You may not have heard of Virginie Bourgue, but if you have one taste of her wine you will fall in love.  Virginie is the winemaker for an ambitious new winery in Walla Walla called Cadaretta that released its first wines, in 2008.

Virginie grew up in Bonnieux, Provence in the South of France, and her winemaking style combines the best elements of Washington wine—intense fruit and concentration of flavor—with a sense of restraint that is more typical of wines from France.   Virginie credits a combination of her family’s agricultural roots, her mother’s restaurant and her own degree in science for her decision to pursue winemaking.  She says that “studying winemaking allowed me to use my scientific backround, and my palate.  To combine knowledge [of science and agriculture] with the unexplainable: flavors.  Winemaking is the best way to put them both together.”

This wine is a blend of 79% Sauvignon Blanc and 21% Semillon that sees no oak.  Only 1,000 cases were produced.  Try it with quiche, golden beet salad, or macaroni and cheese.  Drink now – 2011.

Although vineyards had belonged to the Weis family for centuries, Nicolaus Weis (vintage 1905, Nik Weis’ grandfather) founded the winery in 1947. In the early years he built cellars and winery buildings on a hill on Leiwen’s periphery. He named his estate for the patron saint of German winemakers, St. Urban, and ‘hof’ (the German word for ‘estate’), St. Urban’s Estate.

In the 1960s his son, Hermann, assumed management of all operations. During Hermann’s tenure the nursery expanded to become one of Germany’s largest. He established himself as a world-recognized vine breeder, especially noted for his work with Riesling. At the beginning of the 1970s he pioneered the use of this noble variety in Canada greatly contributing to the introduction of vitis vinifera into this country still new to quality winemaking. He planted the first large parcel of Riesling vines in the Niagara Peninsula under the title of St. Urban Vineyard, later to become Vineland Estates Winery.

Hermann was always interested in, and so kept his canny eye cocked towards, purchasing top Mosel vineyards. In 1989 he purchased some of the Mosel and Saar’s top sites in the high-level villages of Piesport, Ockfen, and Wiltingen.

Together with his wife Ida, a daughter of the Saar, he extended his vineyard area to the relatively expansive 33 hectares (approx. 82 acres).

In 1997, their son, Nik(olaus) joined the winery. Father and son together restructured the vineyard holdings by selling off those of lesser quality and acquiring further parcels of greater quality. 2004 heralded another expansion for the Weis family with Nik’s marriage to Daniela who added to the family’s holdings with her’s of the Mehringer Blattenberg. Nik and Daniela’s family today includes their small children Nic(olaus) and Clara.

A blend of estate vineyards, the Urban is Nik’s light and friendly wine, and as such, it makes really good drinking right now, as you are reading this note, before you’ve even put away the rest of the wines.  fruity, crisp, and moderately sweet the only work you need to do for this wine is to pour it into another vessel (a decanter or water pitcher) to give it some air before you drink it.  Try it with crab, sablefish, and Chinese food with a little spice.  Drink now – 2011.

The Villar Brothers founded Bodegas Hermanos Villar in 1995, owning 247 Acres of vineyards in the town of Rueda. The widely planted grape varieties are: white – Verdejo, Sauvignon Blanc, Viura and red –Tempranillo.

The vineyards are located southwest of Ribera del Duero, in the town of Rueda at altitude of 2,359 feet.  cold nights and hot days and low to moderate rainfall gives grapes a long growing season to ripen resulting in wines with more complexity and greater aromatic intensity. The cool nights help in retaining the acidity of the grapes, resulting in wines that are fresh and crisp.

The unique soil profile makes wines from these vineyards distinct from other vineyards in the region. Deep, with a thick surface of gravel and sand topsoil providing good water drainage and a dry-healthy environment for ripening grapes. The subsoil is composed of active limestone and water retaining clay, conserving moisture during the dry, active growing season of the vines. Soil poor in organic matter gives lower yields, increasing intensity of flavors.

This wine is made from 60% Verdejo and 40% Viura grapes.  The flavors are vibrant and crisp, ecompassing tropical fruits, grapefruit, jalepeno peppers and a host of other lively aromas and flavors.  The palate is more restrained than the nose, but only a little bit.  Try this with goat cheese, shrimp or scallops, and all manner of rice dishes.  Drink now – 2010