Weekend Wine: Washington Riesling (Chateau Ste Michelle Dr. Loosen Eroica 2005, $18)

 
If you, like us, tend to prefer dry white wines over sweet ones, the Chateau Ste Michelle Dr. Loosen Eroica 2005 may surprise you.  This off-dry, German style Riesling makes a seriously positive impression thanks to its exceptional balance of a touch of sugar, a slightly bigger body than usual for the varietal, and bright, but consistent, acidity throughout.  It was particularly the latter quality of the wine that effectively neutralized any issue [...]

Weekend Wine: Washington Chardonnay (Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells 2006, $18)

Usually in the chardonnays of Washington you’ll be tasting more apple, pear and lemon than you would in a California bottling of the same varietal, which tends to taste more of tropical fruits.  The Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay 2006, however, seems to defy this rule of thumb, which shouldn’t come as a complete surprise given that the grapes were [...]