Hess Collection, Small Block Series, Gewürztraminer, Anderson Valley, 2011 $14.40*
My rating for this bottle? I would drink the whole thing.
I've been drinking a lot of great wines lately and my first Gewürztraminer was no exception. This grape is typically grown in cooler climates and most famously in the Alsace region of France and Germany. Because of that, I was surprised to see a bottle from California which I always think of as warmer.
The Anderson Valley APA is north of Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley and much cooler. The weather there is similar to the Rhine in Germany, Bordeaux in France, and Alsace as mentioned above. So it yields similar types of wine.
Gewürztraminer has a darker golden color and strong bouquet of roses, honey, papaya, and a little citrus (lemons and oranges). It tasted like that too with a medium body, sweet without being sugary, dry on the finish, and delicate considering all the flavor going on in one sip.
Hess recommends pairing it with avocados, shrimp, or scallops. I can totally see myself sipping this in the spring time out on my patio with a huge bowl of guacamole and pile of chips.
*This wine was purchased through my Hess Collection wine club membership.
Slightly more expensive but REALLY good is Trimbach Gewurztraminer!
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