Late with a Late Harvest

I realized that January had literally come and gone and I had not made an entry for the month. This evening I was in the mood for something sweet. Fortunately, or not, I noticed that I had nothing sweet to eat in my apartment. I did, although, forget that I had a wine in my basement, and some wine on the sweeter side at that. I didn’t think I wanted a port, and when searching through my wine stock, I found this 2005 Late Harvest Chenin Blanc from Terra Blanca. This wine came in my latest shipment from Willamette Valley Vineyards.

As a reminder, late harvest grapes tend to be those grapes which are left on the vine for a long as possible, sometimes to the first frost of the year the maximization of sweetness of the grape. This particular wine is sold out, so maybe I should not have opened it so soon :-)

I opened the bottle and was again reminded of the nose that I tend to enjoy on Late Harvest Chenin Blancs. The nose is fruity, but not overly, with hints of grapes and pear, and a hint of alcohol. For whatever reason my legs did not show the legs very well, so I cannot give you an accurate detail of what they are like nor how this wine coats my glass. What I enjoy most about this wine is that it is softer on the palate, not over sweet, with a little bite of tartness.

The website makes note that this wine has hints of pineapple, mango, and other citrus which I don’t notice as much, but it could also be because I was eating some peanut butter with wheat bread (no, it wasn’t the tainted Salmonella peanut butter, but I appreciate your concern) because I noticed a difference in my first couple of sips and my sips while I munched.

All the same, this wine can be enjoyed by anyone who likes wine. It is not too sweet, nor is it too tart. While I opted to enjoy it later in an evening with some peanut butter and bread, I imagine it with a light cake, perhaps an angel food, or a cake without frosting.

I would be interested in what others have to say about this one.

Until next time...

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.