WBW: Goats Do Roam White 2003

Once very month, wine lovers and bloggers taste and then write on an common theme for Wine Blogging Wednesdays. This month's slightly irreverent but thoroughly enjoyable theme is "wacky wine names" hosted by Chez Pim.

To shop for this WBW, I spent a solid half hour wandering the aisles at Tamura's Fine Wines on Waialae, with one of their staff pointing out the wackiest names. "That sounds like lots of fun!" she gushed. After passing by several names that tried to be wacky through simple puns or names about animals (Cardinal Zin and Fat Bastard [Pig], respectively) we came across a Goats Do Roam White 2003 ($9.99), one that manages to do both! The name is a playful twist on the C�tes du Rh�ne region of France and, um, a goat. The back label explains the latter,

One afternoon, at harvest time, my mischievious son Jason and his friend Justin let the goats out of their tower and sent them for a walkabout amongst the vines. As in the legend of the Yemeni goat header, whose roaming flock first discovered the joys of coffee beans, our goats picked out the best and tastiest fruit. Their choice serves as our inspiration for this wine. To Life!

Research on the wine revealed a few things:

• People are either charmed by the name, or annoyed by it. The French INAO (Institut National des Appellations d'Origine) was so annoyed that they filed a lawsuit over similarites to the C�tes du Rh�ne appellation.
• Although the bottle gives no indication, the wine contains a blend of Crouchen, Clairette, white Grenache and Muscat grapes.
• Earlier vintages of this wine were pretty skunky, often apparently due to poor corks. The 2003 has received better reviews, especially for the price.

Here are thoughts from "people on the street," also known as cooperative and longsuffering friends within arms reach:

Mel, thinker Fresh and lively, with peach, anise and floral flavors, and a round, juicy texture. Wine Spectator told me to say that.	Yours Truly, consultant I give my thoughts in the next paragraph and would hate to ruin the surprise.	Brenda, counselor See my big smile? I don't drink much wine, but this was fun!
Makana, university professor Wine, and this wine in particular, signifies a systemic reshaping of our values by forces from outside our community.	Junko, animator I liked the wine, but if you use this picture I'll kill you.	Toshi, toddler How much is 21 minus 1? Is that how long I have to wait? The Wine Buyer says, "Drink now."

I served the wine alongside a French onion soup and poached snapper salad with honey and lime vinaigrette. My first impression was that I didn't have any impression. Nothing stood out. The wine was very light bodied, with such balanced flavors that I, for the first time I can remember, had a terrible time isolating specific flavors. After considerable furrowing of my brow, I thought I could maybe pick out generic fruitiness and a hint of licorice. The wine has a clean finish, with no offensive aftertastes. The color was a light, crystal clear yellow. Overall, the Goats Do Roam White 2003 was fine without being memorable.