The nose is quintessential, California sauvignon blanc. It has melon, lots of grapefruit and enough grassiness to get even the mildly allergic sneezing.

On the palate, there's acidity that bounces on the tongue. In its youth (it's just a 2001, after all), comes brightness and liveliness making this a very appropriate wine to be WoW's first review of spring. Grapefruit flavors bring in some good tartness, and yet there's enough melon there to keep it from getting mouth-puckering.

Sure it smells and tastes great, but being honest, one of the best things about sauvignon blanc is that it usually sells for a lot fewer greenbacks than other varietals. In that tradition, Geyser Peak has priced this baby so that you can afford it even on a greens-keeper's salary.

Easy drinking and easy on the wallet. Hmmm, maybe it's not so tough being green.

Hi ho,
TSW

"It's not easy being green." While that may be true for a frog, it's doubly so for a wine. After all, frogs are supposed to be green -- but a wine? Let's just say that wines can be cruel, and a lot of the golden chardonnays on the shelves tease the few green sauvignon blancs.

But, if those mean wines could taste some of their grassy, blanc brothers, they'd turn green with envy! Some of those fat, sometimes-flabby whites might even begin thinking that the grass is greener on the sauvignon side.

First, to be perfectly clear, this offering from Geyser Peak is undeniably green -- and that's not a comment on its youth. Through the clear glass bottle you can see that it's the color of hay that hasn't quite finished drying.