Best of the Whites 2009

Last night, we tasted four different white varieties, from the 2009 harvest. They were Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling. We tasted these wines blind (wrapped in aluminum foil) and we compared drought-stressed (DS) and well-watered (WW) wines. All tasters were in agreement that there were no bad wines. They were all pretty good. Two wines were tied with top honors, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. The Pinot Gris had lovely fruity aromas and good balance and body. The Chardonnay was well-watered and oaked, had fruity aromas with a nice acid balance. A close second was the drought-stressed Gewurztraminer with distinctive sweet honeysuckle and floral aromas. It was very well-balanced and had good body. All wines were made dry with no residual sugars. Next week we taste the Best of the Reds! Hope to see you there!