Late with a Late Harvest

I realized that January had literally come and gone and I had not made an entry for the month. This evening I was in the mood for something sweet. Fortunately, or not, I noticed that I had nothing sweet to eat in my apartment. I did, although, forget that I had a wine in my basement, and some wine on the sweeter side at that. I didn’t think I wanted a port, and when searching through my wine stock, I found this 2005 Late Harvest Chenin Blanc from Terra Blanca. This wine came in my latest shipment from Willamette Valley Vineyards.

As a reminder, late harvest grapes tend to be those grapes which are left on the vine for a long as possible, sometimes to the first frost of the year the maximization of sweetness of the grape. This particular wine is sold out, so maybe I should not have opened it so soon :-)

I opened the bottle and was again reminded of the nose that I tend to enjoy on Late Harvest Chenin Blancs. The nose is fruity, but not overly, with hints of grapes and pear, and a hint of alcohol. For whatever reason my legs did not show the legs very well, so I cannot give you an accurate detail of what they are like nor how this wine coats my glass. What I enjoy most about this wine is that it is softer on the palate, not over sweet, with a little bite of tartness.

The website makes note that this wine has hints of pineapple, mango, and other citrus which I don’t notice as much, but it could also be because I was eating some peanut butter with wheat bread (no, it wasn’t the tainted Salmonella peanut butter, but I appreciate your concern) because I noticed a difference in my first couple of sips and my sips while I munched.

All the same, this wine can be enjoyed by anyone who likes wine. It is not too sweet, nor is it too tart. While I opted to enjoy it later in an evening with some peanut butter and bread, I imagine it with a light cake, perhaps an angel food, or a cake without frosting.

I would be interested in what others have to say about this one.

Until next time...