Buena Vista Winery produces a wide variety of wine. I tasted all of their entry level wines, sourced from Sonoma County. I feel that any of them is worthy of a “by the case” recommendation – especially at the $13.29 per bottle sale price on cases from Wine & Spirits Discount Warehouse in New Rochelle. (only on case purchases)
Here are my thoughts:
· Sauvignon Blanc 2011: This wine is round on the palate with lots candied citrus - mainly lemon and lime. The acid seems low for a Sauvignon Blanc, but makes it an easy, inexpensive aperitif wine.
· Chardonnay 2011: This is an elegant and smooth Chardonnay. Very enjoyable. It’s clean on the palate and displays beautiful acidity. You can expect lovely fruit and slight vanilla from the oak, especially on the finish. It definitely tastes more expensive than it is.
· Pinot Noir 2010: This is a really pretty, easy-to-drink Pinot Noir. It has a beautiful balance of fruit, acid and alcohol (13.5). There is an incredibly silky texture and very little oak. The wine is medium bodied, and offers a mixture of red and black fruit on the nose and palate. I really enjoyed drinking this and highly recommend it.
· Merlot 2010: At first there is nothing particularly interesting about this wine. If you decant it, though, it becomes very smooth and elegant. It’s fun, well balanced and has lovely Merlot fruit.
· Cabernet Sauvignon 2010: On the nose this is a very typical Cabernet. The palate follows the nose with forward fruit, mostly blackberry and blueberry. The very-good acidity will make it pair well with meats. The tannins are very soft and smooth; it's a pretty wine and easy to enjoy if you like a fruity style. It threw quite a bit of sediment for a young wine, but that’s nothing to worry about. Just decant it.
· Zinfandel 2010: This is a really lovely Zinfandel with a reasonable level of alcohol (13.5), velvety tannins and really good acid. If you like Zinfandel flavors but are turned off by monster Zins, this is a wine for you.
Buena Vista: The revival of one of California’s oldest wineries
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