2008 Rock Rabbit, Sauvignon Blanc, California

Terry post:

Summer Wine Series

It is true that I spend too much time drinking red wines and not enough time sampling the lighter fare such as Sauvignon Blanc.

I don’t have too much to say about the Rock Rabbit brand. We carried it at Restaurant 213 as a lower-priced Sauvignon Blanc and it sold well.

My Impressions: Pale straw color in the glass. Stone, grass, modest fruit and a hint of spice (10% Gewurtraminer) on the nose and across the palate (The Gerwurtraminer was not co-fermented with the Sauvignon Blanc - I suspect the wine maker hoped to soften its razor-sharp edges). Unabashedly tart, with fruit under-represented resulting in an off-balanced wine. Lingering tart finish. Recommended with conditions: 1) Not a pool-side quaffer and not the sort of wine you’d want to sip on without food, 2) Would recommend with hard cheese (think Parmigiano-Reggiano) and other hearty nibbles, and 3) It might work with grilled white meats.

This is a personal bias of mine: I like some fruit in my wine. The major flaw of this offering is its overly tart nature combined with the thinness of the fruit. There are plenty of acidic wines which I have enjoyed - each having a level of fruit holding the whole package together.

It's not a great wine and it's not a terrible wine. With all of my complaining about many wines lacking a backbone - the 2008 Rock Rabbit Sauvignon Blanc has a cold-steely, razor-sharp backbone of immense proportions. My only caveat: the wine drinker had better be ready to pucker up.

90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Gewurtraminer in a handy screw-top bottle

13.5% alcohol.

$8.99 at retail.

~ Terry