2006 Standing Stone Vidal Ice

Wow. Where did 2007 go? First blog of 2008, hopefully I'll be a little bit better about posting new info & get some different types of posts up (not JUST reviews). But for now, just reviews. :)

Drinking on the second night, from the fridge, using a Fume Blanc glass.
COLOR: 5/5 - Thick, glossy, amber. Little doubt what's in the glass.
NOSE: 12/15 - Candy apple, apricot, pineapple, and honeydew melon come through on a heavy nose.
FLAVOR: 8/10 - Mouthfeel is ridiculous; luxurious, decadent nectar of pineapple, green apple, and peach with nice acidity. Residual sugar may have been left a bit too high. For the intial taste, the sweet was a bit overpowering.
FINISH: 8/10 - Remarkably, no cloying qualities. Acidity is almost excessive without actually getting there, keeping this ice-style wine balanced. Flavors of peach, apricot, and pineapple linger very gingerly on the palate for a long finish.
POTENTIAL: 3/5 - Always tough to say with a relative unknown (and a 'dessert' wine at that), but judging from how this improved over night, I'd wager this will actually get better in the coming years.
OVERALL: 4/5 - This picked up quite a few 'gut rating' points over night. Initially there were some sour notes that really didn't jibe well with the other elements, but much of the unpleasantness (acidic, metallic) qualities have disappeared overnight. 90+ points (this is growing on me...)

At this point in time, any wine like this gets held up to the standard of a 2001 Vin de Constance (South African Muscat dessert wine) that is truly a wine to experience. It's everything the Vidal Ice is, but more better smoother. The Vidal Ice is simple and straightforward by comparison.

I likely would have dropped 86 points on this last night based on overall lack of balance and muted flavors. It really pulled a 180 in the fridge overnight.