At this young age the green apple is tart and tingly-bright (high, tongue-bouncing acidity) but there's a creaminess lurking underneath that comes out when it hits room temperature. Give it a couple years and all the complexity that's there now will still be there, but better integrated and smooooooooth (if not like buttah… but this isn't a buttery chardonnay).

As you likely can tell, I like the chardonnay. But between the two, the 2001 sauvignon blanc is my favorite.

First opened, this white socks you in the mouth with acidity: cheek-grabbing, lip-puckering acidity. And right after the cork is pulled, "tart" barely describes the flavor. Citrus and a touch of jalepeño come out right away, but like the chardonnay, this isn't a wine to drink right away.

After just 15 minutes of being opened, the acidity eased off to reveal melon, grapefruit and a bit of vanilla in the nose.

The palate is a great, complex mix of melon, citrus, oak and grassy herbs, but it takes a good hour in the glass to get everything out.

If you think aging white wine is equal to watching the WB network (time consuming and offering no benefit), you need to turn your channel to the OC. (How appropriate that it's a WoW Winery to Watch!)

But, your cable company almost certainly doesn't carry the OC. To help with that, you can order direct from the source. Visit www.olivercurtis.com and place an order. You'll be getting some great wine from great people, and hopefully helping them toward great amounts of money (or at least enough to bottle their upcoming cabernet franc).

Cheers,
TSW

I've counted about 47 elements that come together to make great wine (or was it 47,000?), but I've noticed two elements in particular that more and more seem to be playing key roles in new wineries: great people and great amounts of money. (Unfortunately these two elements don't cohabitate as much as we'd like.)

With the right bank account, one can start a winery with constant (hired) professional consultation, the finest vineyard manager, the best wine maker you can pay to leave her/his current winery, and untold others who all come together to make fantastic wine that the owner's only real connection with is that his name appears on the label.

This doesn't take anything away from the wine. It usually rocks. It better, considering it costs the GNP of Iraq to produce. This is what great amounts of money can do.

Oliver Curtis (OC) is a new winery that falls squarely into the "great people" category. The wine is made on a shoestring budget (we're familiar with that here at WoW), but the time and attention to detail given to it must be worth a fortune.

Just released are OC's third ever chardonnay and debut sauvignon blanc. Both are worth your attention, and a little time in your cellar.

The 2001 chardonnay is all about giving a pretty and polite middle finger to the oaky, buttery fruit bombs that we all know and love as California chard. The color is nice and deep, but the nose and palate are all brightness. Citrus, apple and steely mineral notes dominate (in a good way), along with just a touch of flowers and yeast in the nose.