Crane Lake is very much a budget table wine label. It's one of Frank Franzia's labels, part of his Classic California group, and owned by Bronco, best known as the makers of Charles Shaw wines, the "Two Buck Chuck" wines sold exclusively through Trader Joe's. I've been seeing Crane Lake at the local RiteAid at two bottles for $7.00, and I have to confess, I turned my nose up, after a less than positive experience with Charles Shaw wines. All of the Crane Lake wines (but not Crane Lake Down Under) are California wines.

After such a surprisingly pleasant experience with the Crane Lake Nouveau Table Red, we decided to hunt down and try as many of the Crane Lake Varietals as we could. Overall I've been impressed. I'm not going to stop drinking Meridian, or Columbia Crest, or even Sutter Home, but these are fun wines at budget prices—I'd even describe some of them as bargains.

This is the first in a series of two parts. You can find Part II on the Crane Lake red wines here.

Crane Lake Whites

Crane Lake Chardonnay 2007

This is a slightly more golden color than I expected; that is, it is more gold than yellow. The bouquet is classic Chardonnay. In taste, this is very much a California Chardonnay, pleasantly oaky, mild, but none of the buttery quality you sometimes notice. A little astringent, but there are hints of pear and something that's slightly citrusy. It's very muted, really, and it seems almost watery.

Crane Lake Sauvignon Blanc 2007

This is a very pale gold, with a citrus hint in the aroama. The taste is slightly mineral, with citrus, more lime than lemon, and a hint of sweet melon. This is a sweet rather than a dry Sauvignon blanc. It is, much like the other Crane Lake wines, oddly muted; it's pleasant but I'd describe it as more mellow than I'm accustomed to, less herbacious or sour apple, for instance.

You can find Part II on the Crane Lake red wines here.