WBW # 20

A few weeks ago over on Wine for newbies it was announced that this months Wine Blogging Wednesday's would be non blended white wines that weren't one of the big three (i.e. Chard, sauvignon Blanc, or Riesling). This will be fun, since its my first time to participate.
On to the wine.....
A few weeks ago I picked up a wine that I had never had, from a varietal I had never tried: 2003 Bleasdale Verdelho.
First the Grape: Thanks to Wine Pro's (a great resource) for some of the information on the Verdelho grape. The Verdelho grape is actually one of the many grapes that are used in the making of Madiera, however there is very little of this vine growing in Portugal anymore as it is very susceptible to Phyloxera. Recently though it has been grown quite well in Southern Australia, Western Australia, and New South Wales.
The Winery: Bleasdale is owned by the Potts Family in Langhorne creek in Southern Australia. The Winery was founded in 1850. They make a wide variety of wines, not only the standard Shiraz, but a sparkling Shiraz, and a Malbec. On the White side, they produce a Chardonnay, the Verdelho and a Late Harvest Verdelho. The vines that produce this grape are around eighty years old and no machine harvesting is performed, which is a little suprising to me as high tech as some Australian wineries are.
On to the Wine: The wine is packaged in a Screw Top Bottle, which I really like and weighs in at 14.0%. In the glass its almost crystal clear, with a slight look of effervescence. In nose its very herbacious with hints of lemon grass and citrus peel. In the mouth it has a nice acidity that levels out the alcohol. Its very crisp, clean, and tart, with a nice taste of grapefruit and pineapple.
A very nice wine that I'd grade an A-.