Wine Review: End your wine search with William Hill

Part of the fun of wines is there are so many variations on the same theme to try.

With the amassed assemblage of wine labels on dealers’ shelves and in restaurants, the choice is almost endless. We try this brand or that brand, find one we like, stay with it for a while and then move on to something else. Wine lovers are definitely fickle. But what happens when one tires of the constant experimenting? That is where wine columnists come in. We try to direct our readers to other choices that we have sampled and have found to be worthy of comment.
 
William Hill Estate Winery wines are the perfect brand to return to when you tire of searching. Using French winemaking techniques, William Hill’s beverages are consistent, full-flavored and fruity in the true California style. They also are popular, so that they can be found in most wine shops, supermarkets and restaurants.
 
William Hill Estate Winery 2015 North Coast Chardonnay ($17)
This is not one of those boring chardonnays. It is a wine in which the fruit is boldly expressed in both the aroma and the flavor. The grapes have been selected from vineyards that lie in some of California's cooler regions, which assured the winemakers selected quality grapes. The aroma stresses a floral note, which includes orange blossom and jasmine, coupled with a melange of tropical fruits and a great deal of citrus. The citrus and tropical fruits carry over into the flavor where they merge with oak and vanilla. The finish rounds off this cornucopia of flavor by presenting soft tropical fruits and citrus wrapped in a creamy, silky mouth feel, a trait found only in better chardonnays.
 
William Hill Estate Winery 2015 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon ($18)
This is the type of cabernet sauvignon that has made California cabs famous. It is a big, chewy wine that is deep in color and full of flavor. The North Coast of California’s 2015 growing season was exceptional for grapes. This well-made cab is not a blend but, in typical California tradition, it is almost fully cabernet sauvignon with less than 3 percent of the grapes being from other varieties. The flavor and aroma emphasize cassis, dark plum and blackberry with a hint of oak and eucalyptus. The finish is as big as the aroma and reprises all of the fruits. This wine can accompany prime rib or other cuts of steak, as well as hamburgers.
 
William Hill Estate Winery 2016 North Coast Sauvignon Blanc ($17)
The William Hill Estate Winery 2016 North Coast Sauvignon Blanc is representative of both Californian and classical European styles. Gone are the overpowering grassy flavors and aromas that have often been associated with this variety. They’re replaced by the rich fruit tastes of nectarine, melon and mandarin orange. Honeydew and vanilla also are present as under-flavors and they add their individual charm to the wine. The wine will accompany poultry, lighter meats and seafood.

Wine columnist Bennett Bodenstein can be reached at frojhe1@att.net.