Sunday Night Wine Flights

Tonight, to celebrate Rob's birthday, we ate at the Atlantic Fish Co. on Boylston St. (close to the Boston Public Library), and with our very excellent meal, we had an opportunity to try six different white wines. (No, we didn't get full glasses of everything, they were part of wine flights, with three wines in each group -- a great idea. We wish more restaurants offered these.) We tried the Aromatic, Spicy Whites and the Dry & Flinty Whites.

Aromatic, Spicy

• Gruner Veltliner, "Lois" Loimer, Austria -- fresh apple scents and spiciness lead to exotic fruit and crisp acidity (this wine was great -- really dry and paired nicely with the seafood dishes we had)
  
• Riesling, Eroica, Chateau Ste. Michelle/Dr. Loosen, Columbia Valley -- graceful and subtle, with stony green apple and delicate apricot flavor, finishing dry but with a caramel note (this was good, but nothing special -- Rob thought it was too sweet; I reminded him that it was a riesling)
  
• Viognier/Marsanne, "Hermit Crab," d'Arenberg, Australia -- exhibits fresh flower and tropical fruit aromas, palate is immediately fruity, with strong tropical and stone fruit flavors (this had a really nice spice to it -- it was tied with the Austrian wine for our favorite in this flight)
  

Dry & Flinty

• Sauvignon Blanc, Redcliffe, Marlborough -- aromas of citrus, gooseberry and melon with intense flavors of passion fruit and mango followed by racy acidity (this was a good, classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, but not as good as Drylands, Matua, or Villa Maria)
  
• Sauvignon/Verdejo, Las Brisas, Rueda (Spain) -- fruity and grassy aromas with mineral notes and dry flavors of white peach, apricot, lemon, and lime (this wine was surprisingly good; it had pronounced Sauvignon Blanc flavors but with some additional complexity and dryness)
  
• Sancerre, Guy Saget, Loire -- flowery aromas with mineral characters followed by fruit flavors of citrus, golden aple, pear, and a clean, crisp finish (this French wine was different from the Sauvignon Blancs of New Zealand and Napa, but it was steely and flavorful and worth having again)