Soljans Gisborne Gerwurztraminer 2004

by Ethan Johnson
August 24, 2007

Alrighty! The white wine fire sale continues apace. I sold off my wine fridge recently (I couldn't justify the expense of running three, yes three, refrigerators in Texas anymore), which means the wines that formerly occupied the proper storage receptacle have got. to. go. Let's glug down some:

Producer (Vineyard): Soljans
Varietal (Grape type): Gerwurztraminer
Vintage (Year): 2004
Country: New Zealand
Color: White
Cost: Moderate ($12 USD)

Teh booze

Swirl and Sniff: The color is straw yellow. The scent is grapefruit-y (as expected, considering the source) with a whiff of eggs. Not rotten eggs, fortunately.

Taste: Mmmm, hard to come up with appropriate adjectives, again. Sort of acidic, sort of dry, sort of nondescript otherwise.

Pairing: I drank this with Nisha's kick-ass salmon. Once again, the wine neither helped nor hurt the main course.

Rating: When it comes to this wine, I would (and you may):

  • Buy three or more bottles for regular enjoyment
  • Buy a bottle or two for occasional enjoyment
  • Ask for when dining out or at a party
  • Settle for if your preferred wine is not available
  • Politely decline and never drink again, ever

Since this is a 2004 vintage, it's probably closer to the end of its life span than to the beginning. If you see it around, give it a whirl, but if you see a fresher vintage you may want to go that direction. Not a horrible wine, but not one (as of that vintage) that I'd rush out to load up on.

If you do give this a try, please let me know how your experience compared with mine. Thanks! <EM>

(The Totally Unpretentious Wine Reviews Index may be found here.)

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