White X 2008

While I was preparing the Thanksgiving feast for the family, I opened a bottle of the White X from the X Winery in CA. Yes, those are the actual names. The X Winery was started in 2000 by Reed Renaudin who at the time was an MBA student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Although he was relatively young in age, his background and education was well seasoned having worked for some of the top names in Sonoma and Napa including Gallo and Heitz as well as Cape Clairault Wines in Australia. In addition to X Winery, Reed also started Amicus Winery.

The White X is a blend of 57% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Muscat Blanc, 19% Chardonnay and 4% Roussanne sourced from 5 vineyards throughout the North Coast region. This crisp white wine had a great nose of citrus, white peach, pear and a little nuttiness. The palate was led by some nice exotic fruits along with apricots and green apples, as well as a hint of minerality.  The Sauvignon Blanc and the Muscat Blanc are stainless steel fermented while the Chardonnay and Roussanne are barrel fermented. There is nice acidity with a long finish.  Overall, from the initial aromas to the long lasting flavors, this is a really nice wine with lots of complexity.

Only 580 cases of this wine were produced. Not only is the bottle memorable for the big X, but the X is actually silk screened onto the bottle in place of paper labels. If you can spot the X, be sure to pick some up. This is a serious wine with a simple name. It can be enjoyed on its own or paired with many entrees from simple meats and cheeses to spicy entrees. It retails for $14. Great Buy!