"Man, these California wines suck!" Last fall at the 2008 Wine Bloggers Conference, that quote could be attributed to me regularly. It was something I said out loud, in an exaggerated manner — mostly to make my fellow wine bloggers laugh. And it worked. Lots of laughs, eye rolls and comments about thin, underripe reds from New York. I mean, they know me as the New York wine guy, so why not play that up by putting down those overripe, overoaked high-alcohol cocktail wines from California? Oops, I did it again. All jokes aside, not all California wines suck. They…
Posts Written OnMarch 12, 2009
McGregor Vineyard 2007 “Emery Vineyards” Seyval Blanc
I'm definitely not one of those wine writer-types who dismisses hybrid grapes. I've had some terrific wines made from Vidal. Have enjoyed several different styles of Vignoles. And, I even like Seyval Blanc when it's done well. Some winemakers treat Seyval a bit too much like chardonnay for my liking, aging it in oak, which just isn't a good idea. Others leave a significant amount of residual sugar in the finished wine, trying to appeal to the white zinfandel set. Jeff Dencenburg, winemaker at McGregor, did a little of both with this McGregor Vineyard 2007 "Emery Vineyards" Seyval Blanc ($16),…