@wente First wine from Wente Vineyards – 2013 Riva Ranch Chardonnay. 13.5% alcohol. 97% Chardonnay 3% Gewürztraminer. Aged sur lie for 8 months. One of the oldest continuously owned family wineries in California. Much of the Chardonnay in California, more than half, is Wente clone. Pale and clear, expressive nose, lingering finish, very clean. Livermore Valley $22 retail.
Cynthia Lohr from J. Lohr pouring 40th anniversary Pinot Blanc. $40 retail. From Arroyo Seco and Monterey appelations. Lots of fruit and complex on the palate. Long finish. 
Wine three is a 50/50 Marsanne/Viognier blend from Paso Robles… 2012 Treana White from Hope Family wines. Very floral nose, lots of fruit in the mouth. It’s a pretty wine. $23 retail. The challenge here is listening, asking, tasting and writing in real time, but it’s fun!
4th wine is from BevMo, the 2013 Sonoma Chardonnay called Main & Geary. It sells for $15.99, but it’s part of the 5 cent sale, so you can buy two bottes for $16.04. Nothing spectacular, but for the price it’s an easy drinker.
Mambo #5! Cornerstone 2012 Sauvignon Blanc. Craig Camp from Cornerstone says it’s one of the best growing grapes in Napa. Chardonnay does not grow well there. $30 sourced from Howell Mountain and St. Helena, older vineyards. Very soft for a Sauvignon Blanc. Would be extremely food friendly, nice and crisp.
Waiting for number 6, we’re past the halfway point. 2013 Viognier from Aridus in Wilcox, AZ. It’s a custom crush facility. Presents a correct Viognier nose. Fruit sourced from southeast AZ.
The 7th wine is the 2012 Alta Maria Vineyards Chardonnay from the Santa maria Valley. Priced at $28, it’s aged for 11 months in neutral oak barrels. This is a beautiful wine, I’d love it with halibut or sole. Alcohol is 13.9%
2012 Fess Parker Viognier has Rousanne, Marsanne and Grenache Blanc added. 100% barrel aged and fermented ten months in older French barrels. It’s an elegant wine that sells for $28.
Almost done, we’re onto the 2011 Scratchpad Chardonnay from Buellton. $12.99, and it’s pretty decent. Very cute label that looks like a piece of paper torn from a scratch pad.
Here’s the last wine, number 10. Whew! Pacific Rim Dry Riesling from Washington State’s Columbia Valley. I can smell it without my nose anywhere near the glass. Yummy! Not sweet at all, but easy to tell it’s a Riesling. Under $10 – give me some spicy food to go with it!!!