Our Spring Break was spent in a family-friendly resort in the FL Keys, where the fish was fresh and the wine selection was spotty. Over the 4 nights we were there, we opened a few different wines:
NV Nicolas Feuillate Brut nose: restrained, tart apples, yeasty palate: light body, off dry, yeasty
Found in a Publix for $17 a bottle and not bad for that price.
2006 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc nose: tropical fruit, grassy palate: pineapple, grass, minerals, crisp
A very good example from one of our favorite CA producers of SB. More tropical fruit notes than a typical Marlborough SB, for insetance. The '06 Vertus was also on the wine list, but we decided that a straight SB was the better fit for our dishes... or was that fishes?
2005 Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc nose: hot, simple palate: generic white wine, little character
This wine, from another long-term CA favorite for this variety, was a disappointment with little varietal character. Maybe just too old. Useful for the preparation of white wine, garlic and butter-poached Mahi Mahi, though.
2007 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc nose: grapefruit, grassy palate: good acidity, minerals, citrus
Not a spectacular example of Marlborough SB, but quite serviceable and decent QPR at $17 in Florida. A very nice match with the poached Mahi Mahi and a peach-papaya salsa.
2005 Perrin Reserve CdR nose: simple, grapey palate: light body, decent acidity, grapey fruit
Not much complexity or Rhone character to this wine, actually. Not bad at $12 in FL, but nothing to go back for, especially given the hype of '05.
Mark Lipton