Saturday, June 18, 2011

Conundrum 2009

This is apparently a blend of Cardonnay, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier. I'm not sure how much of each, mind, and it doesn't really matter too much. I get the impression that this is meant to stand outside its varietals as it were, to be something of its own, rather than pieces of something else. That's not meant to be as grand as it sounds - Twinkies, for example, exist as something other than the sum of their parts, which is for the best.

Quite a rich, Californian gold.

Mangoes and apricot soaked in lemons with hay. Fleshy nose. Rich.

Very much a 5-Alive or Lilt. This is not rocket science wine. It's fleshy, juicy, ripe and bright with peaches, mangoes, apricots, and lemon peel. There's toasty shortbread and a touch of hay. Ripe and bright, this is fun stuff. There's a crowd-pleasing hint of residual sugar. You could possibly drink this by the pint.

This is not an easy style of wine to make. It's also quite difficult to assess critically. It's utterly drinkable and yet in no way confected. It reminds me of something you'd find at a spectacular juice bar rather than something you'd find in a wine bar. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It's a lot of money (£25) for something so pleasing and, let's be honest, unchallenging. But at the same time, it's not easy to do, and it's a lot of fun to drink. And so I find Conundrum a bit of a - wait for it - conundrum.

***(*?)

Tasted 15/6/2011

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