Category Archives: Wine

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Winzer Krems – Gruner Veltliner, 2016

  • Basic info: Winzer Krems – Kremser Sandgrube Gruner Veltliner, Austria, 2016.
  • Type: White
  • Price estimate: $13 (Total Wine)
  • Look: Very pale yellow, almost clear and colorless.
  • Smell: herbs, citrus
  • Taste: Tart. Citrus, lemon with a slight sour note. Little bit of effervescence with a short finish.
  • Conclusions: It was not bad, better than some whites, but not fantastic.
  • Other notes: After having the PFAFFL gruner veltliner a few weeks before, I was super excited to try a different wine of the same grape. This one was nice, but it just lacked that something special the other bottle had. The finish was shorter and there was a slight sour taste that was not in the PFAFFL. I wanted to love this wine, but I just didn’t. It also had a 90 point rating from Wine Enthusiast which I know, logically, mean very little, but I was hoping it would give some direction when picking a new bottle. Sadly, it did not.
  • From the bottle: No bottle notes, but from Total Wine, “Savory notes of crushed chervil and yeast join lively, almost fizzing notes of lemon zest. This is ultrafresh, light-footed and very toned. Juicy, ripe acidity animates you to drink this almost as a thirst-quencher.” 12.5% alcohol by volume.

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Serranarrocco – Grillo, 2015

  • Basic info: Serranarrocco Grillo Terre Siciliane – Sicily, Italy, 2015
  • Type: White
  • Price estimate: $17 (weekly tasting)
  • Look: Medium yellow with some legs. Nice appearance in the glass.
  • Smell: apple and citrus
  • Taste: apple, stone fruit (like white peach and nectarine). Crisp, but not tart with a medium, round finish.
  • Conclusions: Pretty good. I liked this wine a lot, but it wasn’t super memorable a week or so later (when I got around to writing it up). It was very drinkable, and it kept well over the week that I had it.
  • Other notes: This was the wine I opened when Bob was away for business. I had a glass most nights when he was gone, usually while giving some attention to the furry creatures, new and old, after a long day at work. It was a great wine for just enjoying, and it didn’t require a lot of thought to enjoy it.
  • From the bottle: No bottle notes, but from Weekly Tasting, “This wine is medium-straw in color, with aromas and flavors of apricot, stone fruit, peach, grilled pineapple, and hazelnut, with a textured and decadent finish that you can describe as ‘custard’ or the feeling of creme brûlée.” 13% alcohol by volume.

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Adalia – Soave, 2014

  • Basic info: Adalia Soave/Garganega, Venteno, Italy, 2014
  • Type: White
  • Price estimate: $17 (Chamber Street Wines)
  • Look: Pale yellow with a slight green tint.
  • Smell: Citrus and cotton. (you know, that fresh laundry smell or cloths hanging outside to dry? That’s kind of the smell of this wine at first sniff – seriously.)
  • Taste: Lemon, lime, salt and a touch of mineral. Short finish.
  • Conclusions: Good, Drinkable. Love the flavors, but it wasn’t a memorable wine. I would very willingly have it again, but would not go out of my way for it.
  • Other notes: I tried this wine over the course of a  few days to see if my initial impression of it changed. It didn’t. It was a good wine and well worth the money, but it isn’t a superstar. (I do love that I have Tigger in the background on the picture of the wine in the glass. That just makes me happy.)
  • From the bottle: No bottle notes and no notes from Chamber Street. 12% alcohol by volume.

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Shannon Ridge – Zinfandel, 2013

  • Basic info: Shannon Ridge  High elevation collection Zinfandel, Lake County, CA – 2013
  • Type: Red
  • Price estimate: $20 (local wine store)
  • Look: Opaque. Dark garnet or plum in color.
  • Smell: hot. oak, charred wood.
  • Taste: jam. dark fruit and a little hot on the palate. Medium acidity and some black cherry flavors. Short finish.
  • Conclusions: I generally LOVE zinfandel, but this was not my favorite. It tasted of a lot of alcohol and I’m not sure of the bottle was bad or if it was just the style the one maker was going for.
  • Other notes: Zins for me are fruity, jammy and deep in flavor. This one didn’t do it for me. One of the great thing about a good zin is that you don’t take the alcohol, even when the abv is above 14%. They should be easy to drink and this one wasn’t.
  • From the bottle: No bottle notes, but from the winemaker, ” The Zinfandel delivers extracted characters of raspberry and blackberry with notes of pie spice, clove and anise.” 13.9% alcohol by volume.

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Patricius – Furment, 2014

  • Basic info: Patricius Dry Furment, Tokaj, Hungary – 2014
  • Type: White
  • Price estimate: $17 (Weekly Tasting)
  • Look:Very pale yellow with a slight green tinge to the wine.
  • Smell: Slightly sweet, citrus
  • Taste: Lemon pie, apple, white cherry. Good acid with a long, tart finish.
  • Conclusions: Completely unique. I’ve never had a wine like this and the flavors were so different than what I generally expect in a light white wine. It was fantastic. Both Bob and I thought it was clean and crisp with a lot of interesting flavors (most of which we just could not identify).
  • Other notes: I wasn’t sure what to expect from this wine, but I went into it with an open mind. Whenever something note that the varietal is usually sweet, I hesitate, but I’m glad I tried this version because it was actually a dry wine. Was there some sugar there, yes. But it wasn’t sweet.
  • From the bottle: No bottle notes, but from Weekly Tasting, ” honeysuckle, fresh and dried apricot, and a candle wax-type note hop out of the glass. … it’s completely dry with a ripe peach and apricot note. Strong white flower and honey flavors play against high acidity. There a touch of bitterness on the finish, giving this wine a tension that will surprise you.” 12% alcohol by volume.

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Seghesio – Arneis 2014

  • Basic info: Seghesio, Arneis, Russian River Valley, CA – 2014
  • Type: White
  • Price estimate: $18 (from Weekly Tasting)
  • Look: pale straw in color
  • Smell: honey, lemon and peach
  • Taste: crisp, white peach with a tiny bit of melon about half way through. Good acid – tart and refreshing with a medium finish.
  • Conclusions: Good. This was interesting, but not my favorite. Good wine, but not one I would seek out again.
  • Other notes: This was one of the few wines I’ve had where it was better alone than with food. I generally prefer wine with food, but this one was much better on its own. It took on a slightly sour note when I ate it with lo mein that was not particularly pleasant. That could be influencing my general feelings about the wine, but if I don’t like it with food, I’m probably reluctant to drink it.
  • From the bottle: No bottle notes, but from the Weekly Tasting notes, “This wine is medium bodied, with a light straw color and flavors of yellow apple, white cherries, grilled pineapple, and light white flowers. The texture is a bit creamier than some crisper white wines, and yet it is still very refreshing and tart with a lot of stones, almonds, and minerality.” 13.3% alcohol by volume.

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Prunus – Red Blend, 2014

  • Basic info: Prunus Private Selection Red Blend, Dao, Portugal – 2014
  • Type: Red
  • Price estimate: $18 (Weekly Tasting)
  • Look: Dark black cherry in color with minimal legs at first and medium legs when it warmed up. (thank you Bob and Ed for the color descriptor)
  • Smell: Sandalwood (I kid you not – that was the dominant smell in the glass and I almost didn’t try the wine because of it)
  • Taste: Some effervescence up front with taste of blackberry and jam. Thin for such a dark wine. Medium finish.
  • Conclusions: This wine was good and the taste was completely different than the smell. It was a bit thin on the mouthfeel, but there was more flavor than texture in this wine. We liked it – didn’t love it but liked it.
  • Other notes: So we opened this bottle when Ed and Erin were still here and we had the first glass after finishing the bottle of the Eyrie, so our opinions of this wine may be a little biased. The Eyrie was just such a perfect wine that I’m not sure what wine we opened after, it would not have compared favorably. That said, this wine was good – not great – but certainly very drinkable.
  • From the bottle: “Elegance on a grand scale. Lightly oaked and perfectly balanced with a silky texture and crisp edge. Supporting black cherry, plums and raspberry fruit flavors.” 13% alcohol by volume.

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Adelsheim – Pinot Blanc, 2015

  • Basic info: Adelsheim “Bryan Creek Vineyards”,  Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley, OR – 2015
  • Type: White
  • Price estimate: $25 (from vineyard)
  • Look: Very pale yellow – almost no color. Some legs.
  • Smell: Lemon, honey – very light smells.
  • Taste: Crisp. Apple, lemon, light stone fruit.
  • Conclusions: Excellent. This wine was clean, crisp, refreshing and very tasty. It had a touch of sweetness, but was definitely not a sweet wine. It was super easy to drink and didn’t taste of alcohol at all. Bob and I had this with a friend over our cheese box dinner and all three of us loved it.
  • Other notes: I’ve had Pinot Blancs before and have never been really impressed with them. Generally I find them cloying or with very little flavor. This one was different. While the flavors were light, they were present and enjoyable. This was a wine you could sit and think about or just drink and both methods would make you very happy. I was a little concerned about how easy it went down when I realized the alcohol content, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it.
  • From the bottle: “This 3 1/2-acre AVA at the 800-foot level delivers richness balanced by the wine’s racy acidity and bright, focused fruit.” 13% alcohol by volume

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Eyrie Vineyards – Pinot Noir, 2012

  • Basic info: Eyrie Vineyards, Oregon Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon – 2012
  • Type: Red
  • Price estimate: $40 (from vineyard)
  • Look: opaque – black cherry in color with good legs
  • Smell: Strawberry and cherry on the nose. (Bob only got wine.)
  • Taste: Black cherry, current, hint of ripe plum with a touch of vanilla and granite. Beautiful, long finish.
  • Conclusions: This is one of the rare perfect wines. On the first sip it was just eye closing perfection and the wine only got better as it opened in the glass. While a little expensive, this wine was worth every penny.
  • Other notes: When we went to Oregon last year, we tasted this at the vineyard and fell in love with it. The wine got better over the last year and I think we drank it at the best possible point. Even better was sharing this bottle with Ed and Erin since they love Pinot Noir. Ed’s comment was simply, “This is what a Pinot Noir should be.”
  • From the bottle: Vineyard notes, “this Pinot noir is an embodiment of the vintage, offering 2012’s richness while also taking advantage of its lively acidity. The layers of dark fruit notes combined with the earthy spice of this lush wine make it difficult to resist drinking now.” 13.5% alcohol by volume.

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La Source du Ruault – Cabernet Franc, 2011

  • Basic info: La Source du Ruault, “Clos de la Cote” Loire Valley, France – 2011
  • Type: red
  • Price estimate: $25 (Chamber Street Wine)
  • Look: Plum, black cherry in color with significant legs
  • Smell: mild earth
  • Taste: mild earth, unripe raspberry and slightly harsh. Dry, short finish.
  • Conclusions: Drinkable. Not bad, but not the best Cab Franc ever.
  • Other notes: Ed, Erin and Bob made the tasting notes for this wine. We all had it with dinner, but I didn’t care for it as much and found it a little hard to drink. Ed is a huge Cab Franc fan, so it was his opinion I was really interested in. He found the wine good, but not great.
  • From the bottle: No tasting notes on the bottle or from Chamber Street. 12.5% alcohol by volume.

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