tears/legs, deposits, petillance, tints/highlights, etc

Nose

• Condition- This is a reference to any possible faults in the wine that were the result of storage, and without getting too technical, the idea of this section is to determine whether this wine corked or not. Range: Clean, Unclean (referring to faults such as oxidized, out of condition, cork taint, other)
  

• Intensity- This section is used to determine the aroma intensity of the wine. Range: Light, Medium -, Medium, Medium +, Pronounced.
  

• Development- Where is the wine in its developmental stage? Any where from youthful-tired/past its best, also has this wine received deliberate oxidation? Range: Youthful, Developing, Fully Developed, Tired/Past its Best, Deliberate Oxidation.
  

• Aroma Characteristics- This is the good stuff! Is there something else to be perceived in the wine's bouquet? Range: Fruit, Floral, Spice, Vegetal, Oak, Other (The second part of the WSET tasting sheets provides an even further breakdown of each general flavor, i.e Within fruit would involve citrus which includes grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange, etc)

Palate

• Sweetness- This section evaluates the sugars in the wine. Range: Dry, Off Dry, Medium Dry, Medium, Medium Sweet, Sweet, Luscious.
  

• Acidity- This section evaluates the acidity in the wine. Range: Low, Medium -, Medium, Medium +, High
  

• Tannin Level- This section evaluates the tannins in the wine, but does not provide descriptors such as velvety, biting, etc. Those I save for my author's notes. Range: Low, Medium -, Medium, Medium +, High

• Alcohol level- This is a bit more difficult because some wine have high alcohol levels such as port, and some have lower alcohol levels like trebbiano. So to clarify, this section looks to determine whether the wine has a low-high alcohol range based on the grape(s), as well as the region. For example syrah from rhone might have a lower alcohol level than shiraz (same grape) from Australia. This might also be a time to note the authors perception of alcohol, for example does the alcohol integrate into the wine well or is it off balanced, again this section has some room for the authors discretion. Range: Low, Medium -, Medium, Medium +, High. With separate ranges for fortified wines: Low, Medium, High
  

• Body- Evaluates the weight/body of the wine (i.e how does it feel on the palate?). Range: Light, Medium -, Medium, Medium +, Full
  

• Mousse- This is for sparkling wines only, but in such a case the range goes from: Delicate, Creamy, Aggressive

• Flavor Intensity- How prominant/intense is the flavor? Range: Light, Medium -, Medium, Medium +, Pronounced
  

• Flavor Characteristics- This is another really fun part! What sort of flavors are involved? Fruit, floral, spice, vegetal, oak, other. (The second part of the WSET tasting sheets provides an even further breakdown of each general flavor, i.e Within fruit would involve citrus which includes grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange, etc)
  

• Length- How long do the flavors linger on the palate? Range: Short, Medium -, Medium, Medium +, Long
  

Conclusions

• Quality- This is another section where authors and readers may differ. Hopefully we (the reviewers) can make an objective (fingers crossed) evaluation of the quality of the wine, based solely on the grape(s), region, production, etc. and come to an objective conclusion (toes crossed too) about the quality of the wine. Is this wine true to its varietals, regions, production method. Not whether of not we like the wine, was it made well. Ranges: Poor, Acceptable, Good, Outstanding. Sometimes I find wines that fit inbetween these catigories so I might say, "very good" which is between good and outstanding.
  

• Price Category- Although a little bit easier to determine, this does not refer to a set price for all wines, however it determines whether the wine is anywhere from inexpensive-high priced and even premium, based on the region, grape(s), producer, etc. This section will not include such descriptors as "over priced or under priced," it only evaluates the ranges of prices based on the aformost mentioned conditions. I will include my personal thoughts on the prices in the "Authors Notes" section. Ranges: Inexpensive, Mid Priced, High Priced, Premium.
  

• Readiness for drinking- does it need time to age? is it ready to drink? or is it tired/past its best? Range: Needs Time, Ready to Drink but Can Age, At its Peak/Drink Soon, Tired/Past its Best.
  

Authors Notes:

• This is going to be the section set aside for the author to speak their mind about the wine. We're all humans with individual taste buds, so this section is reserved for the authors personal thoughts and comments and is by nature the least objective section. Authors can provide scores, opinions, suggestion or anything they feel is important to share with the reader.

Official WSET Tasting sheets:

http://www.wset.co.uk/documents/ac_sat_14.08.08.pdf