The 2010 Big House White is a “kitchen sink” blend, 22.7% Malvasia Blanc, 15.9% Gruner Veltliner, 15.7% Sauvignon Blanc, 9.2% Gewurztraminer, 7.9% Riesling, 7.3% Chenin Blanc, 6.1% Muscat Canelli, 5.2% Viognier, 4.5% Verdelho, 4.4% Albarino and 1.1% Pinot Gris.(I hope all that adds up to 100%) The winemaker, Georgetta Dane, says she blends wine as if it were perfume, she finds a grape for the base note, then adds other grapes for accents and depth. The wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks. The alcohol content is 13.5%.
The color is a pale, butter yellow. The nose is a pretty blend of fresh fruit and tropical flowers, pineapple, melon, grapefruit, a little pear and a whole bouquet of flowers. The wine has a full, slightly oily mouthfeel, tart citrus initially dominates the palate, then peach and pear take over. The mid-palate has a nice slap of minerality, along with guava and tangerine. The acidity is well balanced, you don’t notice it until the finish and there it helps a lemon/lime finish last a pretty long for a 8 buck wine.
You see the Big House White on store shelves everywhere and I always thought it was simply your typical supermarket brand value white wine. To my surprise, The Big House White is a funky, cool blend of, not the usual grape varieties, expression of the winemakers craft. An interesting wine, terrific nose, very tasty (lots of subtle flavors and textures are mingled in your glass), that just happens to cost less than $10. I would pair the Big House White with Asian food that has some spice to it, it would really cool the heat.
