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Big House White 2008
When iconoclastic California winemaker, Randall Grahm, sold his Big House wine label to the world's third largest wine conglomerate, a lot of wine geeks lost interest in the brand. Grahm wanted to pursue more esoteric wine interests via his Bonny Doon Winery, concentrating on organic and biodynamically wines. The transaction was seen as a "sell out" to corporate interests, who would only pump up the volume while, at the same time, decreasing quality.
I guess I fell prey to the same thought process, But, at least with Big House White 2008, that opinion is totally unfounded; in fact, I wondered why in the world has this versatile and tasty white wine been flying under my wine radar all summer.
"Big House," with the penitentiary drawings on every label, refers to Soledad prison in Monterey County because the grapes came from nearby vineyards. Big House White has always been an amalgam of whatever oddball grape varietals that could be cobbled together into a tasty blend. The 2008 version is about half Malvasia Bianca, with the balance Muscat Canelli and Viognier, plus just a touch of Roussanne.
Incredibly fragrant, Big House White has aromas of grapefruit, green melon, lemon-lime, pear and lychee. Peach, nectarine and apricot flow as flavors in harmony, like a tropical fruit cocktail, with a snazzy tang that helps disperse the flavors on the mid palate. It contains just a hint of residual sugar on the finish that's balanced by near perfect acidity. So, for newer wine drinkers, it has an enticing and very appealling initial sweetness, primarily a function of the Malvasia Bianca and Muscat Canelli in the blend; for wine drinking vets, it has a fresh flamboyancy of flavors that are layered with a textural component and a zippy finish. Almost anyone would agree this wine is very refreshing.
If this were a white wine blend from the latest, upcoming Rhone style wine producer on the Central Coast, you would expect to pay three times as much. Instead with Big House White, its under $10 price is easy on the wallet. It's also widely available at Berbiglia, Lukas Liquors, Gomer's, and Cost Plus.
Read a profile of Big House winemaker Georgetta Dane on Snooth.
Previous wine of the week: Montes Classic Series Malbec.
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