La Sera - Red Malvasia

Name: La Sera 
Variety: Red Malvasia
Region : Piedmont 
Country: Italy
Price: $13.95

Winery Review: A specialty of Italy's Piedmont region, Red Malvsia di Casorzo is fragrant and fruity, moderately sweet wine. It has strawberry and fresh grape flavors, with a zesty fizzante (fizz). It is low in alcohol (5.5%) and best served slightly chilled. Enjoy as an aperitif, matched with spicy barbeque or Oriental dishes. It is also excellent with rich chocolate cake and fruity sorbet.

My Review: Finally a wine I can enjoy in this tasting!!! This wine was VERY SWEET! Now I enjoy sweet wines like Moscato, but this wine was even too sweet for my liking. It one of those wines that if you drink the whole bottle you know you're gonna end up hungover as hell the next day. On the nose this wine has a sent of strawberry jelly, and there was some hints of orange on the nose too. It was very fresh smelling. The wine was a frizzante, and I liked that a lot. Especially because this was less carbonated than most, which made it easier to drink. The wine  has a light crisp mouth feel and the flavor profile reminded me of a strawberry syrup I would pour over pancakes. 

Four Bears - Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Four Bears
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: California (Paso Robles)
Country: USA
Year: 2010 
Price: $14.95

Winery Review: Ruby in color and displays aromas of lavender, ceder and raspberry fruit. Flavors of blackberries and respberries combined with hints of savory spices coat the palate. The soft tannins and sweet oak balance lead to a long and lingering finish.

My Review: The first thing I noticed was the color of this wine; it was a deep red. On the noise I got cherries, black current, and a blackberry jam smell. The smell of fruits and berries was very apparent in this wine. After tasting the wine, my mouth was full of raspberries. The wine was dry which I was not expecting and was not a very big fan of. However the thought the wine was well balanced in terms of alcohol, sweetness, and fruity aspects. On the back end of this wine you could get some oaky notes, also once you took a sip and but the glass down there a postponed zing that hit the back of your tongue. I really liked that aspect of it, and never had a wine that did that before. 

Pietra Santa - Sangiovese

Name: Pietra Santa 
Variety: Sangiovese 
Region: California (Cienega Valley)
Country: USA
Year: 2008 
Price: $15.95

Winery Review: Produced exclusively from grapes frown on the estate and showcases winemaker Alessio Carli's talent with the grape. Growing up in Tuscany, Alessio watched his father make Chianti and later honed his skills as the renowned Badia a Coltibuono. Out Estate Sangiovese tastes of cranberry and intense Bing cherry with undertones of anise and lingering finish. The depth and complexity of this wine has made it an annual best seller and the ultimate companion to great Italian cuisine. Typical of this varietal, our Sangiovese vines have matured and we have been rewared by increasingly rich fruit.

My Review: I don't even know how to describe the nose or taste of this wine.  It was very complex, and all I could get from it was spice. I thought the wine had some heat to it as well. I did not enjoy this wine. Although I thought it was well balanced I just could not pull out other descriptors for this wine other than spices. 

Pietra Santa - Sacred Stone Red

Name: Pietra Santa 
Variety: Sacred Stone Red
Region: California
Country: USA
Price: $9.95

Winery Review: Propietor's Red Blend. This wine is ripe and juicy with expressive flavors of cherries and plums. It is dark and aromatic with crisp acidity, nice structure and a lush finish. Made to pair with a wide variety of food, this red wine is a must for everyday enjoyment or teaming with your favorite grilled and outdoor cuisine.

My Review: This was the first blended wine I have ever tried, and I was not a fan. On the nose I got hints of black cherries and a rich dark plum. The colors of the wine was deep, so those fruits matched well. On the tongue, my mouth was overwhelmed with spices. There was also some definite rich plump flavors coming through on the back end. I initial flavor profile was too intense for me, but the second one that comes after, the fruity one, was more enjoyable for me. I personally prefer sweeter wines, so this was not really a good choice for me.  

Four Bears - Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Four Bears 
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: California (Sonoma County)
Country: USA
Year: 2010 
Price: $12.95

Winery Review: Rich and complex with aromas of ruby grapefuit, citrus and tropical fruit. On the palate, the combined flavors of fresh melon, fig and lime are balanced perfectly to form a crisp, mouthwatering texture and lingering finish.

My Review:The bouquet of the wine was very fruity. It smelled like grapefruit and pineapple to me. The taste of the wine was citrusy. I could taste fresh lemons on my palate which was odd coming from a wine. The wine left  smooth mouth feel too which was nice. NOT silky, but smooth if that makes sense. Also the I think the acids balanced well with the alcohol in this wine, because I thought the flavor profiles were well balanced and I enjoyed this wine for the most part. A wine a would like to pair with a meal and enjoy once my palate has expanded more. 

Pietra Santa - Sangiovese

Name: Pietra Santa 
Variety: Sangiovese 
Region: California (Cienega Valley)
Country: USA
Year: 2008 
Price: $15.95

Winery Review: Produced exclusively from grapes frown on the estate and showcases winemaker Alessio Carli's talent with the grape. Growing up in Tuscansy, Alessio watched his father make Chianti and later honed his skills as the renowned Badia a Coltibuono. Out Estate Sangiovese tastes of cranberry and intense Bing cherry with undertones of anise and lingering finish. The depth and complexity of this wine has made it an annual best seller and the ultimate companion to great Italian cuisine. Typical of this varietal, our Sangiovese vines have matured and we have been rewared by increasingly rich fruit.

My Review: The smell of the wine had spices and heat to you. The wine seems full of alcohol. Once I tasted it, I found the wine to be a total disappointment. There was some definite heat, and the wine burned my throat. I could not really taste anything else than alcohol. This wine was served chilled and I thought that would make it easier to drink, but it did not. I would hate to try this wine at room temperature.  

Lamadrid- Malbec Reserva

Name: Lamadrid
Variety: Malbec (Reserva)
Region: La Suiza vineyard 
Country: Argentina
Year: 2007
Price: $18.95


Winery Review: 91 points, Jay Miller for Robert Parker. Single vineyard estate fruit; opaque purple; complex aromas, layered, loaded with fruit, rich. 

My Review: I got some very strong floral smells when I first sniffed the wine. But on the second smell I got some plump and cherry smells. The wine was a very deep red color, the darkest of all the wine we had tired today in the tasting. The taste was smooth and well balanced. It has a silky mouth feel and I enjoyed this wine a lot. It was nice to try a wine that was not overwhelmingly powerful with alcohol. 

Gen 5 - Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Gen 5
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: California 
Country: USA
Year: 2009 
Price: $11.95


Winery Review: 92 points, Wilfred Wong. Taking Lodi into a whole new level, the finely-tuned '09 Gen 5 Cabernet shows intricate and complex flavors; ripe for sure, yet classy and refined; long finish.


My Review: Right off the bat I can see that the color of this wine is darker than the precious Palo Negro, Cabernet Sauvignon we just tried. On the nose I get a much strong smell of alcohol, but I also get a level of oak. After tasting the wine I found it dry with heat on the back end. 

Palo Negro

Name: Palo Negro
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon 
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2010 
Price: $7.95

Winery Review: Toasty and forward, with rounded currant and plum fruit backed by a nice weight in the palate. A long sustained finish. Definite quality for an outstanding price. 

My Review: The wine had smell of black fruit on the nose. The color of the wine itself was a very deep dark red. We were told this wine was lighter than a traditional Cab Sauv and I agree. It was much smoother and had a full body mouth feel. I liked the wine did not have a lot of heat of spice to it. It was sweeter than a traditional  Cabernet Sauvignon, and that probably why more untrained palate liked this wine a great deal. I did go ahead and purchase a bottle of this wine and I enjoyed it a lot. It paired well with the meat pasta we ate it with. 

Lamadrid - Malbec Rose

Name: Lamadrid
Variety: Malbec Rose
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2010 
Price: $10.95

Winery Review: Tobacco and black cherry nose; real dark cheery sweet tarts flavor in the mouth; medium body, a touch spicy in the mouth, fairly simple, appealing, dark rose. 

My Review: When I went to smell this wine I could smell a lot of alcohol and some hits of cherry. The cherry smelt sweet. I did not really enjoy this wine because after you were done tasting it there were some heat on the back end. It felt rough on the back of my throat and I thought the alcohol was too potent in the wine. 

Gen 5 - Chardonnay

Name: Gen 5
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2010 
Price: $11.95

Winery Review: 92 points, Wilfred Wong. Superbly crafted, the nifty and poised '09 Gen 5 Chardonnay drinks incredibly easy; ripe and fruit-forward with excellent balance; rounded finish. 

My Review: When I smelt this wine my nose with hit with a garden of flowers. This made me think that wine would not be well balanced, but when I tasted it the wine was smooth and had a great balance of the sweet and Oak flavors. The wine was dry in my mouth, but it did not have the pucker effect which I liked. 

Trinca Espinhas

Name: Trinca Espinhas
Variety: Branco Vinho Verde
Country: Portugal
Year: 2010 
Price: $9.95

Winery Review:Pleasant and mellow, this young white wine will be the perfect accompaniment to all kinds of seafood, salads, mild cheeses, as an aperitif or just by itself. The alcohol content of Famega is 9.5% which makes it the ideal natural low calorie white wine. The grapes used in making Famega are 100% Alvarinho (same Albarino grape over the border in northwest Spain).

My Review:  I liked the smell of this wine because it was light and crisp. There were not a lot of noticeable alcohol on the nose which I liked. The taste was sweet but not fruity. I liked this wine a lot. And we learned that the wine is called a Verde because the grapes are picked before they are fully ripe. 

Ebano Ribera del Duero Tempranillo

Name: Ebano Ribera del Duero Tempranillo
Variety:  Tempranillo

Country:  Spain

Region:  Ribera del Duero

Year:  2007

Price:  $7.95

Winery Review: 87 Points, Robert Parker. The 2007 Ebano 6 is 100% Tempranillo aged 4 months in French oak. Dark ruby red in color, it displays a pleasant bouquet of cedar, spice box, violets, black cherry, and blackberry. Medium- to fullbodied on the palate with savory flavors and plenty of spice, this racy, vibrant Tempranillo has enough structure to drink well over the next 5-6 years and is a very good value.

My Review: The color of this wine was beautiful! And I really like the nose on it too. Although the nose was very acidic and alcoholic I could get some spice and cherry pie smells. I was hoping the wine would be silky and smooth in my mouth, but the mouth feel was pretty sharp and I did not enjoy that. The taste was spicy and burnt the back of the throat and was very dry. 

Lost Vineyards Vinho de Mesa Tinto

Name:  Lost Vineyards Vinho de Mesa Tinto

Variety:  Tinto

Country:  Portugal

Region:  Not specified

Year:  Not specified 

Price:  $3.95

Winery Review:  Pours a light garnet color with a nice crisp zest, with aromas of cranberries and orange peel on the nose. Drinks smooth with a briary of mild cherries, wild strawberries and raspberries along with a note of rhubarb. Pairs particularly well with wild game and heavy fish such as salmon.

My Review: I have had this wine before and am not a particular fan of it. I think it too acidic and not representative of all the fruits it should. I did find the wine to be crisp on my tongue.  On the nose it does smell sweet and almost like a warm pie cooling on windowsill. The taste was very peppery and savory. 

Torrent Bay Chardonnay

Name:  Torrent Bay Chardonnay 

Variety:  Chardonnay

Country:  New Zealand

Region:  Nelson

Year:  2009

Price:  $6.95

Winery Review: Fleshy, melony aromas cuddle some fresh oak. The palate has decent acidity so there’s freshness along with weight, resiny oak flavors, lemon and green apple.

My Review: I could smell some fruit notes on the notes. It was melons or grape fruit. I also got a somewhat fishy smell when I gave it another swirl. On the plate the oak hit my tongue first. It was a very predominant flavor and I could not really taste anything else. I did not find the wine particularly acidic, but rather it was pretty smooth. 

Spanish Vines Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Spanish Vines Sauvignon Blanc

Variety:  Sauvignon Blanc

Country:  Spain

Region:  D. O. La Mancha

Year:  2009

Price:  $4.95

Winery Review:  85 Points, Wine Enthusiast Apple and floral notes and then an almost buttery palate with

baked apple and citrus flavors. 

My Review: After giving the wine a good swirl I went in for the "Sniffy Sniff". On the nose right away I was hit with the floral notes. I don't know what kind of flowers but it smelt like summer time after a rain almost. I could taste a creamy flavor in the wine and it almost felt thick on my tongue. 

Muscanti

Name: Muscanti
Variety: Spanish sparkling wine
             Cava Grapes/Brut
Region:  Girona 
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $7.95


Winery Review: Lemon blossoms, green apple, toast and honeydew melon are front and center in this crisp refreshing Spanish Sparkler. Silky supple with lingering flavors, yet a tingle of citric acid on the finish. A combination of traditional cava grapes but this wine is not made in the traditional méthode champenoise (which is required by Spanish law to be called Cava). This is made with the Charmat process so this wine may only be called ‘Spanish sparkling wine’ 


My Review: I love sparkling wines so this was right up my ally, and white wines are my preference so even better. On the noes. I got a strong smell of apples. Also the wine smelt sugary and sweet, but I know that has nothing to do with describing the taste. The bottle contained 11.5% alcohol so I thought it would be acidic. On the tongue the wine was bubbly but smooth. I did not detect the "Silky" mouth feel described in the wine. There was a taste of tart Granny Smith Apples and that was the only thing I could really detect. I also thought the wine was overwhelmingly acidic.