Wine Reviews

93

Wairau River 2024 Pinot Gris, Marlborough, New Zealand ($18)

Apricots and peach blossoms are luscious, and blessed with a bounty of fresh acidity, this wine comes alive.

93

Wairau River 2024 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand ($22)

Sweet basil, pineapple, and vanilla-kissed grapefruit are sensational aromas leading to a zippy entry of steely lemon zest. Grassy notes enter mid-palate with acidity and minerality enveloping the mouth at a fierce pace. Lively and refreshing.

93

Wairau River 2024 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand ($22)

Sweet basil, pineapple, and vanilla-kissed grapefruit are sensational aromas leading to a zippy entry of steely lemon zest. Grassy notes enter mid-palate with acidity and minerality enveloping the mouth at a fierce pace. Lively and refreshing.

92

Wairau River 2025 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, NZ ($18)

The aromas are eye-opening, with dill, fresh marine air, and sliced pineapple. Salinity and a keen acidity perk up notes of melon, guava, and sweet basil. Lemon blossom leaves a lasting impression with a vanilla-peach finish.

93

Weinkellerei Hechtsheim 2024 Count Karolyi Grüner Veltliner, Hungary ($20)

Grüner Veltliner is much more commonly associated with Austria than Hungary, but this excellent rendition indicates that the latter country can produce delicious examples. This is a bit riper and rounder in texture than most Austrian Grüners, but very well-balanced acidity and a bit of the variety’s white pepper bite provide very nice counterpoints to the wine’s delicious fruit.

91

Wente Family Vineyards 2024 Morning Fog Chardonnay, Central Coast ($18)

White blossoms, including linden and chamomile, scatter across a nose of nectarine, lime, and vanilla before settling on the medium-bodied palate, itself petal-like in its smoothness. Apricot and pear lead gracefully to a lithe finish with a soupçon of almond.

92

Wente Family Vineyards 2024 Riva Ranch Chardonnay, Arroyo Seco, Monterey ($22)

Blended with 1% Gewürztraminer, this softly creamy Chardonnay, fermented and aged primarily in French and American oak, is at once sensuous and poised. Peach, golden apple, and papaya make a vivid impression, enhanced by understated contours of coconut and toasted cream.

93

Wente Family Vineyards 2024 Riverbank Riesling, Central Coast ($28)

This Riesling displays depth and dash in equal measure. Honey and apricot aromas are lightly streaked with lemon and mineral nuances that continue on the palate, where yellow plum and quince linger with a tinge of ginger.