Kiona - Red Mountain Chenin Blanc 2004 Ice Wine

Yes, this is the Oregon Wine Blog. Yes, we already have a Washington Correspondent who does a great job, but why should he get all the fun? Part of the reason I am reviewing this wine is because it came in my recent Willamette Valley Creme du Cru quarterly shipment.

I first got introduced to Kiona Winery in December of last year when invited to go to some of the vineyards in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. I remember they were building their larger tasting room, which is now open, but at the time it was inside of the owner's house - very quaint and intimate setting. The Red Mountain Chenin Blanc Ice Wine is a dessert wine, harvested late in the season after the first frosts and freezes of the year. This is a sweeter wine, so for those of you who are not big fans, this might not be the one for you.

I enjoy the nose on this wine - when you sniff it, you can smell the sugar, initially, but then you are able to catch the full citrus aroma of the grapes. The nose almost makes you think that there might be apples and pears in it. This could be due to the fact that the Chenin Blanc "showcases aromas of citrus, melon, and pears" and has a "tart green apple finish."

When swirled, the glass gets a nice coat. The initial taste of this wine is one that will be a sweeter on the palate, but then subsides relatively quickly and you are left with a lingering citrus after taste. If you give yourself a few moments after each sip, you feel as if you have eaten a couple of sweet grapes.

I definitely find this to be a good wine to sit and unwind with or one to help start off the week on a Sunday evening.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

So Kind....Thank You!