By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief
This is the last of the value whites I tried during a recent tasting, and guess what? Not only was it the unofficial winner, it's also the wine priced the lowest.
Shinn Estate Vineyards 2009 Coalescence ($14) is a unique steel-fermented blend of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling and — get this — merlot blanc. The riesling that went into this wine comes from Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes, by the way.
The
nose is citrusy but showed a bit more nuance than the other two values whites in the lineup, delivering minerally seawater character
and herbaceous notes.
Lithe on the palate, lime and grapefruit flavors
lead the way and are accented by lemongrass and well-integrated, juicy
acidity. More of that saline minerality comes back again on the tangy,
quinine finish.
Probably ideal with local shellfish, which I can't eat, I can definitely recommend it with fresh goat's milk cheese, a pairing I've done with it twice now.
Producer: Shinn Estate
Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long ISland
ABV:
12.4%
Price: $14
Rating: 
(3.5 out of 5 | Very good-to-Delicious)