Pancake Cellars Big Day White – A Big Talker

The Pancake Cellars Big Day White, a big talker that barely squeaks out a Recommended Buy rating.

36% Chardonnay, 27% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Viognier and 17% Muscat Canelli from Paso Robles, California.

The Pancake Cellars Big Day White is available exclusively at Trader Joe’s for only $5.49.

From the bottle:

PASO ROBLES, CA, September – “Harvest on California’s Central Cost is larger than life!” Local winemakers pull out the big guns to harness grapes with full-bodied flavors and giant personality. “That was a close call,” comments a top grape-grower in the area. “Luckily we were able to capture those unruly grapes before they caused any major damage.”

A freak of nature, the BIG DAY WHITE offers delicious flavors of white peach, apple and cantaloupe, along with orange blossom, honeysuckle and lemongrass. Serve with Thai green curry, turkey sandwiches, chicken apple sausage, or pesto anything.

13.5% Alcohol

The 2013 Pancake Cellars Big Day White begins with a pleasant aroma of peach, apple, honeysuckle and a little tropical fruit. How does it taste? It’s OK — how’s that for a ringing endorsement? At only $5.49 it simply doesn’t have to be that good to get a Recommended Buy on our rating scale. (At a cost of less than $6, it only needs a 6 on our Taste scale to qualify.) Even so I’ll often steer away from recommending wines that rate so low; however, this one does have some unique charms — it makes a great (and cheap) match for spicy Asian foods and it has a pleasing, almost oily mouthfeel you don’t normally find at this price. In the final analysis however it’s just too disjointed to rate any higher.

In the mouth there’s more peach and apple along with lots of melon and some lemon/lime flavors that quickly turn tart and oaky. Just when you think it might be a bit better than OK it limps to the short finish. As a cheap pairing for your Chinese or Thai takeout, go for it, otherwise there are better options for the price.

As always you can find an updated list of all our recommended wines from Trader Joe’s as well as more tips and tricks for shopping the store here.