2010 Villa Maria Dry Riesling Marborough

I am a big fan of Villa Maria's Sauvignon Blanc wine so I decided to pick up their 'Dry Riesling.'  I used about a 1/4 of the wine for cooking today (Cream Chicken dish) and the rest for imbibing. 

At the nose, there's a slight hint of apricots, pears, apples and grass.  I think this is fairly typical for Chardonnay's; so I was a bit surprised given that it was a Riesling.  The first whirl of the 2010 Villa Maria Dry Riesling -- indeed, quite dry as the label suggests.  Interesting--  Had you blindfolded me I would have to say that this was a Sauvignon Blanc.  Nice balance of grapefruit, nuts, and pears. 

I'm going to give this one 3.5 stars.  A very descent, dry Riesling.  If you're looking for something on the sweeter side, this is definitely not it.  I purchased this one at Kinokuniya for Y1,680.  I did some googling and found one at Rakuten for Y1,239.  Maybe it's time to venture out a bit and start buying from online stores.

Summary: Very dry, reminds me of their Sauvignon Blanc.  Good value, but cheaper sources out there...
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Purchase Cost: Y1,680 (Kinokuniya International)
Other Japanese Retailers: Y1,239 (Rakuten website)
USA Retail Price: $12.95
Food:  Cream Chicken with white rice

Kim Crawford 2009 Marlborough Pinot Noir

Overall I am a big fan of Kim Crawford's Sauvignon Blanc wines (New Zealand).  Today I decided to try Kim Crawford 2009 Marlborough Pinot Noir -- a first for me.  


The smell reminds me of a sweet strawberry that still has some dirt on the leaves (earthy).  My first whirl/taste; first impact is good, but the flavor tapers off pretty quickly.  It's okay. My second whirl....  Yeah, not overly impressed. It has some berry flavors, but the berries are a bit sour.  It's one of those wines where you think it's a bit young, but even if you let it age overtime it's a wine that wont change a bit.  In other words, it is what it is.  Almost similar to the wine earlier this week (Napa Station), an okay table wine, but not one to bring to a dinner party to impress.  


Again, I purchased this at Costco and it was reasonable (comparing it to Rakuten it is a steal ~65% discount--I would never pay Y2,000).  I am going to give this wine 3 stars.

Summary: Okay Pinot Noir from New Zealand (classic Pinot Noir color -- light red).  Good initial taste, but it did not last to really impress.
Rating: 3 Stars
Purchase Cost: Y1,198 (Kawasaki Costco)
Other Japanese Retailers: Y1,980 (Rakuten Website-scroll down a bit)
USA Retail Price: Around $13.95
Food: I did not pair it with any food today