May 19, 2006

Goats Do Roam White

First off, I love the name of this wine, Goats do Roam, which was recommended to me a couple of years ago by a guy who used to work at Dry Creek Vineyards in Sonoma. The guy's name, which I also love, was (and hopefully still is) Frankie Dice. I've had good luck with the Goats Do Roam reds, so I was looking forward to trying a white. The 2005 Goats do Roam white (a play on French Côtes-du-Rhône wine), is from South Africa and is a blend of grenache blanc, clairette blanche and crouchen blanc. It's $9.99 at Whole Foods.

Goats do Roam, like so many wines these days, has a cute critter label and a cute little story behind the wine to match. The winemaker, Charles Back, says he named Goats do Roam for a mischievous prank his son Jason and his friend Justin pulled during harvest time. Apparently, the pair let the goats out of their tower (I didn't know goats lived in towers. Thought these were reserved for princesses with long golden hair) The goats promptly helped themselves to the best grapes. Goats do Roam white tastes like lemons and peaches. It's a crisp wine with a mild finish. "Pretty good," says the PIT (partner in tasting) A nice light summer wine.

Even better, the wine's name apparently pissed off some humorless French bureaucrats at France's terroir creator and protector, the INAO (Institut National des Appellations d'Origine), who waged a legal battle to protect the precious name of France's Rhone-style wines.
Back to the wine.

This comes from From Frank Prial of the New York Times, who reviewed a 2002 Goats do Roam red: "Pinot noir also turns up in one of the most lighthearted of all summer wines, Charles Back's Goats do Roam, from his Fairview estate near Cape Town. Mr. Back is a serious winemaker with at least two wineries in the Cape, but he has a sense of humor. At Fairview he raises a small army of goats, from whose milk he makes delightful cheese....The joke ends with the name; the wine is delightful."
Rating for the 2005 white: 2 stars. Solid table wine.

Find the Latest Wines at Wine.com



		Wine Name:

		Vintage:

		Shipping to:

Comments