Massican: Passion in a Bottle

With summer approaching it’s about that time to start thinking about the bottles that will accompany your light fare and barbeques to get you through those hot summer days. Always a hard time of year for me, switching gears with my wine purchases and trying to wrap my brain around the myriad of white wines I taste throughout the year.

Well, this year I already have part of that task under wraps, after tasting through a line up of wines from a new winery, Massican. Owned and operated by winemaker, Dan Petrosky, Massican is a very limited production boutique operation from Napa Valley. Dan, who honed his skills in Italy at Valle Del’Acate and then as the assistant winemaker for Larkmead vineyards, is truly a man driven by passion. Listening to him speak about these wines is like hearing a love song that speaks to your heart.

My Notes:

Massican, Annia 2009 – A blend of tocai friulano 44%, ribolla gialla 29% and chardonnay 27%. A very light white gold color in the glass showing aromas of lime, white flowers and almond. This wine smells like a fresh spring breeze. On the palate you find grapefruit, stone and almond skins with a zing of acidity that really makes your mouth water.

Massican, Gemina 2009 – A blend of viognier 60%, chardonnay 20% and ribolla gialla 20%. This wine showed a bouquet of peach nectar, honey suckle and a hint of clove on the nose. I was expecting a heavier mouth feel due to the healthy dose of viognier but what I found instead was extremely fresh and palate teasing with flavors of sour apple, citrus rind and a beautifully fresh finish that kept me coming back to the glass for more.

Massican, Sauvignon 2009 – 100% sauvignon blanc. Showed a floral nose with granny smith apple, almonds and a slash of wet rock. The palate showed strict, mouth-watering acidity with lime, layers of earthy minerals and a sweet mid-palate. All of this led to a nice sour apple finish.

The best part of it all, in my opinion, each of these are priced very fairly. So if you think the tasting notes above are your cup of tea, I would strongly urge you to sign up for the wineries mailing list at: Massican Winery