Geyser Peak Uncensored

Geyser Peak Winery was established in California in 1880, making it one of the oldest wineries in the country and the 29th bonded winery in the state. The founder was German immigrant Augustus Quitzow, whose last name comes from a noble familiy of Brandenburg and could be an incredible Scrabble word (28 points without multipliers).

The two Uncensored wines represent a pair of multigrape blends at an affordable price point, which really goes back to the early history of California winemaking. West coast consumers of the late 19th century were not shopping based on precise percentages of Bordeaux grapes but rather what tasted good and would store well before the advent of central air conditioning.

2012 Geyser Peak Uncensored White Blend
California
Proprietary blend of Viognier, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc
$14, 13% abv.
6,200 cases made

Sauvignon Blanc really dominates this particular blend. The bottle has bright acidity with notes of grapefruit and melon and a long finish. Should be great with grilled white fish topped with a citrus salsa.

2011 Geyser Peak Uncensored Red Blend
California
Proprietary blend of Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Tannat, Alicante Bouschet, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
$14, 13.4% abv.
26,000 cases made

What a fascinating blend of grapes, and you don't see Alicante Bouschet much these days. These grapes combine to produce a big fruit wine that has dominant notes of plum. It's a jammy, dark fruit wine with low tannins and a slightly sweet finish. Great mid-week pizza and burger wine.

Note: These wines were provided as samples for review.