I'm combining 2 reviews today because my tasting notes weren't very complete, so the reviews will be up of the thumb up and thumb down variety.
First is a No Date California Barefoot Sauvignon Blanc. This is the cheapest one I've drunk this summer, only $5.50 on sale.
The nose wasn't anything special, but the wine was surprisingly good for being so inexpensive. Certainly as good as if not better than some $15 bottles I've drunk this summer.
It seemed a little 'thin' on the tongue perhaps, with a little though not overwhelming acidity. I caught a taste of something--the elusive honeydew that so many SBs advertise maybe? I certainly didn't get the 'smoky finish' mentioned on the label.
A perfectly good wine for a last-minute dinner party or Chinese take-out for that matter, and you can't beat the price.
The last couple nights I've drunk my way through a 2006 Domaine de Gournier, an estate between Avignon and Nimes. This is probably one of my favorite, if not favorite, SBs I've drunk all summer (though the $15 California one from a month-six weeks ago gives it a run for its money).
This one has a more complex nose than any of the SBs I've drunk in the last few weeks. You don't get just the typical SB grassy meadow when you swirl it in the glass.
I can't put my finger on specific notes in this one except to say that I thought I was very smooth and goes well with food. I was eating some blue cheese and dark bread while I was drinking a glass, and I was surprised how well it went with the cheese. An almost perfect combination. I also drank a glass with a spicy hamburger dish, and the wine tasted great with that too.
This bottle ran me $12. It was on the bottom shelf in the Loire/Other Whites section and so easily overlooked, but it's a SB that you should search out for casual drinking or having the boss over to dinner. I may stock up with a few bottles to have on hand.