Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc - Viognier 2007
Pine Ridge both tempted me and taunted me last night. I have a box full of random and exciting ‘04 Bordeaux reds that I bought at steep discount over the summer that I’d been saving for a night when I need to drink a glass of wine that would be good enough to take my mind off things, but when faced with the prospect of sorting through thousands of emails, this wine called out to me to buy it with a polycephalic cry of, “I’m made of your two favorite grapes,” “You love to write about how much you hate Californian white wines,” and “The Bordeauxs will only get better… you can drink us now! ”
Their cries convinced me, and I unscrewed the cap to the Napa Valley white with Bob Ross-inspired label.
Inside I smelled a bouquet of prickly white flowers and unripe apricots. The mouth-feel was simultaneously substantial, sharp, and soft. The finish left an impression of a melted citrus candle and the smooth leaf of a tulip stroked against my throat.
I loved all of it, and I hated the wine for satisfying me. I wanted to mention at the end of all my emails that night that “California has disappointed me again,” but was left with a sensation that was wholly satisfactory, if not, at the price point, quite laudatory. Hopefully next time, their Sauvignon Blanc will bring me the self-flagellating disappointment I crave from our great first state of wine.
$14.99 at T.B. Ackerson 7.8/10