Barnard Griffin 2007 Fume Blanc Columbia Valley

The text under the name on the label describes as "dry sauvignon blanc." That's quite accurate. The first thing I noticed about the wine was the incredibly fragrant and complex aroma. It is slightly floral, with a hint of citrus. The taste is delicate without being watery or weak. I noticed the citrus again, but also, something else that's elusive and lovely—that's a bit like the mineral quality of artesian well water—I suppose this may be the "mineral" quality that people who know what they're doing write about.

I think Barnard Griffin 2007 Fume Blanc Columbia Valley may be my perfect summer wine. I've had a chance to try a second bottle, and was just as good as the first. It's quite a bit like summer in a bottle. This is one of those wine I'm happy to drink on its own, but that very much changes and is changed by food. I think this may be the perfect wine for crab or lobster. I note from the Bernard Griffin Website that's it's 82.8% Sauvignon Blanc, 16.5% Semillon, using grapes from Sagemoor Vineyard (Columbia Valley), Gunkel Vineyard (Columbia Valley, Eastern Columbia River Gorge), Aldercreek Vineyard (Horse Heaven Hills), and Caroway Vineyard (Columbia Valley). The ABV is a mere 12.6%. I'm definitely going to be buying more of this wine, as well as trying other Sauvignon blanc, but this particular wine has also made me curious about Semillon—a wine that I've been previously underwhelmed by in its California forms.

The first bottle of Barnard Griffin 2007 Fume Blanc Columbia Valley was a spontaneous-spur-of-the-moment purchase at the Washington state liquor store, where right now the wine is selling at a bargain $5.99 a bottle, with a 10% discount on six or more bottles—I suspect it's a price designed to make room for the 2009 vintage. My initial purchase was serendipity in its purest form—my first Barnard Griffin wine, and my first Sauvignon Blanc. It's not only made me go back for more, I'm planning on looking more closely at Barnard Griffin winery.