I am sadly at the point in my life guys where it seems as if the majority of people now consider the term "old School" in reference to music to be the early 2000's. Well folks, I guess then that I am also actually now at the point as well where I am considered delusional since old school to me is still the 80's. This was the decade where music truly was amazing. New Wave bands such as Depeche Mode, New Order, Tears For Fears or Wham currently still fill my music shelves in the form of records and yes, even at times, cassette tapes. In the genre of rock or metal, bands such as Ratt, Guns N Roses & Motley Crue where and still are rocking things out on my shelves also in the form of records and cassette tapes.While I have tried with all my heart to like at least some of today's so called music, I truly believe that it is a lost cause. I refuse to listen to so called music where the singer relies solely on Auto-Tune rather than their own voice. I refuse to listen to so called music that is over processed in order to try to sound palatable to listeners ears. I also refuse to listen to so called music where the music no longer relates to me. I want to ask a simple question here which is, does the word "talent" mean anything anymore? Yep wine lovers, give me a beautiful Sauvignon Blanc or a dry, minerality driven Chardonnay and yes, 80's music and The Desert Wine Guy is a happy camper for sure. The reason I bring this topic up is what I will be talking about in the next paragraph.
Today's wine up for review is the 2021 Slo Jams, Sauvignon Blanc by Slo Down wines (https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/slo-down-wines-coolest-labels/). The wine cost me $4.99 so as you can probably imagine, I was a good bit concerned about its quality but I truly just didn't care as I was buying (had to buy) the wine and that was that. Aside from the concern I had with the price, there are a couple of positive things going on here here concerning the wine and they are that there is actually a vintage listed as well as a specific (and prominent) AVA (Horse Heaven Hills). There is also an actual vineyard (Destiny Ridge Vineyard) listed as well. These things are not common at all for such an inexpensive wine and in fact, I have never seen it. The alcohol percentage comes in at 12.5% and the bottle is screw cap sealed. As a last note, the wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc.
Now for the label. Totally awesome is not only an 80's phrase but also the correct phrase to describe my thoughts on the label. I think the label was well thought out and completely fits the nitch it was meant for or or designed to fit, excellent job here guys, ya got me.
Okay so, on the nose the wine smells pretty nice as semi lively notes of Yellow Peach and green melon come drifting up from my wine glass. Overall, while admittedly this doesn't seem like a big complex bouquet, it does smell like what could be a decent Sauvignon Blanc and it is after all $4.99. As a whole I thought the bouquet was welcoming and promising. I am looking forward to tasting the wine.
On the palate now the wine tells a different story. There is a sort of muteness or...semi blandness to the wine. I'm not talking about a softness but a kind of muteness. If I didn't know better and was just guessing, I would say this wine is a blend and not a single varietal. There is just a "feel" of other things going on here here that are not typical for the average expression of the Sauvignon Blanc varietal. The wine is also noticeably on the drier side which I think is one of the things that is throwing my palate off a bit. There is of course a note of lemongrass here but it is presented very differently than the typical Sauvignon Blanc we know or are use to due to the note of being subdued a bit. This also seems to only reinforce the feeling that this wine might be a blend of sorts even though I know it is not. This lemongrass is offered up at a level where those of you who either are tired of or simply don't enjoy the typical presentation of a New Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc will be happy with. I guess that can be considered a plus to some. Getting back to that blandness for a moment, it seems to appear here and there, showing up at times yet disappearing at others. I did find this to be a bit bothersome. That green melon that I picked up on the nose is here but is also rather disappointingly on the slightly muted side. Acidity was rather low and while it did try to show itself off a bit, it simply couldn't assist the wine much. What really got me here was a strange note of almost a seltzer or carbonation type taste that was here as well. Let me be clear, there was no actual carbonation exhibited but there was that taste you get along with it. This note again, came and went and I found it to be...strange. I am picking up a bit of Green Apple here as well which is doing a semi decent job announcing itself on the palate and is overall pretty nicely done. As a last note, a super light
pineapple is here as well and it is very well blended into the wine, it
is however not a note that you will pick out without some thought. So...that is it folks. that's all I have to say concerning this wine. Head on over to the next paragraph where I will wrap this all up.
What hurts this wine to me is a few things. The fact that note of blandness crops up at times was weird. Another thing is the fact that there is a massive dryness to the wine that isn't balanced by anything else to at least try to offset it. There was some fruit here but it wasn't looking to fight to be noticed. The wine is also not very tropical nor does it offer up an a semi sort of brilliance that the varietal is normally known for. Overall, while the fruit was okay, it was simply that, okay. In the end I guess I kind of got what I expected here but I'm happy I did this review as I feel the winery deserved the attention. As a matter of fact, if you are into real old School music, I think it still deserves your attention Anyway, in the end I thought the wine was simply okay. For $4.99 I guess you can't go wrong but on The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I am giving this wine 87 points. To me, this is a wine you break out either after your pool guest have started on a nice representation of the varietal such as Whitehaven and really have lost a decent bit of their taste buds or, for your non wine discerning guests.At $4.99 you really can't go wrong.
P.S. - Good or bad wine, I will not regret buying the two bottles and if you
are a fan of the 70's or 80's music, you need to at least buy two bottles as well. One bottle will be for
decoration and the second bottle will be to taste.
The Desert Wine Guy
