2008 Clos du Bois Sauvignon Blanc North Coast

I've seen lots of bottles of Clos du Bois sitting on shelves, in peoples' fridges, even on wine lists. It's a ubiquitous wine - that I've never tasted! So, I thought I'd give it a whirl with the Sonoma north coast sauvignon blanc. It could be awful, it could be a great find...we shall see.

The color is right for a sauvignon blanc, a medium-pale yellow with a flash of green; sort of a straw color. The nose isn't saying much to me. There is some honeydew melon, some honeysuckle, and a bit of a yeasty smell (though I doubt this wine spends much time sitting on the lees), but it's very faint.

In the mouth...it's surprisingly pleasant! Sometimes mass-produced sauvignon blancs take on an off-putting bitterness and something I can't really describe except to say that it's kind of chemically. This doesn't have that. It also doesn't have a ton of acidity, probably because it hails from a relatively warm region, so it's a little flabby. But it actually has a bit of spritz (effervescence) and a nice weight to it, so is rather nice on the palette. I do get some pretty substantial alcohol burn (again, the warm climate at work). Whew! Ever put rubbing alcohol on a cut? Well, don't put this wine in your mouth if you have a canker sore. Trust me.

So the wine isn't particularly balanced in its elements, and the lack of aroma does detract from the overall enjoyment. Is it worth th $14 I paid for it? Eh, maybe. Is it worth drinking if someone hands you a glass? Sure. It would be good for pairing with an all veggie dinner, I think. I give it an 81.

2009 Familia Zuccardi Malbec Mendoza Santa Julia Reserva

Recently, I wrote about a malbec from the same producer, Familia Zuccardi, out of Mendoza, Argentina. The wine now in my glass is from a separate product line, Santa Julia. Unfortunately, I don't know what's different about it, except that it costs less, because the website is in Spanish and I can't understand what it says. (My 1/2 a semester of Spanish classes just doesn't cut it.)

The wine has the same vibrant violet hue in the glass; it's young - a 2009 - and it looks it. The aroma isn't as powerful and complex as the Zuccardi I tasted a few weeks ago, though I do get some lovely raspberries, some cocoa and toast. It's also not as impressive in the mouth as the other. It's overly sour and bitter, without the benefit of any delicious, juicy fruits on the palette. Zuccardi definitely saved their good grapes for the other wine. These taste unripe and just not very pleasant. I don't think any more time in the bottle would help it; though it might open up a bit, I think it will remain unbalanced. Eh...81.