Tasting - Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Shiraz

Name: Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Shiraz
Variety: Shiraz
Region: Southern Eastern Australia
Country: Australia
Year: NV
Price: $9.95

Winery Review: " A relatively light, fresh style of sparkling Shiraz, with berries and hints of chocolate picking up just a touch of sweet vanilla on the finish."

My Review: This sparkling Shiraz was a whole new experience for me… an oaked sparkling? Dark berries really came through on the nose for me along with a little bit of the fizzy piece. Right when the wine hit the tip of my tongue the bubbles made their presence known. I was most thrown off thought but the subtly toasty, sawdust flavors hidden in the background. Definitely wasn’t expecting that but you never know with those experimental Australians. Drier than most sparkling wines I’ve had, left a nice, refreshing, crisp feeling in my mouth.


I sampled the wine without food.

Tasting - Tres Ojos Garnacha

Name: Tres Ojos Garnacha
Variety: Garnacha
Region: Calatayud
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95

Winery Review: "This wine has a brick red color with a bougquet of red raspberries, spice and white pepper.  The palate is incredibly concentrated and rich.  The modern styles of Garnacha in Spain are continuously being perceived worldwide as wines of extraordinarily good quality.  This wine is fruity, juicy and shows great depth, ripe tannins, length but yet with wonderful elegance and lightness. Enjoy with sausages, roasted meats, aged cheeses etc."
 
My Review: It’s weird to actually think of putting spices and pepper on your fruit but somehow they balance so nicely in a glass of wine. Very jammy/fruity with plums, black currant, and black cherry hints. Fantastic balance between acidity and tannins, I fight so evenly matched that I couldn’t even taste the alcohol. Spain just seems to be my wine money spot but this Garnacha was right on point, delivering great complex flavor profiles and deep aromas.


I sampled the wine without food.

Tasting - Montebuena

Name: Montebuena
Variety: 100% Tempranillo
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95

Winery Review: "Brilliant deep ruby red color, fruity aromas . Montebuena Red has a spicy vanilla bouquet and is smooth and fruity in the mouth with some well-integrated secondary nuances, full-flavored and a persistent pleasant finish. Produced from 100% Tempranillo grapes, which are hand harvested from the Montebuena vineyard."

My Review: Bone, bone, bone dry! But I like it. Slightly hot on the nose with wafts of cherry, blackberries and plum wrapped in a great tannic structure to provide a medium body beauty. Had a spicy mid-pallet and a very peppery, leathery finish that lingered for a long time. Solid wine and I’m finding that I’ve really enjoyed every Tempranillo I’ve had.


I sampled the wine without food.

Tasting - Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence

Name: Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence
Variety: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault
Region: Provence
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $8.95

Winery Review: "Bright salmon pink; typical of the fresh but warm Provence style. Refined and complex on the nose, with summer fruit and floral notes. Dry and crisp, with a delicate flavour and full texture."

My Review: I really wasn’t very impressed with this blended wine, I would say it tasted a lot like the Canyon Road Chardonnay, but lacking some serious flavor. Slightly sweeter with a lighter body and more floral nose but just wasn’t doing much for me. Lack of acidity left it slightly out of balance, but overall it’s a very approachable, light wine.


I sampled the wine without food.

Tasting - Canyon Road Chardonnay

Name: Canyon Road Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95

Winery Review: "Medium- bodied wine with notes of crisp apple and ripe citrus fruit with a hint of cinnamon spice. Delicious complement to grilled chicken, lighter pasta dishes or mild cheeses. Medium- bodied wine with notes of crisp apple and ripe citrus fruit with a hint of cinnamon spice."
 
My Review: As expected this Chardonnay from Californ-i-a spewed oaky characteristics from sniff to swallow. Hidden behind that initial woody, spicy was a citrusy, lemony component that I particularly enjoyed.  Despite having a stronger body than most white wines it was still crisp and acidic leading to a smooth finish. A nice gold color and fairly dry wine, my first experience with a West Coast Chardonnay gets two thumbs up.


I sampled the wine without food.

Tasting - Potluck Sweet Malbec

Name: Potluck Sweet Malbec
Variety: 100% Malbec
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2010
Price: $7.95

Winery Review: "Deep red brilliant with violet hints. Complex, fruity, and predominant red fruits. Easy to drink, round with persistent sweetness, very well balanced with sweet tannins." Vintage Cellar wine notes

My Review: The darkest of the bunch this week, plum color distinguishes this plum dominated sweet wine, who woulda thought? Even those they advertise this wine as sweet I didn't really taste it, I thought it was as sweet as some of the other red wines, most notably the other wine from Mendoza, the rose. Probably the hottest sweet wine I've ever had, not too sure it was floating my boat. I prefer dry wines usually and flavors were clashing and balance was pretty off.


I sampled the wine without food.

Tasting - Domaine de Grange de Payan

Name: Domaine de Grange de Payan
Variety: Blend, around 80% Grenache
Region: Côtes du Rhône
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $8.95

Winery Review: "Intensely spicy and precise, with lively red berry flavors and a hint of black pepper. The Grenache, which makes up the majority of the wine, is deeper and more powerful, offering cherry and black raspberry qualities lifted by zesty minerality." Vintage Cellar wine notes

My Review: Skating on the Red-Ruby border, this wine screamed strawberrieys, raspberries, and blackberries. Bone dry with a little higher alcohol than I'd like but the puckering tannic component was rather tame with a spicy, peppery kick to start the after taste. Plenty going on in this complex wine, almost as much as its tongue twisting name. The heaviest body of all the wines today, I embraced all the flavors and earth tones.


I sampled the wine without food.