Three more white wine reviews (including one WWSO)

Crios 2008 Torrontes (Retail: $15.00)
Torrontes is an Argentine white wine varietal. I used to drink it all the time when I lived in Argentina, but I've not been impressed with the torrontes wines that Argentina has released for export. Until now. This is an excellent wine, and quite a bargain at its suggested retail price of $15.00. I found it at Costco for $11.89, which in an incredible value. Torrontes has a very floral aroma, similar to a New Zealand sauvignon blanc or a viognier. This is a light, charming wine that you'll find to be be very versatile when pairing it with food. I served it last night with some rotisserie chicken topped with chives, hoi-sen sauce and served in corn tortillas. It was an excellent match. You could serve it with most dishes that you normally think of when you serve white wine. In Argentina I actually used to drink it with steak sometimes, and some of my Argentine buddies told me they did the same thing. Wilfred Wong of Bevmo.com rated this wine 91 points. That sounds just about right to me. The winemaker at Crios, well respected Susanna Balbo, hit a home run with this offering. ***This is a wine worth seeking out (WWSO)


Edna Valley Vineyards 2007 Chardonnay (Retail: $15.00)
Edna Valley is a fairly large winery in the San Luis Obispo/Paso Robles area of north of Santa Barbara in California. However, they consistently turn out one of the best values in California chardonnay. In fact, this wine is one of about three white wines that I always keep on hand to serve as a sort of house white wine. I can usually find it on sale for around $10.00, and I buy several bottles at a time when I do. Wilfred Wong of Bevmo.com rated this wine 89 points.


Meridian 2007 Chardonnay Santa Barbara County (Retail: $12.00)
Honestly, this is not a wine I would normally buy. But I had a little chicken salad left over the other day and while I was at Wal-Mart I thought I’d buy a bottle of inexpensive white wine to go with the sandwiches. I believe this wine retails for around $12.00, but I got it at Wal-Mart for $7.74. It was certainly worth that price, although I don’t think I’d pay much more than that for it. The wine is well balanced (between fruit and alcohol) and medium bodied. In its price range it’s not a bad buy.