Mmmmm, Ice Wine. Is there anything better?
It's been a while since I participated in a Wine Blogging Wednesday, but when I found out the theme was ice wine (chosen and hosted by
Kitchen Chick), it was a given that I would be participating. The only question that arose was; do I pick one of the bottles in my collection or do I go shopping? Shopping won.
We stopped into BevMo to see what was available and found two bottles that peeked our interest. The first was the
La Face Cachee de la Pomme Neige Cidre de Glace, but we had to disqualify it since it's actually an ice cider made with apples, not grapes. The second was the
2003 Covey Run Semillon Reserve Ice Wine from Yakima Valley.
Now on with the wine!
2003 Covey Run Semillon Reserve Ice Wine375ml ~ $21.99 (Beverages and More)
Vintage: 2003
Type: White - Sweet/Dessert
Producer: Covey Run
Varietal: Semillon
Designation: Reserve Ice Wine
Vineyard: N/A
Country: USA
Region: Washington
SubRegion: Columbia Valley
Appellation: Yakima ValleyTasting NotesBlend: 100% Semillon (11% Alc. Vol.)
Vineyard: 100% Phil Church
Cases Produced: 2,625
Color was a very light golden honey with a translucent rim. A little more nose than most ice wines I've had in the past. Hard to descibe the smell as anything other than a
sauternes without the earthy smell from the
Botrytis.
The taste was very good. Initially green apple, apricots and honey with occasional glimpses of spice and maybe a medicinal note, but in a good way. The finish is really two parts. The flavor disapates after about 7 seconds, but that mouth watering feeling carries a bit longer. As the wine warms, the apple becomes more pronounced and the apricot gives way to pineapple. Unfortuantely, the tartness and acidic finish also start to overpower the sugars a bit.
Wine Maker's NotesRating: 88
Extraordinary (95-100 points)
Outstanding (90-94)
Very Good to Excellent (85-89)
Good (80-84)
Average (75-79)
Below average (70-74)
Avoid (50-70)
Beyond my tasting notes, I think it's hard to give a recommendation on this wine one way or another. It has a much different profile than the
Jackson-Triggs I'm use to, yet this wine could easily find a place in my cellar. It really just depends on what purpose you need it to serve. I might actually serve this with Foie Gras before the JT because of the added acidity and tartness. It's also cheaper than JT. The cost is about the same per bottle, but the JT bottle is only 175ml. Given the price and relatively high score of this wine, it's not a bad bottle to have on hand for those every day occasions when you just want some ice wine.
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Tags || GFC | FOOD | WINE | WBW | WINE BLOGGING WEDNESDAY | ICE WINE | more... | COVEY RUN | SEMILLON |
Labels: PRODUCT REVIEW, REVIEW, wbw, WINE, WINE REVIEW
