VC Tasting 4/19/14 pt. 1

Las Lilas

Vinho Verde

$9.95

"Good intensity, white fruits, with floral notes. Elegant and fresh."

This wine, I liked a lot. In my notes I wrote that it smells like YUM, and that’s exactly what it smelled like. It had a very sweet floral nose. Not too thin, but not too heavy, it seems like a good wine for a sunny day. As far as the taste goes, all I have written is that it taste a bit like fruity pebbles, and I like that!

A. Bichot 

Pouilly Fuisse 2012

$21.95

"Beautiful pale yellow colour with golden highlights. A lively, aromatic nose with predominant notes of white fruit and spices is underpinned by a subtle touch of oak and vanilla. Mineral on the palate with a good balance between acidity and roundness. Lovely length." 

This wine isn’t something I’d choose first. The nose is soft, yet very pungent in my opinion. I don’t have much to say about the taste but it didn’t necessarily rub me well. Pale yellow in color with a mineral palate, its body was nice, but other than that I don’t like.

Crater Rim 

Riesling 

Kabinett 2012

$18.95

"From a single, low cropping vineyard in the Waipara valley. THis has produced an approachable wine with complex citrus, spice and apple characters. Aromas of braeburn apples, citrus and spice with a hint of rose water are immediately apparent. On the palate the ripe citrus attack combines with a thread of mineral acidity. THis blanaced by residual sewetness to create a refreshing off-dry wine."

I finally found that diesel taste in Riesling. And I really REALLY like it! All up in my mouth, like I just put a gas nozzle in it and spent $0.15 for something exquisite. JK, but I didn’t really see what was meant before about Rieslings having a diesel like taste, but this wine lays it out for me. It’s sweet, kind of stony, but very nice. I like it a lot.

Casarena 

Sinergy Reserva 

2011

$20.95

"Juicy, spicy and quite suave, with a restrained sweetness and a silky texture to the understated flavors of black fruits, spices and mocha."

This Bordeaux style wine is composed of 4 out of 5 of the varietals grown in Mendoza. I’m a fan. It’s nose is really soft. It’s smooth, silky and all around suave as they have written in the shop description. 

Pali Riviera 2010

Pinot Noir

Sinoma Coast

$18.95

"Intense, with roasted herb, cola, dried berry and wet rock flavors, full bodied and gaining on the finish. Drink now through 2018. Pali Wine Co.'s Riviera represents an excellent value in Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir that stood out as a region in 2010. From select vineyard sources, the wine spent 10 months in 30% new French oak before bottling. "The 2010 'Riviera' Pinot is light ruby in color, with a lovely nose of cherry, cranberry, blackberry, Asian spice, and gunpowder. The palate is rich and layered, with powerful flavors of black cherry, blackberry, sassafras, and spice. The finish turns lighter with raspberry flavors lingering overtop of earthy, rustic tannins that will lengthen the time." 

This Sinoma Coast Pinot Noir smells sweet like cherries. That’s mostly what I picked up from the nose.

Taste hot and tannic. I feel a lot of spices coming through, maybe something like nutmeg, allspice and curry. Something warm in color. I like it, taste decent. VC describes it as intense with roasted herb, cola, dried berry and wet rock flavors, but in my palate I taste none of that, maybe the roasted herbs, but mostly I get spices.

Vintage Cellar Tasting 4/17/14

Frascati
Volpetti
Malvasia, Trebbiano
Greco
$7.95
Italy

"Straw yellow in color with a soft, delicate perfume, fruitful flavor, dry and harmonious taste. Perfect with appetizers, soups, fish."

This is a light wine, I'd drink it at a picnic on a spring day. Smells sweet, it's VERY dry to me. Taste kind of like plastic, but I don't think I mind it too much.

Bricco dei Tati
Rose
$7.95
Italy

"Fresh with aromas of strawberries, cherries and rose petals. This is ideal with shellfish, salads, chicken, and with appetizers"

My only notes state that it's sort of sour and that I can really taste the strawberries.

Georges DuBoeuf
Beaujolais Nouveau
$14-->$3.95
France

"Balanced and lightly creamy, offering pretty flavors of plum sauce and raspberry coulis threaded with hints of ground spice. Elegant, with a floral finish. Drink now."

I don't have much to say about this wine either, except that it's earthy. I don't know, but I think that's my go to descriptor for a lot of red wines. There's this sort of musky smell that I can't exactly pinpoint so I automatically go to earthy to describe.

Atlas Cumbres
Cabernet Sauvignon
$15--> $6.95
Argentina

"Intense red color with violet highlights, with clean, fresh and complex aromas of berries, plums, figs and pepper. Strong personality is in perfect balance with a medium body and pleasant tannins. Ideal for: red meats, cheeses and strong sauces."

The nose: mushrooms, horse with some heat. I like it more than I thought I would. The plums and pepper make a nice combo on the palate. The body is lovely and the tannins are pretty sweet too.

Vintage Cellar Tasting 4/3/14

•  Santa Juilia 

              Pinot Grigio

               $8.95

               Argentina

"Light and clean, which compared to other Argentine Pinot Grigios is not something to dismiss. Feels solid and punchy, with orange and mango flavors. Has nice overall clarity and balance, with a citrusy finish."

Light in color, smooth body. Pungent floral scent, a little heat. Taste a little like citrus, like grapefruit and oranges. It is indeed light and clean.

• Gougenheim

             Torrontes

             $9.95

             Argentina

"The 2012 Torrontes comes from Chilecito in La Rioja. It has a light floral nose with touhces of lemon peel and nectarine. The palate is crisp and taut, showing far more vivacity and fruit that the nose implied, finishing with a flourish of apricot and white peach. Drink now."

Nose is green and floral. Taste fruity. That's all I've got, I guess I agreed with the shop descriptor. 

• Santa Julia 

            Malbec

             Sustainable 2012

               $8.95

                 Argentina

"The nose is full of mellow rasberry and cherry, while the palate is fleshy and round, with blackberry and a touch of raisin. Plum, not edgy , and ready to drink, with coffee and mocha notes on the finish"

I don't have anything written about the palate however the nose made an impression on me. Smelled like berries and dirt, I thought beets until I smelled the next wine. Now I'm not sure what I thought that smell was.

• Weinert 

             Carrascal

               2008

                 $13.95

                    Argentina

"Aged for two years in cask, the 2008 Carrascal is a blend of 40%Malbec, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot. It has a rustic blackberry, scorged earth and leather-scented bouquet with touches of pressed flowers. The palate is well-balanced with crisp tannins, expressive black tarry fruit and a Bordeaux-like finish. Drink now-2016"

This wine has somewhat of a brownish color, I'm assuming from being aged in cask for two years. I don't know what cask is though so that's just a random assumption. Smells like black olives and dirty beets, and I hate beets. I was a bit skeptical at first whiff but it taste ok. It's kind of thick and a bit leathery (I think that's what that is). I liked it a lot more than I thought I would based off of the nose.

• Bellafina

              Pink Moscato

                 $9.95

                   Italy

"A blend of Moscato and Rabosos grapes it has a pale rose color, notes of red berries (strawberry and rasberry), with the characteristic and fragrant bouquet and palate that is typical of the Moscato grape."

Smells sweet like apricots on the nose. I can taste the rasberry easily, however the strawberry I can't find as well. I'm not even sure if I'm doing this right. It all taste like alcoholic drink to me still. I mean, I can pick out a few descriptors, but I feel like I'm making them up. I guess my palate is still developing, but my descriptions aren't going to be too detail for a while.