Remember the movie Blade Runner, one of my favorites, where the droid after reviewing his memories says "Time... to... die...". Well, to use a euphemism, this is "time to die for". The white wines have been incredibly well received and I am posting accolades here. The white Revelation Bordeaux blend is fundamentally sold out for wholesale customers until we get to September 7.
So here we go.
Riesling (Double Gold) and white Revelation (gold) from appellationamerica.com's Best of Appellation Tasting Notes:
2008 Revelation Ohio River Valley GOLD
Distinctive, subtle florals with earthy accents, perhaps indicating some hybrid wine in the blend. Lemongrass, red pear, watercress, pear, and banana aromas. Rich, clean full and intriguing. Outdoorsy odors of wild flowers, lush summer meadows and fertile soil after rain.
Note: NO hybrid wine in the blend, we don't grow hybrids.
2008 Riesling Ohio River Valley DOUBLE GOLD
Intense pear, pear, pear. Lilac, apple and wet stone petrichor (check it out on Wikipedia). Off-dry with bracing acidity, suitable for shellfish or fatty sausages. Wonderfully mouthwatering, lean, long and palate cleansing with lingering flavors of cucumber and well water.
From Mike Rosenberg, thenakedvine.net
Kinkead Ridge 2008 River Village Cellars Traminette -- Traminette is a hybrid of Gewurztraminer, and a friend of Ron's said that she had a couple of tons available for sale. He picked them up and, unfortunately, found that some of the grapes had already begun to raisinate. He cobbled together an interesting, semi-sweet, eminently drinkable wine from the ton and a half he was able to use. Plenty of traditional gewürztraminer pepperiness to be found therein, lots of floral notes, and a surprisingly fresh finish. For about $9, a very nice sipping wine or a nice pairing for spicy Asian cuisine.
Kinkead Ridge 2008 Riesling -- My personal favorite of the four whites that we tried. Reminiscent of a German spatlese to me -- slightly sweet (1.2% residual sugar -- or at least that was Ron's self-described "SWAG" -- short for scientific wild-ass guess...) but full of really pleasant apple and pear flavors. Crisp acidity on the finish and a lasting fruit flavor that begs for some roast pork loin or a meat and cheese tray. A very flexible wine for all seasons. $14.
Kinkead Ridge 2008 White Revelation -- One of the flagship white wines of Kinkead Ridge, the blend on this white cuvee changes every year. This year, it's largely Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, with a hodgdpodge of other grapes thrown in for good measure. The wine certainly reflects the character of the grapes -- and it drinks very much like a decent white Bordeaux. Acidic and minerally from front to back, it's a nice accompaniment for anything from salads to grilled chicken. Great summer wine. $14.
Kinkead Ridge 2008 Viognier/Roussanne -- Of the four, this one was probably my least favorite on its face, because I think it's still a little too young. That's not to say it was bad -- far from it. One of the customers had brought in a bottle of the 2006 Viognier/Roussane, and the difference was remarkable. This one needs a little time in the bottle, maybe even a couple more months, for the flavors to marry and balance and for the slight oiliness of the Viognier to die down, but the backbone of tropical fruits and aromatics were certainly there. Pick up a bottle and stash it until fall. Then have it with some grilled fish. You'll thank me. $16.
**We have a wholesale customer who bought a case of 2006 to put away for ten years! So yes, this wine, drinkable now, will dramatically improve over time. David Lazarus had a white vertical tasting of our wines last year and the early whites were truly amazing.
Note from Nancy: Big vote of confidence from Whole Foods Columbus and Cleveland, who ordered respectively 50 cases of this and 18 cases of this.
From Andrew Hall, wine blogger from Columbus:
2008 Revelation White. Predominantly Sauvignon Blanc, this was the clear winner in the 2008 white line-up. Crisp mineral and herbal nose with nice persistence. Good lines and cut. Nice intensity of the acidity and mineral. Nice integration which carries its 14%abv well. A revisit showed an elegant side to this wine. Very good, best white Revelation I’ve had. Wide open for business as well.
**Ordered by the case from Andrew Stover, CSW, sommellier for Oya and Sei in Washington DC.
From Michelle, wine-girl.net
My absolute favorite of the Kinkead Ridge wines is the Viognier-Roussanne. The 2008 is 14.8% AbV, which means that I'll happily drink an entire bottle and then probably happily fall down. I am usually fairly sensitive to high-alcohol wines, but this one isn't hot at all. Ron may have contended with high alcohol, but he dealt with it superbly.
After the jump are the few notes I managed to scribble down. Did I mention how poor my notes were this time?
Cabernet Sauvignon 2007: Sampled from the tank, bottled last week, to be released on Labor Day. This was pretty tasty. It had nice flavors of cherry with acid on the finish. Well-balanced.
Cabernet Sauvignon 2008: Has one more year in the barrel. This is a fruit forward wine with a lot of complexity and structure. It's got a real full mouthfeel.
Cabernet Franc 2008: Has one more year in the barrel. I didn't like this one at all at the first taste. A few minutes later I realized my glass was empty. It definitely grew on me. It was peppery and big at first, but it seemed to settle down as it got used to my glass, sort of like a happy puppy when you first come home. This wine had an amazing jewel-tone color. I look forward to tasting it in a year.
2008 River Village Cellars Traminette, Rock Springs Vineyard: Ron bought these grapes from a local vintner who is just getting started. We'd already purchased two bottles when Ron informed us that the grapes weren't in the best condition when he got them. Once again proving his abilities, he made a heck of a wine. Traminette is a white grape - French-American hybrid. If you like sweeter wines, or what I call summer porch wines, you'll enjoy Traminette.
2008 Revelation White: This is a blend of a little bit of everything. It's another fresh, light white but what caused us to buy several bottles is the spice. There's a little bit of Semillon in there, and I think it is adding a light spicy finish to the wine.
There have been other reviews on line as well!
Where would we be without our fantastic employees!
Courtnee is leaving today, so Megan made stuffed mushrooms and a fantastic orange cake, which we toasted with Sparkling Apple Cider and Sparkling Grape Juice. These girls work hard! Amy, Courntee, Megan. Megan's frosting was to die for.
Your friendly wine blogger, Nancy Bentley, Owner, Kinkead Ridge
