Knocked Off My Feet By Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc

I can't say enough good things about Spec's, here in Houston. Their employees are well trained, highly knowledgable and genuinely helpful.

While I am a wine novice, I'm very selective. I am able to describe what I like about a wine and I'm able to distinguish flavors and aromas. I might not call it the right thing in wine terminology, but I'm working to get there!

So, a helpful gentleman at Spec's asked me what I liked. I told him that I prefer concentrated citrus, less grassy, high acidity, clean (preferably stainless steel vat... NO oak or smoky flavor of any kind), and preferably a tart aftertaste.

He grew excited and passionate as he told me that he preferred the same flavors, and he had some definite recommendations for me. One of the recommendations was Dashwood, a wine from Marlborough, New Zealand.

My review: I love the flavors... all of them. I found this wine a very balanced blend of sweet and tart with a kick-tail aftertaste that I loved. I couldn't identify all of flavors, but after reading the comments below, I think it was the kiwi that I really tasted, and the coconut that made it so smooth. The screw-top cap captured the flavors just perfectly!

Spec's price: $13.23.

My summation: The Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc 2005 knocked me off my feet (no pun intended)! I will definitely drink this wine again. I will definitely drive to the store with it at the top of my list. I might just have found a new favorite!

And here's what knowledgable folks have to say:

Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc 2005
NZ Herald - VIVA magazine
Joelle Thomson - 21 September, 2005
"Talk about sunshine in a glass! Its flinty Awatere style mingles with the passionfruit flavours of warm vineyards on the Wairau Plains. Fantastic value for money, and sealed with a screwcap."

Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc 2005
Otago Daily Times - Charmian Smith 31 August, 2005
"Dashwood has a stylish new label, oodles of lush ripe fruit - melon, mango, kiwi - a suggestion of coconut and a crisp tingly finish. It's already attractive and will develop over the summer."

Random Memo: What I've Been Doing in the Past Week

1. Working on work. I've been really busy at work (something I like), so I've been producing like crazy. I find that most days pass really quickly, and I'm "pushing a lot out the door".
2. We're short-handed at work, so I'm putting in a little overtime to help the firm keep up with deadlines. I like feeling like I'm helping with billables and schedules, and the extra cash in my pocket really makes me smile!
3. Working on few little moonlight projects. Moonlight work is comprised of small scale residential projects that aren't large enough or profitable enough to bring into the firm. I've measured a house, solved a few problems, corrected a mistake and played phone tag with a new client.
4. Chatted on the phone and watched American Idol with my oldest and dearest friend.
5. Celebrated a close friend's birthday in a BIG way... made her one of my (inspired) paper boxes, had dinner at Juanita's with her (and her husband and sister), and partied until after the cows came home (I'm sure they beat us) Saturday night. More on that and "the band" that played... later.
6. Visited Howard Hughes' Grave and other notable graves (like Gene Tierney's) in Glenwood Cemetery.
7. Ate pizza for five meals.... four times Star Pizza, and a fifth at a free Double Dave's buffet (a friend and co-worker had his business card drawn from the bowl).
8. Snacked on a tasty chocolate eclair that my good (birthday) friend brought me.
9. Cleaned house a little, and the kitchen and bathroom a lot, and washed clothes.
10. Returned more phone calls than I can count on one hand.
11. Spoiled Miss C rotten. Played and played and played. Sang and sang and sang. She's even had a tongue swipe of custard each time I've snacked on the chocolate eclair.
12. Blogged a few wine reviews. Please note that I didn't drink them all in the past week! I've just had time to blog them in the past week!!!
13. Hidden and searched for Jonah! (Update on his whereabouts later!)

Kumkani Sauvignon Blanc 2005

I liked but didn't love the Kumkani Sauvignon Blanc. I liked the fruity flavors of this wine, but found that it had somewhat of a grassy or herbal flavor that I didn't enjoy as well. (After reading the winemaker's comments, it may be the oak barrel that I'm also tasting). I also found it a little short on the level of acidity or tartness that I prefer. It has a twist-top cap, which bodes well for me in terms of flavor. (I swear... I can always smell and taste the mildew of the cork, and my allergies ).

Spec's price: $10.60.

My summation: I would definitely drink Kumkani again. I won't drive to the store to seek it out, but it is placed in my list of very drinkable (and enjoyable) wines.

Here's what the winemakers have to say (after all, this is about education!):

A very full bodied wine that contains an abundance of fruit flavours and a
spanking acidity. Pineapple, passionfruit and melon like flavours are all
present, in addition to a hint of Marlborough herbaceousness. A very lively and
approachable wine.

Viticultural practices: The vineyard location (10km from the Atlantic Ocean) seems tailor made for flavourful Sauvignon Blanc. The soil is a well-drained sandy loam with weathered granite. The fruit grows in the Helderberg Hills; this coastal area yields wines with an intensity of flavour and crispness not found in some of the more inland regions. The resulting wines lean in the direction of gooseberry, grassy/herbaceous styles rather than the pear, melon and tropical fruit.Sunny but cool and dry weather were experienced during the final ripening stage and the grapes were harvested at 23°B in end February. The vines are trained on a 5-wire hedge system, approximately 15 years old planted on a weathered planted granite type soil. The vines are grafted on
01-14 Mgt which delivered a moderate vigorous growth with a moderate but well aerated canopy. The vineyards were on a high slope facing False Bay (Atlantic Ocean). The interaction of vine, site, soil, marine climate and cultivation (terroir) yields complex fruit of outstanding quality. Yields per acre: 8 t/haNumber of cases per item produced: 4 500Appellation: StellenboschFiltration & fining: Bentomite (protein) PVPP (anti ---) S70 sheet filtrationVarietal composition: 97% Sauvignon Blanc / 3% ViognierWood treatment: Viognier (3%) was barrel fermented in 2nd fill. D&J 300LFrench oakWinemaker's notes: Same vineyard(night) harvested 5 times over 12 days to make more complex wine.

And comments from the more knowledgable folks (than me, certainly) at Southern Wines:

5/24/05 The 2004 Kumkani Sauvignon Blanc is all about value. It’s a straight forward, fruit driven style, medium bodied, supple textured with whiffs of cut grass, a touch of herb and notes of musk melon, grapefruit and a tropical fruit, pineapple richness aromatically. This has a nice fleshy mouth feel but it’s not racy or tangy in the classical sense of many New World versions, but still possesses good fruit intensity and acidity that keeps the citrus and melon flavors clean and focused. Drink this over the next year while the fruit still maintains its vibrant edge.

Finca El Portillo Sauvignon Blanc 2005

Another fine Sauvignon Blanc, El Portillo is a product of Argentina.

I found it to be crisp, clean and dry, but less robust (tartness, acidity) than Dashwood (or Pepi). It has the hint and aroma of grapefruit that I like so much. It has a rubberized cork and I didn't detect any woodsy sort of flavors or aromas.

Spec's price: $7.99.

My summation: I will definitely drink El Portillo again. I probably wouldn't drive to the store seeking it out, but it had a really nice, clean taste that I enjoyed. And you can't beat the price for a wine with such good flavor!

I also dig the quote on the bottle:

"Finca El Portillo Sauvignon Blanc is inspired by the color of chanar. A spicy tree that loses its bark over time, chanar is known for its lustrous green trunk. This color of the Andes symbolizes our belief in winemaking with respect for nature."