Originally posted by: darthsidious
Infact, I've had trouble finding any 03's in a other than the one I mentioned. I like the auslese because I tend to drink them typically on their own rather than food, and for some reason I continue to enjoy them after a glass or so - maybe just a reflection of my immature palate.
Not at all. I drink wine on its own at least 50% of the time. If that's what you enjoy, then that's what's right. A great wine doesn't need the company of food.
And the few dry ones I've tried have been too cirtrusy for me.
A legitimate complaint if that's not what suits you. I find many of the Alsatian Rieslings do have a citrus component, but it's usually in great balance. It's usually a little pineapple, peach, maybe green apple, a little floral character, etc. Wonderful wines.
There are great dry whites around the world that don't have citrus qualities. What you're most likely appealing to is the acidic qualities rather than any notion of citrus fruit (just guessing), so what you might want to try is any white that has undergone a malolactic fermentation to convert the harsher (to your palate at least) malic acids into silkier lactic acids. A lot of California Chardonnays undergo this process, but if not carefully controlled you end up with a butter quality. Lactic acid, in proper quantities, can leave a really pleasant silky mouthfeel similar to diacetyl in a quality beer; however, in larger quantities you get butter, butterscotch, etc. Not pleasant, in my opinion.
I would try a couple California Chardonnays and Oregon Pinot Gris. They're relatively inexpensive and you can get an idea for the "softer" style. We could spend hours talking about the options in the French Loire, Burgundy (specifically the Macon), Bordeaux (Graves), etc. Burgundy is almost exclusively Chardonnay as well, and it's always dry. Not all undergo malolactic, but you could pick up a Macon-Villages from almost any producer and have a reasonable example.
They also tend to be my "celebratory wines". Do you have any recommendations for places to look at (online or otherwise)?
Wine Searcher
Wine Library
KL Wines
Premier Cru
Honestly though, I'd just find a local retailer. Find someone knowledgeable and tell them you want an inexpensive malolactic white. He should be able to get you in the right direction.
I'll definately consider picking up a Alsatian Riesling. And I'm always up for a good wine recommendation, riesling or otherwise. In particular, I'm trying to find a not too tannic red that can still go well with hearty pasta dishes... I'd appreciate any tips.
Really depends on the pasta and what's in it. Roasted tomatoes? Peppers? Meatballs? Is it a pesto sauce? Creamy? Salty?
With my pasta I like to go for a Gevrey-Chambertin just because I can. Good Gevrey-Chambertin examples have deep, deep tobacco, sometimes licorice, nice fruit concentration, and often even jammy (plums, mainly). I find this stands up very well against even against meat, and it has the added benefit of not being tannic even when young. Other Burgundy examples simply don't cut it much of the time, but California and Oregon Pinot Noirs have many outstanding examples as well.
I also like to go for a good Merlot example. This is most usually a St Emilion (on the right bank of Bordeaux) Grand Cru Classe or something from California. Newton is one of my favorite producers in California and they have an excellent Merlot. I finished a '99 Newton last week and it was absolutely intoxicating, and not because of the alcohol...
Finally, if you are looking something relatively light and fruity you could consider a Beaujolais, also from Burgundy (although from the Gamay grape and not the Pinot Noir as you would expect). A good Beaujolais Village or Cru Beaujolais won't set you back any more than $20 in most cases, and at its best it can be very good. Georges Dub?uf is my favorite Beaujolais producer as he uses yeast that produce this discernable banana character. It's smooth, fruity, but not obnoxious; it doesn't try to fight for your attention. I also find that a young Volnay to be fantastic with pasta dishes, but it's often very tannic and there's not much else to balance it out.
Hope this helps some. There is so much to talk about and consider that it's hard to do it in a single post. The best suggestion is to just visit a reputable retailer and just start trying things.
Facebook
Twitter