Tasting Notes- Chateau St. Jean Pinot Noir

Name: Chateau St. Jean Pinot Noir
Variety- Pinot Noir
Region- Sonoma, California, USA
Year- 2012
Price- $21

Winemakers Notes: This Chateau St. Jean Sonoma Coast wine is 100% Pinot Noir and displays the hallmark aromas of red cherry, strawberry, black tea and notes of tanned leather. The inviting aromas lead to a juicy palate where the red fruit flavors ring true along with touches of cinnamon and allspice. The generous core of fruit is balanced with the bright acidity you would except from a cooler climate.

Critic Notes: "After years of producing a basic Sonoma County Pinot, the winery turns to the coast for this blend of several vineyards. The results are wonderful. The wine is rich and expressive in raspberries and cherries, with touches of bacon, cola and the sweetness of new French oak. Drink this silky wine now.

My Review: The color was a lighter red than the Cabernet Sauvignon. Had a fruity but spicy smell. It actually burned my nose when smelling. The taste was overwhelming and the spices came through very easily. After it subsided you could taste a strawberry flavor but I couldn't get passed the spice. I am personally not a fan.

“Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it.” Cheers!

Tasting Notes- Manfred Breit Riesling Kabinett

Name: Manfred Breit Riesling Kabinett
Region: Mosel Germany
Variety: Riesling
Year: 2012

Price: $14.95

Winemaker Notes: Refreshing aromas of tangerine and lime are laced with petrol on this steely kabinett. Waves of ripe peach and nectarine flavor add delicate sweetness on the palate, accented by savory notes of dried herb and tea leaves. Lemon-lime acidity leads the long finish.

Critic review: This Kabinett is a sweeter one yet nicely balanced with spicy acidity. Complex and refreshing with so little alcohol.

My Review: The color was almost clear, no yellow tints shown through. The smell was fruity and smelled like citrus. The aroma was not overwhelming. The flavor is orangey and crisp. There is no burn but the after taste is insanely sweet and strong. Definitely a good riesling but I am still trying to find a drier one to try. 

“Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages.”  Cheers! 

Tasting- Little Boomey Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Little Boomey Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: South Australia
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Year: 2013
Price: $8

Winemakers notes: This excellent Cabernet Sauvignon has a generous blackcurrant flavor, combined with subtle oak characters and a soft finish. It's ripper with roasted and grilled meats, hamburgers and hearty pastas.

Critic Review: The Little Boomey Cab Sauv 2009 was a strong and smooth fruit-forward wine with medium plus body. Fruit was tasty but a bit out of balance with other elements. Tastes strongly of tart cherry juice with fuzzy tannins and medium acid. Finish was mostly fruit with same flavor. Initial nose was strong cherry with a hint of spice, maybe a bit of earth. This wine would be good to please a crowd at a large party.

My review: Holy cow. I chose this wine at dinner at Outback Steakhouse. I was ordering fillet mignon and mashed potatoes so I wanted a Cabernet Sauvignon. I chose this Australian wine trying to be festive at Outback. I was completely blown away. I usually tolerate Cabs because they pair well with food and I am trying to adjust my palate to them. This wine was everything I could have wanted. It was a very rich, dark purple color. The aroma was strong fruit but it did have a hint of spice which did scare me that this wine was going to be peppery. It was nothing of the sort. The wine was extremely fruity with black currant/ black berry flavor. It had a very smooth finish and was not heavy on my palate. With steak it was delectable and added amazing flavors to an already perfect cut of meat. Overall this is my favorite wine to date. I loved it so much, I ordered a case of it from Dennis at Kroger that I am excited to add to my collection. 


“Beer is made by men, wine by God.” Cheers!

Tasting- Vintners Path Chardonnay

Name: Vintners Path Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: California, USA

Year: 2013

Price: $8

Winemaker's Notes- Vintners Path Chardonnay - Red delicious pear, peach, apricot, Meyer lemon and apple blossom. Nice minerality with pronounced oak and caramel and cinnamon. A long toasty finish.

Critic Reviews-Went fabulous with scallops and risotto. Dry enough with some buttery notes.

My Reviews- I am not a Chardonnay drinker and this wine didn't really change my mind. I find Chardonnay to be a better cooking wine than a drinking wine. I could taste some fruitiness but it was mostly dry and buttery. Not my favorite. Also, there is barely anything on the web about this wine which I find very odd. 

“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.”  Cheers!

Tasting- Chianti Classico Riserva

Name: Chianti Classico Riserva
Variety: Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Canaiolo Nero
Region: Tuscany, Italy
Year: 2011
Price: $20

Winemaker's notes: Color: Deep ruby-red. Bouquet: Rich with notes of cherries, plums, and iris. Taste: Deep cherry and leather flavors with subtle wood notes. Supple tannins, good acidity, and a lingering finish.

Critic Reviews: "Very immediate on the nose, with ripe summer fruit and hints of powder puff and pot pourri. Very young and intense but still a little unsettled on the palate, with some traditional oak aromas still to be assimilated, intriguing complexity and great potential."

My Review: Wow. This wine is killer. I absolutely love Chianti (especially with Italian food). The taste is very fruity, almost overpowering but it toned down the more it is left to breathe and has a more oaky flavor. Very delicious and I would love to pair with my great grandmother's gravy recipe. (spaghetti sauce for non-Italians) 



“Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.”  Cheers!

Tasting- Alamos Malbec

Name: Alamos Malbec
Variety: Malbec
Region: Mendoza, Argentina
Year: 2012
Price: $8

Winemaker's notes:The Alamos Malbec has a dark purple color with violet highlights. The nose offers bright black cherry aromas with light floral notes and a touch of toast. The mouthfeel is full and rich, with ripe, concentrated cassis and black raspberry fruit interwoven with a touch of chocolate and sweet spice from light oak aging. The finish shows ripe, silky tannins.

Critic Review: Mendoza, Argentina- The nose offers bright black cherry aromas with light floral notes and a touch of toast. The mouthfeel is full and rich, with ripe, concentrated cassis and black raspberry fruit flavors interwoven with a touch of chocolate and sweet spice from light oak aging.

My Notes: My first Malbec and I have to say it was so delicious. It tasted to me like one of those dark chocolate cherry chocolates you get on valentines day. It was the right amount of sweet to richness and the flavors became eminent immediately. I would love to pair this with some good chocolate. Must go back and try that! 

“One should always be drunk. That's all that matters...But with what? With wine, with poetry, or with virtue, as you chose. But get drunk.” 
Cheers!!

Wine and Cheese Pairing 1

First wine and Cheese pairing! I was so excited to do this because I have a serious love for cheese. We decided to do 4 different wines (2 red, 2 white) and 4 different cheese pairings.

Wine #1 Insomnia Pinot Grigio 2013
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: California, USA
Year: 2013
Price: $11

Winemakers notes: This aromatic and complex Pinot Grigio presents aromas of white peaches and white flowers, sea spray, oyster shell and flavors ranging from casaba melon to citrus zest with a hint of Crème Fraîche in the finish. Enjoy this refreshing wine with oysters, Chicken Piccata, Sole Meunière, Fettuccine Alfredo, or grilled chicken.

Critic Review: An easygoing, casual wine with melon and marshmallow flavors and a soft texture. It’s cleanly made, light on the palate and almost sweet going down.

My review: Aroma was very mild and smelled fruity but it was light and not overpowering. The taste was extremely sour and acidic and had hints of apple to me. Definitely not my favorite and I did not like how strong the sourness was. 

Cheese Pairing: Brie Cheese. I've had Brie before and it very creamy with a nice flavor finish, I am not particularly fond of the rind part of it because it seems too bitter. When tasting the wine with the cheese, I could not believe how it completely cut the sour flavor from the wine. Brie made the wine much more enjoyable and allowed the fruit flavors to come out easier without the acidity burn. 

Wine #2 La Playa Estate Sauvignon Blanc  (from previous blog)
Name: La Playa Estate Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Chile, South America
Year: 2014
Price: $8

Winemakers notes: La Playa Estate Sauvignon Blanc is crisp, with notes of pineapple and mango. The wine has a clean citrus finish with a hint of minerality. Made with 100% Sauvignon Blanc.

Critic Review: Golden yellow color. Aromas of peach, passion fruit, orange blossom, and lemongrass with a soft, dry light-to-medium body and a smooth, interesting, medium length, peach, mango, yellow watermelon, and lemon finish. Opulent tropical aroma and flavors round out to a silky finish. 

My review: The wine was very light with an after-taste of orange. I found it easy to drink and no acid or punch at the end. The color was also more yellow than most of the Sauvignon Blanc's I have tried prior to this. Nothing overly special about the wine but I would drink it again. I tried it with a mild Gouda cheese and it did not seem to really change the flavor of the wine, just enhanced the fruity flavors. 

Cheese Pairing: We tried this with Gouda cheese. The Gouda was extremely mild in flavor but did have a nice nuttiness to it. It did not really alter the wine flavors or enhance them at all. 



Wine #3 Terra Barossa Shiraz Cabernet Petit Verdot
Variety: Shiraz 69%, Cabernet Sauvignon 21%, Petit Verdot 10%
Region: Barossa, Australia
Year: 2011
Price: $15

Winemaker Notes: The wine has a dark red hue with a spicy plum character which is complexed by an iodine like character. Plum and black currant fruit characters are balanced by spicy, chocolates and oak characters. The wine has soft tannins which provide structure to the wine. The wine finishes with a creamy character and lingers for a long time.

Critic Review: 'Thorn-Clarke not only took the top trophy in the Great Australian Red last year, it also secured the trophy for The Best Wine Under $20 with its great value Tera Barossa blend. It sings of the great 2010 vintage in succulent blackcurrants, mulberries, plums and black cherries, with subtle complexity of game, supported by firm, fine tannins that promise a decade in the cellar.

My Review: The smell is overwhelmingly cherry/ berry. The taste give off a spicy, berry vibe and burns my nose and throat when I drink it. Very interesting and my first Shiraz. My palate is not refined enough to drink this without a meal yet, but I hope to try others in the future.
Cheese Pairing: Sharp Cheddar Cheese. The cheese again cut the burn in the back of my throat and made the wine much more fruitier to me. It was very interesting and a delicious combination. Definitely changed my initial opinion of the Shiraz. 


Wine #4: Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon 
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: California, USA
Year: 2013
Price: $9

Winemaker's Note: Bold flavors of blackberry and black cherry, supported by firm tannins, brown spice and a dark chocolate espresso finish.

Critic Review: In the glass: Darkhorse Cabernet Sauvignon is a densely deep purple-red color with an inky core and intense vermillion streaks going out into a dark fuchsia rim definition with high-painted viscosity.

On the nose: It has lots of crushed morello cherry, boysenberry sorbet and raspberry sauce with hints of graphite, oak and soft violets, touches of licorice root and smoke, and a perfumed red- flower-and-spice combination going on. On the palate: There is a virtual cherry bomb hitting the olfactory sensors laced with smoke, wood and licorice, then layers of cassis, boysenberry and concord grapes without the intense sweetness that such a combination would normally entail. The midpalate is supple with good juicy tannin structure and decent length, punctuated by slight phenolic compounds and just a touch of heat from the alcohol.

My Review: The first thing I noticed was how dark the color was in the glass. Much darker than the Shiraz or any other Cabernet Sauvignon I have had. The taste was very peppery which I felt overpowered the fruitier tastes of cherry.  

Cheese Pairing: Blue Cheese. Before we start, I absolutely hate Blue Cheese so my tasting was kind of skewed. With the wine, the cheese enhanced the flavor beautifully and gave the wine a smokier, cherry flavor as opposed the the peppery taste from earlier. I still am not a fan of the cheese but it was a nice compliment. 


Overall and insanely fun night with great friends. I was glad I got to pair my two favorite things: wine and cheese! I cannot wait to do this again!

Friends!

Wines!

Cheeses!

"Wine and cheese are ageless companions, like aspirin and aches, or June and moon, or good people and noble ventures." Cheers!

Tasting- La Playa Estate Sauvignon Blanc

Name: La Playa Estate Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Chile, South America
Year: 2014
Price: $8

Winemakers notes: La Playa Estate Sauvignon Blanc is crisp, with notes of pineapple and mango. The wine has a clean citrus finish with a hint of minerality. Made with 100% Sauvignon Blanc.

Critic Review: Golden yellow color. Aromas of peach, passion fruit, orange blossom, and lemongrass with a soft, dry light-to-medium body and a smooth, interesting, medium length, peach, mango, yellow watermelon, and lemon finish. Opulent tropical aroma and flavors round out to a silky finish. 

My review: The wine was very light with an after-taste of orange. I found it easy to drink and no acid or punch at the end. The color was also more yellow than most of the Sauvignon Blanc's I have tried prior to this. Nothing overly special about the wine but I would drink it again. I tried it with a mild Gouda cheese and it did not seem to really change the flavor of the wine, just enhanced the fruity flavors. 

"Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine." Cheers!