Tasting - ILauri Rose Spumante Brut

Name: ILauri Rose Spumante Brut
Variety: Rose Spumante/Sparkling
Region: Veneto, Europe
Country: Italy
Year: 2014
Price: $14.95

Store Review: Elegant and expressive, this rosé presents a mesmerizing stream of steady bubbles all immersed in a lovely raspberry-pink color. It has fresh aromas of cherry and red currant with good acidity and a velvety smooth finish. 

My Review: This wine had a nice pink color to it with little bubbles throughout the glass. I agree with the store review of this wine, elegant and smooth.  It almost tasted like a carbonated juice with a hint of a cherry taste to it. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Hayes Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Hayes Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet SauvignonRegion: Central Coast, CACountry: USAYear: 2014Price: $13.95

Store Review: Aromas of cocoa, dried cherry, black currants and a hint of cigar. Vanilla and spice undertones. Rich cherry and blackberry flavors upon first sip. Medium tannins and acidity create perfect balance. A bit of bakers spice and rosemary on the finish. 

My Review:  This was a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon.  It had a woody almost cigar-like smell with berries lingering.  The taste was if I were eating berries while smoking a light cigar.  The acidity and tannins were well balanced.  I liked this one so much I bought it to try again later.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Garrido Crianza 2009

Name: Garrido Crianza
Variety: Crianza
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2009
Price: $20.95

Store Review: This round red has ripe plum, spice, vanilla and dried herb notes, with light tannins and balsamic acidity. Shows some maturity now, but stay balanced and accessible. Drink now through 2017. 

My Review:  This was a really good red wine that was definitely aged in oak.  The vanilla tones came through the fruity flavors and it was really well balanced.  Would definitely drink again. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Robin K. Chardonnay

Name: Robin K. Chardonnay

Variety: ChardonnayRegion: Russian River, SonomaCountry: USAYear: 2014Price: $19.95

Store Review: Honed in classic Burgundian style. Sixteen months of aging in 30% new French oak yielded bright, expressive wine with well-articulated flavors of lemon custard, tropical fruits and orange blossom. The viscous, firmly-structured palate adds notes of nutmeg, ripe lemons and spicy oak, all merging in an elegant finish. The balance of this wine makes it incredibly versatile with your favorite dishes, and demands creative food pairings. 

My Review:  The French oak really came through in this wine with oakey flavors and thick palate but still had the fruity flavors.  Sonoma really does grow some good Chardonnay grapes. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Glazebrook Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Glazebrook Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Marlborough
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2014
Price: $15.95

Store Review: Pale stew-yellow in color with touches of green. It shows intense passion fruit and mango armors, backed by classic herbal notes of boxwood, nettle and ripe capsicum. It has a lively palate of tropical fruit with crisp lime acidity and lingering passion fruit. It is crisp and clean on the long finish. 

My Review:  This wine had a color of yellow with a little green.  It had a fruity smell with herbal undertones.  Definitely had a crisp palate with the fruit really coming through.  It had a nice balance and was quite refreshing. 


I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Manfred Breit Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese

Name: Manfred Breit Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese
Variety: Riesling
Region: Mosel
Country: Germany
Year: 2012
Price: $18.95

Store review: The late harvested Spatlese wines are medium bodied but still very flowery, with good aging potential. This Goldtropfchen Spatlese is very fresh with a nice tropical fruit flavor balanced with the acidity. This wine has good potential for aging at least 8 years.

My review: This wine was the Vintage Cellar's featured wine for the day and understandably so. The grapes for this wine are picked from a steep hillside that requires the pickers to use harnesses and rappelling equipment to harvest them. It was a really sweet and fruity wine. I thought it was delicious and would definitely recommend it.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Picket Fence Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Picket Fence Alexander Valley
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $16.95

Store review: Classic Sonoma Cabernet characteristics of cassis, green olive and hints of chocolate. French oak aging contributes vanilla, clove and hazelnut aromas which create a unique foil for the robust blackberry and raspberry fruit flavors leading to a round, flavorful finish. Pair with aged and semi-hard cheeses, or try lamb with a dry rub of rosemary, shallots and fruity olive oil.

My review: This is the third wine I had from Picket Fence and so far I really enjoy their wines. This was a good red wine with a full body. I think my palette needs some more development before I really start to enjoy these darker red wines. They are a little too much for me right now. I would like to try it with some of the suggested pairings.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Picket Fence Russian River Pinot Noir

Name: Picket Fence Russian River 
Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $16.95

Store review: Aromas of brandy-macerated red cherries, bay laurel, duck fat, forest floor, toasty baking spices and warm vanilla. The chewy red and black fruits come through in the mouth with layers of fine tannins and just a whisper of smoldering French oak. A delicious finish ends this wine on a lush note of creme brulee topped with plum compote.
92 Points Wilfred Wong (if lovin pinot noir is wong I dont wanna be wight...siwwy wabbit)

My review: I did not know that white wines could be so rich. It had a jammy taste like you would find in a red wine. I am assuming this wine was barrel aged to get these flavors. Wilfred Wong might be a little crazy based of his quote but I agree with his score and loving Pinot Noir.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Picket Fence Russian River Chardonnay

Name: Picket Fence Russian River 
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $14.95

Store review: Picket Fence Chardonnay is classic Russian River. Citrus blossom, hints of ripe stone fruit, creme brulee, and a bright balanced acidity. Lightly toasted french oak enhances the structure and spice, coalescing into a round juicy wine with an attractive lingering finish. 

My review: My palette is starting to grow a little. I am definitely starting to taste a broader range of flavors. The hints of fruit and the citrus stood out but I could also taste some of the oak flavors as well. This was a good wine but it didn't jump out at me like some others wines.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Casas del Bosque Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Casas del Bosque 
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc 
Region: Casablanca
Country: Chile
Year: 2013
Price: $12.95

Store review: 90 pts, Steven Tanzer. Energetic, precise lemon and pear qualities, with floral herbal and mineral accents adding complexity.

My review: This Sauvignon Blanc was a very enjoyable white wine. It had a fruity smell and was light. I could taste the pear qualities described above. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - L'Hallali Gigondas Grande Reserve

Name: L'Hallali Gigondas Grande Reserve
Variety: Blended
Region: Gigondas
Country: France
Year: 2012
Price: $22.95

Winery review: Decanted, tasted double blind. Not a very dark red, distinctly violet. A fairly restrained nose of blackberries that got a bit more expressive with air, a bit of vanilla, bit not much tannins. Put with food and watch what happens. Quite nice.

My review: This wine had a very peppery taste to it. This taste overshadowed everything else for me. It was just okay in my opinion but I would like to try it again with food and see how it compliments it. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Dom La Grand Ribe Cotes du Rhone

Name: Dom La Grand Ribe Cotes du Rhone
Variety: Blended
Region: Rhone
Country: France
Year: 2009
Price: $14.95

Winery review: 

My review: Not a fan. This wine did not do it for me. Not sure what it was supposed to taste like because the winery review is all in French. I thought the French were supposed to be good at making wine (unlike most things they do). Although the other two wines I've had from France were okay so 2 out of 3 isn't a horrible score for them.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Telmo Rodriguez Rueda Basa

Name: Telmo Rodriguez Rueda Basa
Variety: 85% Verdejo, 3% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Viura
Region: Spain
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $12.95

Winery review: 85% Verdejo, 3% Sauvignon Blanc and 12% Viura, Dusty aromas of unripe melon and apple are pyrazinic. A bit of spritz greets you on the palate, while flavors of green citrus run heavy and pithy.

My review: I enjoyed this wine. It didn't stand out like the Dog Point I previously reviewed but it was a solid wine that I would try again. I honestly wasn't sure how to describe it other than citrus flavors. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Dog Point Vinyards Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Dog Point Vinyards Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: New Zealand
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2014
Price: $19.95

Winery review: Bouquet: Distinctive varietal character; ripe tropical fruits, melon, lemongrass, citrus. Soft Textured palate, purity of fruit, intense flavor, balanced refreshing acidity. Food match: White meats, pale cheeses, seafood especially scallops and oysters. 

My review: This wine was definitely my favorite of the wines I had at the tasting. I tasted the fruity citrus flavor as described by the winery review. It was soft and the balance of the alcohol was really good. This wine gets two thumbs up from me.

I tasted this on its own with no food.

Tasting - Rivarose Brut Sparkling

Name: Rivarose Brut Sparkilng
Variety: Syrah and Cinsault
Region: Provence
Country: France
Year: 1909
Price: $13.95

Winery review: Unexpectedly delicious. Never had Provence Sparkling until now, and this was an excellent wine, clearly reminiscent of Provence Rosé, but with the addition of toasted bread and yeast.

My review: I really enjoyed this wine. It was very bubbly and honestly made me feel happy. Not sure how to accurately describe it but I would recommend it. I never had sparkling wine before and this was the first wine I have had in a while so it was a great way to start my wine tasting experience. 

I tasted this on its own with no food.

My Wine Experience Thus Far

Welcome to my wine blog! To start things off I am going to tell you my experience and knowledge of wine.

... Its zero...

Before this semester I have tried a total of two wines. No idea which ones or what they tasted like but one was white and one was red. That was the extent of the description I could give you at the time except that I didn't like the red one very much. After a week in Professor Boyer's Geography of wine class I more than quadrupled the amount of wine I have tried!

This class has really motivated me to get out there and explore the world of wine. Plus I know where to find all the free alcohol now. This past weekend alone I tried 8 new wines and 6 of them were free! The other two were provided by my brother so I guess those were free too, well for me at least. Keep an eye out in later blogs for more information on those and future wines I try (of which there will be many).

I can't wait to see what Professor Boyer has in store for us this semester. I for one hope to learn as much as I possibly can about wine. I would definitely like to know how to describe all those wines I tasted. The descriptions that were given to me by the host all sounded like a foreign language. I felt pretty out of place there among the more veteran wine tasters. By the end of this semester I want to feel like I belong in the wine world and even speak the language.