THE SECOND TWO WHITE WINES

Hello:

The second two wines at our White Wine Tasting on July 4th were two Sauvignon Blancs from Napa Valley:

2006 Groth Sauvignon Blanc, Napa ($21) and

2005 Panacea Sauvignon Blanc, Napa ($17)

I brought the Groth which I got at Bev-Mo (on sale for $16.99), and Marge brought the Panacea, which she purchased at Wades Wines in Westlake Village.

The tasters were all over the place on the Groth. Some did not comment on the nose, others listed straw, light, crisp apple, mineral, grapefruit, floral, apple, grassy, mineral notes.

The taste was noted as grassy, mild citrus, grapefruit, pear, apricot, nutty, rich, delicious and light. Two noted a high alcohol flavor. The ratings ran from #1 (by me), to #3 by 3 people, to #6 by one.

The Groth is a complex wine, very nice with shellfish, although we had it with the salad, which was also a nice pairing. It is generally my choice when I am looking for a higher end Sauvignon Blanc.

The next wine is the Panacea - one that most of us were unfamiliar with. Marge knows her wines, and she brought a good one.

The nose was straw, light, crisp, apple. The taste was lemon grass and citrus, with hints of apricot and pear, mango. A very pleasing wine. It was my #2, right after the Groth. It was rated #1 by two people, #2 by three, and had a low of #5.

The Panacea is actually a blend, 86% Sauvignon Blanc and 14% Semillon grapes, both from St. Helena and Carneros. The website, www.panaceawine.com/, list the following tasting notes: The nose has a broad sequence of citrus and minerals, integrated with subtle sweet banana. Complex on the palate, while showing good viscosity on the mid palate, then finishes with a crisp mouth feel and plenty of acidity to support the bounty of lingering flavors.

We all missed the banana.

My next post will review the next two wines (an the final ones), the Trevor Jones Virgin Chardonnay and the Andrew Murray Enchante.

'Till Next Time,

The WineSaver