Sunday, January 08, 2006

Cheteau Ste Michelle Gewurztraminer 2004 Wine Review (NW)

Light, sweet nose of pear and lemon
Smooth and clean on the palate, with a nice balance of acidity
Short, clean finish

I enjoyed this wine with PB and our wives- see PB's review below. It was intended to be a quick aperatif, preceeding a long parade of small dishes for the evening. As we looked for particular qualities, we came to the realization that this wine was a little simple and kind of flat. It didn't show anything special, but it didn't offend us either. I kept wondering if I missed something, but I don't think I did. Praised by several critics as terrific value wine, I expected more. When the wine didn't deliver, instead of being disappointed we drank down the bottle and went on with life.

Hindsight is 20/20 and looking back I now realize what I missed at the time. After pouring a small glass each, we actually did roll out some cheese, sausage, crackers, and dip to nibble on. The wine was never exciting, but it also never disappointed us because it's really a terrrific food wine. Thinking back to it now, it has nice balance and good acidity. Armed with these qualities, it drank well with our snacks and we dried up the bottle in no time. All the while, I just had the wrong set of expectations. This "Alsacian-style" wine from Washington State cost just $9. Raise a glass, with food!

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