Wine Tasting: 2006 Roshambo "Scissors"

I have been in the wine club for Roshambo since I first visited them in early 2006 - I just absolutely love their concept and the consistency of their wine. Their best marketing concept is the "Rock, Paper, Scissors" trio that they release (almost) every year. "Rock" and "Paper" are generally red wines (although some years "Paper" has been a dessert wine) while "Scissors" is a single varietal white wine or white wine blend. This year, it's a blend - and I think it's one of their best ever. Medium bodied for a white wine and absolutely perfect for the warmer weather we are starting to enter into here in NorCal. Lovingly softens the spice of any spicy food with it's great fruit-forward flavor. Strong hints of apple and pear with subtle hints of melon combine with a less that subtle hint of honey to create an absolutely wonderful "San Francisco Summer" drinking wine (for those not in the know, San Francisco summers are actually September/October). Took the strong heat out of the spicy chicken veggie slaw I made this evening for dinner, which I will post the recipe for tomorrow.

Wine Tasting: 2007 Roshambo "Ezekiel" Viognier

Awesome spicy food wine. Great dry finish, nice acidity. All of what I love in a Viognier is there - hints of melon and honey flavor, maybe a little bit of peach if you stretch a bit. Fermented entirely in steel, which is how I actually prefer my Chardonnays. My apologies to all of you out there who like the typical buttery, oak/steel-fermented California style of Chardonnay... I absolutely ABHOR the buttery taste that produces in white wine. If I am going to choose a white wine (I mostly choose reds), I want it to be nice and crisp and light and dry - usually to pair with spicier Asian dishes. So, I usually end up gravitating towards Viognier over Chardonnay because it has a similar body to Chardonnay, but without that buttery-ness that can come with partial fermentation in oak. As you can tell, I love this wine and this varietal. Enjoy!