Did a lovely little wine tasting at the Vintage Cellar today. No fun story to go along with it, except that it's been the kind of day where I did need a few sips of wine.
Here are the day's discoveries:
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Napa Valley, California
Country: United States
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95
What They Say: "The 2011 vintage marks a return to form for this great value Chardonnay. The aromas feature creamy, mellow, golden apple, pineapple, fresh better and a touch of vanilla. Then rich, ripe, flavors of yellow pear, pineapple, fresh apple, cream and buttered toast swell up and fill your mouth before juicy, apply caramel inflected finish makes your mouth water (and smile!)."
What I Say: I am not a chardonnay gal- it's just not my style with all the butter and oak it normally carries. But I rather liked this one! The smell was full of pear and apple, a little of the pineapple they're talking about. The taste was creamy yet still a little light. It was less dry than I expected- which is great. The toast was there in the finish but the butter seemed absent to me. The pear came back at the end as well, which I liked. I would totally drink this bottle, which my mother will tell you I would NEVER say about her favorite- the Chardonnay.
Variety: Torrontes
Region: Lagarde
Country: Argentina
Year: 2010
Price: $5.95
What They Say: "Yellow colour with greenish nuances. Very intense of fresh grapes, flower perfume and mature peaches. Fresh in the mouth. Light and easy to drink. Ideal with seafood, Thai and Chinese food."
What I Say: The aroma was certainly sweet and peachy! I wanted to sit there and sniff. I wouldn't drink it again though, because the taste was as if someone sprayed peach perfume in my mouth- dry and overbearing, sharp. It tasted yellow, if that's possible, like the awkward color was just sitting in my mouth. Pretty label, but I won't be trying again.
Name: El Sierro
Variety: Tempranillo/Cab
Region: Valeincia
Country: Spain
Year: 2012
Price: $7.95
What They Say: "Dark ruby in color with rich aromas of red fruit and light spices. It is a real knock-out with delicious flavors of dark cherries, blackberries and vanilla all perfectly integrated. The Tempranillo provides wonderful spice and fruit, while the Cabernet Sauvignon gives structure and depth with the beautiful use of oak."
What I Say: This wine is a beautiful color, I'll give them that. It also smelled amazing, like blueberries that had been soaked in vanilla forever. The taste was pretty exciting too. The cherry was up at the front, while the vanilla and blue hung out afterward, which was subtle and soft that I really enjoyed. There is a kick at the end, a sharpness that was not so great. I guess the answer would be to just keep chugging it so that kick would never come!
Name: Omo Ze Bel
Variety: Merlot
Region: Sicily
Country: Italy
Year: 2012
Price: $6.95
"This bright, soft Merlot comes from a hilly vineyard on the Alcesti family estate in beautiful Sicily. It has hints of red cherries and freshly cut hay. Exceptional value."
What I Say: I wasn't big on this one, either. I would like a candle of it or something though- because the smell was amazing. It was full of fried cherry and spice, which was just lovely. The taste, however, was a lot of hay and more dried cherry. It was super dry, which I could not get over. It was not that complex or excited, basically whether you like your cherries dried out or not.
Variety: Moscato
Region: Piemonte
Country: Italy
Year: 2009
Price: $9.95
What They Say: "This Moscato is reminiscent of honeysuckle and rose petal. The wuality is equivalent to a top level Asti Spumante DOCG. Sweet sparkling wine obtained from a careful selection of the Moscato grapes. It has a pale straw yellow color with fine foam and bubbles. Tropical fruit flavors, refreshing. Excellent to match desserts, fruit, and dried pastries."
What I Say: I loved this, but sparkling Moscatos rarely disappoint me. The smell was just covered in honey, as if I'd stuck my nose directly into a honey jar. The following taste was really yummy! I could taste some petal, floral flavors but I could not directly note it as rose (I suppose I'm not that sensitive yet). The bubbles cut through a lot of the sweetness, making it something I think I could have had several glasses of and not worried too much about the following morning. Loved this, would drink again!
I guess that's all, folks!
Have a great weekend :)
No comments:
Post a Comment