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.