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A Juicy White for Sipping
Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier California 2010
Kim Marcus
Posted: November 30, 2011
Though summer is long gone, I still find myself thirsty for cool, refreshing whites. On a recent Sunday afternoon, I also had reason for a bit of a celebration—I had finally purchased a long-needed new computer for my home office. After such a big-ticket item, I was definitely in the mood for something that was easy on the wallet.
At $14, I found a hard-to-beat white from California’s Pine Ridge winery–its blend of Chenin Blanc (79 percent) from the Clarksburg appellation with Viognier (21 percent) from Lodi. I found it a fine mix of the viscosity of Chenin and the fruitiness of Viognier. The juice is cold-fermented in stainless steel tanks with yeast strains that accentuate the fruitiness of the wine. The result is a tasty quaff full of pear, ripe apple and spice flavors backed up by a pleasant acidity, with pastry and citrus notes on the finish. I rated it 88 points non-blind. It was a fine white to sip while I perused the operations manual of my long-awaited iMac.
• Plus, get scores and tasting notes for more Top Value whites for $20 or less.
