Match #3 TVF World Cup of Wine: US v. Slovenia

Wow, the pressure to pick one wine to represent the U.S. feels a bit overwhelming. To choose one wine to pair against the absolute only wine from Slovenia that I could find in all of California just seems ripe with opportunity to manipulate. Do I want the U.S. to win or lose this competition, because I could certainly find a known winner or a known loser with the parameters of this contest. So I just chose something I had that was at the front of my cellar without too much scrutiny, and I chose it long before I tasted the Slovenia wine so I had no idea how things would end up.

Today's match between my Americans and the Slovenians is of utmost important to both teams. Slovenia is leading in Group C due to the US v England tie match. But our team is briming with confidence due to the same. We must win the match in order to be set up for a 2nd round advancement, and in reality based on how we played against England it should be no problem. It does not mean that Slovenia should be written off, they will be brining the enthusiasm from their first ever World Cup victory late last week right into the match.

Representing Slovenia I selected the only wine I could find, Crnko Jarenincan 2009. This white wine is almost equal parts riesling, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc, and comes in a 1L bottle with a soda cap being used as the closure system. The nose has little elements of each grape, but overall gives off a stinky feet and cheese funk that I thought would blow off but does not. There is also a bit of talc powder that sits right on top of the strong pineapple and tropical fruit. The wine drinks better than it smells with lots of pineapple and lemon and a decent dose of acid that would make the wine quite drinkable if paired with some spicy food (the wine should be in the background).

For the U.S. I had a bottle of Villa Mt. Eden Grand Reserve Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard 2007. This wine is currently selling for around $13, and I am assuming that I just got lucky to find where it is being liquidated, as fruit from Bien Nacido Vineyard rarely sells for under $20. The wine is a very pretty bright translucent red, and has a typical pinot noir nose of cherries and spice, a bit of musty earth and underripe strawberries. There is a touch of heat but overall it has a pleasant if subtle nose. The wine itself is quite light bodied with a soft mouthfeel, mild red fruit and lots of Pinot spice. It ends with just a touch of heat and a bit of toasty oak. However, for the price point this is one of the better pinots that I have drunk recently.

In the end I would buy the pinot over and over again, and while the alcohol was not perfectly integrated (14.2%) it was a nice pinot for the price. The US wine gets 3/5. The Slovenian wine was really not something I would buy or drink again. The aroma was unpleasant and the tastes were typical and lackluster. The Slovenians get 2.5/5. In the end the wines line up with exactly what I expect to happen in the match, a victory for the US!!