Blended white wines bid summer adieu

As the last days of summer wind down, sometimes I get the urge to indulge myself with a superb blended white wine.

For that special dinner or special person, I might buy a bottle of white wine costing in the $20s or $30s, but only if I know I will get value for that price.

When I spend these kinds of dollars, I expect a wine that has been made from the best grapes, pampered by the winemaker and blended with just the right proportion of grapes to overcome any weakness a single grape might have had in a particular vintage.

The result should be a complex presentation of aromas and flavors in a lushly textured wine that has a long finish.

The wine-tasting group compared five of these in a blind tasting. Here is how we rated them:

- 2001 Caymus Conundrum at $27.99. This has been a favorite blend of mine -- and others -- for some time now. It is a blend of these grapes: Muscat, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, semillon and viognier. In this vintage, the result produced a tropical aroma, full of banana and orange. In the mouth, it had a viscous texture and a taste of oak. This wine tied for first in our tasting.

- 2000 St. Supery White Meritage at $24.99. Made like a white Bordeaux, this wine had a musty, minerally aroma with hints of wood. When we tasted this wine, we found many sensations on the front of the tongue, with oak dominating the flavors. The wine sort of dissolved as it passed over the tongue, leaving undertones of vanilla and butterscotch. Compared to the others, the finish was relatively short. Still, this was an outstanding wine that tied for first in the tasting.

- 2001 Niebaum-Coppola Blancaneaux at $32.99. This wine was a blend of chardonnay, rousanne, marsanne and viognier grapes. It had a green, muted aroma. It was pleasant in the mouth, with a long, creamy texture, and a hint of chalkiness. The finish was long and satisfying.

- 2000 Au Bon Climat Hildegard White Table Wine at $39.99.The aroma promised an Old World-style wine with minerals, muskiness and sweet wood. In the mouth, we continued to taste the wood. Most thought the wine was well-balanced. One taster thought the wine lacked enough acids and tasted too creamy or " flabby." This Rhone-style blend was made from chenin blanc, pinot gris and alligote. It finished third in our tasting.

- 2000 Edmunds St. John at $24.99. Our first bottle was off, so some of the group tasted a second bottle. This wine's aroma was full of perfume and floral notes. Made from viognier and marsanne, we tasted ripe apricots and figs. The texture was viscous and creamy with a bit of chalkiness.

Surfing the shelves

- 2001 Lambert Ridge Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel at $24. This was a big, fruity zinfandel with a bit of dusty earthiness. In the mouth, we tasted jammy dark berries and oak. I tried it with grilled lamb chops with rosemary, and it was a great match.

- 1999 Kathryn Hall Sacrashe Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon at $50. We found leather, dark fruit and hints of spice in the aroma. In the mouth we tasted traditional cabernet currants and dark berries. Oak and chocolate lasted through the finish.

- 2000 Alderbrook Dry Creek Valley Chardonnay at $20. Tropical fruit and green apples filled the aroma, accompanied by hints of vanilla. The oaking was stronger on the palate with butterscotch in a creamy texture. Lovers of secondary fermentation will like this wine.

- 1999 Solkor Blooser Pinot Noir at $30. This Oregon pinot produced extraordinary results. The nose was full of cherry, leather and a dustiness with some floral notes. On the palate, the texture was soft but satisfyingly full with plenty of structure.

- 2000 Trapiche Broquel Cabernet Sauvignon at $14.99. Dark berries, cigar and oak appeared in the aroma. On the palate, we tasted currants and a hint of chocolate on the finish.

Questions can be sent to Frank Sutherland, editor, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 or e-mailed to editor