Category Archives: Wine

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Phebus, Torrontes – 2017

  • Basic info: Phebus Torrontes, Mendoza Argentina – 2017
  • Type: White
  • Price estimate: $11 (Total Wine)
  • Look: Very pale yellow; dried straw
  • Smell: lemon flower, honeysuckle
  • Taste: Floral. Lemon, honey, herbs and nectarine. Not sweet, but with a sweet note. Descent finish with a touch of peach on the end.
  • Conclusions: Good wine, nice to drink with dinner or on the couch. Not fussy or very complex, but fine for drinking. Might be a little too floral for me.
  • Other notes: I picked up this bottle so I could check off Torrontes on my list of wine varietals to try. I had no idea what it was like or if I would even like it, but it wasn’t bad. It’s not my favorite and not something I’m going to go back to again and again, but I’d give it another shot. I think this was one of the last wines I took notes on when I started back to work this year. Most of the last few weeks were wines we drank in June and July. The nice thing about doing the blog posts just for fun and for myself is that I can skip taking notes if I want to and just enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. I needed the break from dissecting wine for a while so I took it. I should have some more interesting wines coming up and those I’ll take notes on and post – especially now that we are back to fall and I’m getting in the mood for red wine again.
  • From the bottle: No bottle notes, but from the Total Wine site, “From Argentina’s northern region of Mendoza comes this crisp and refreshing, oak-free wine made from 100% Torrontes. A nose of fresh cut lemons with a hint of lime is followed by layers of citrus on the dry and refreshing palate.” 14% alcohol by volume.

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Wagner Vineyards, Rielsing – 2016

  • Basic info:Wagner Vineyards estate bottled Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, NY – 2016
  • Type: White
  • Price estimate: $12.50 (Total Wine)
  • Look: Translucent pale straw
  • Smell: apple and petrol (I know, it sounds awful and I have definitely smelled better wine)
  • Taste: Good acid, apple, pear and some mineral notes. Not too harsh with a nice petrol finish. (I know, that sounds weird, but it was a nice finish.)
  • Conclusions: This was a really nice wine and one that won’t break the bank.
  • Other notes: When I looked through the whites we had on hand one day I noticed that they were all “better” bottles. Bottles that I want to open when we have company or can bring with us somewhere to enjoy with friends. I needed something I could just sit and enjoy and so a trip to Total Wine was made. (It was a Sunday, or I would have suggested our local wine store, but was what it was.)  I picked up a few sub $15 bottles and so far have not been disappointed in a single one. Most of them were nothing spectacular, but they paired well with food and were perfectly enjoyable, which to me is the mark of a good wine. This one was particularly interesting to me because it is from the Finger Lakes area of NY and I’ve been hearing about the whites in this region for a while. As a girl who grew up in Jersey and know there is good wine outside the west coast, I really wanted to try it.
  • From the bottle: From the winery notes, “A beautiful pairing wine that will compliment whatever is on your table with a fresh finish and a silky mouthfeel. This wine will continue to unwind beautifully with time in the bottle. This dry Riesling is an outstanding food wine, with nectarine and lime aromas, flavors of citrus and mineral and a crisp clean finish. The opulent fruit is restrained and there is just the right amount of lively acidity to pair beautifully with myriad foods without being bitey.”  12.9% alcohol by volume.

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Machin Breaker, Pinot Noir – 2012

  • Basic info: Machine Breaker “The Innocents” Pinot Noir, Eloa-Amity Hills, Oregon – 2012
  • Type: Red
  • Price estimate: $45
  • Look: Opaque ruby in color turning to rose at the edges
  • Smell: Tiny bit of cherry, some mineralogy and a touch of blackberry
  • Taste: Soft. Slightly sour cherry, some bramble and stone fruit. Medium finish with peach pit and a nice tart taste.
  • Conclusions: This was okay. Both Bob and I liked it, but it didn’t live up to the description or the reviews. I liked the wine just fine, but it wasn’t phenomenal.
  • Other notes: We opened this bottle to celebrate me new job and I kind of wish I had picked a different bottle. It is definitely a well structured wine, but it wasn’t really to my taste. A little too sour and maybe a touch too much wood to be truly enjoyable.
  • From the bottle: I completely forgot to look at the back of the bottle on this one. 13.5% alcohol by volume.

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Ca n’Estruc, Xarel-lo – 2017

  • Basic info: Ca N’Estruc, Xarel-lo, Catalunya, Spain – 2017
  • Type: White
  • Price estimate: $17 (Weekly Tasting)
  • Look: Translucent light yellow
  • Smell: Apricot – I kept sniffing this to see if I could get more out of it, but I just couldn’t
  • Taste: Stone fruit, specifically white peach. Subtle citrus notes that are almost lemon, but not quite. Tiny bit of slate towards the back end of this wine with a medium finish.
  • Conclusions: I was so happy drinking this wine. It had a nice acidity, but it didn’t overpower. It went well with food and just as good as a sipper on the back patio. It was unique – it had a bit of a floral quality but it was subtle. That seemed to be the key word for this wine – subtle. There was a lot going on, but it was all understated and really well done.
  • Other notes: I had never heard of Xarel-lo before and it isn’t something I expect to find on the shelves of my local wine store, but if I do, I’m picking some up. This was great, and perfect for a warm summer day and it went perfect with our cheese plate.
  • From the bottle: No bottle notes. 13.5% alcohol by volume
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Fattoria La Ripa, Chianti – 2010

  • Basic info: Fattoria La Ripa, Chianti Classico Riserva, Sangiovese (90%) & Canaiolo (10%),Tuscany, Italy (Chianti Classico DOCG) – 2010
  • Type: Red
  • Price estimate: $35 (Somm Select)
  • Look: Garnet in color with some orange and brown at the edges
  • Smell: Oak, trees, and a little hot/alcoholic
  • Taste: Cherry, hint of smoke, baking spices. This was a really complex wine, but I had a hard time identifying or naming specific flavors. Dry, red fruit and a little earth in the middle. Pepper on the finish.
  • Conclusions: Both Bob and I really liked this wine. He isn’t a huge Chianti fan, so when he liked it, I knew it was a winner. I think this is my first aged Chianti and while I think I prefer them a little younger, this one was just beautiful.
  • Other notes: I will fully admit, when I saw the edge of this in the glass, I was worried. In my mind (the unsophisticated wine person I am) brown at the edge means not good – oxygenated and less than perfect. This definitely was not the case here – despite the age on this bottle (yes, I know for real wine people 8 years is not old, but for me it is) it was fantastic. I can’t wait to break into the other bottles of this – I may have picked up a few.
  • From the bottle: (From Somm Select tasting notes) ” La Ripa 2010 Riserva is a medium garnet-red moving to pink and brick-red at the rim, with aromas of ripe black cherry, raspberry, red currant, and a hint of blood orange peel mixing with more savory notes of underbrush, turned earth, wood smoke, and dried rose petals. Medium to medium-plus in body, it is exceedingly pretty and energetic on the palate, with fine-grained tannins and well-integrated acidity.” 13.5% alcohol by volume.

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Esztebauer, Kadarka – 2016

  • Basic info: Esztebauer “Nagyapam” Kadarka, Szeksard, Hungary – 2016
  • Type: Red
  • Price estimate: $28 (Somm Select)
  • Look: Ruby red in color with some translucence at the edges.
  • Smell: (Stay with  me, this is a little weird) Smoke, herbs, trees and plums (yes, really)
  • Taste: Red berries, especially almost ripe or under ripe raspberry. Cola and a little rose.  Nice finish.
  • Conclusions: This was one of the most unique wines I’ve ever had. It ranks up there with the strange Sicilian wine with had in December that totally changed flavor with food. This was good, very good, but unlike anything I’ve tasted before. All of the flavors were there, but hard to identify. When looking at what we said it tasted like, it sounds bad and the wine should be bad (based on those flavors) but it was good – very good. This was one of the few times I wished I had a really good palate so I could accurately describe this wine.
  • Other notes: I was intrigued by this bottle and since I had never heard of the grape varietal, I decided to try it. I like trying new varietals and while I am sometimes disappointed, this was not one of them. Both Bob and I lingered over our glasses and sipped and contemplated because we had a hard time describing the wine. The smell and the taste were also so different that it was hard to believe they were the same wine.
  • From the bottle: “Above all other wines, my grandfather (Nagyapam) loved to drink the Kadarka of Szekszard, still cool, straight from the barrel. Harvested from our oldest vines, this exuberant, jasmine and raspberry scented rendition was made in his honor. Our family has farmed the chalk and loess hills of Szaksard since 1746.” 12.5% alcohol by volume.
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Raorao Sauvignon Blanc – 2017

  • Basic info: Raorao Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand – 2017
  • Type: White
  • Price estimate: $7 (Trader Joe’s)
  • Look: Very pale straw/hay colored.
  • Smell: Apple, melon and salt
  • Taste: Crisp, tart green apple, melon, apricot and white peach initially. More tropical fruits like pineapple and orange at the middle part of the wine and it finishes with lemons and oddly, a hint of banana. (Yes, that sounds weird, but it wasn’t.)
  • Conclusions: I thought this was a really nice summer wine. It was crisp, tart and had a hint of sweetness without being a sweet wine. Bob was not as enamored with this one as I was as it was too citrus-y for him. This was also really easy to drink and was just enjoyable without being fussy.
  • Other notes: For a long time I’ve avoided Sauvignon Blanc wines because I associate them with grapefruit flavor and I really don’t like grapefruit. However, ever since the Longboard, I’ve started going back to the varietal and while it still isn’t mu favorite, there are enough different styles of it that I will absolutely try it – I even ordered a glass at dinner recently. In the middle of summer when it is 90+ degree outside, a nice, crisp, unfussy white wine is really nice.
  • From the bottle: No bottle notes. 12.3% alcohol by volume.

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Vintjs, Rose – 2017

  • Basic info: Vintjs Rose, Monterey, CA Rose wine – 2017
  • Type: Rose (no varietal noted)
  • Price estimate: $7 (Trader Joe’s)
  • Look:  Bright pink
  • Smell: Strawberry and a hint of peach
  • Taste: Strawberry and watermelon are the major flavors. The wine is slightly sweet with a little bramble notes at the middle. Ripe summer raspberry on the finish.
  • Conclusions: I thought this wine was okay. It didn’t wow me and it isn’t something I am going to remember, but for a summer wine to just enjoy, it works. I didn’t get a lot of the acid and brightness that makes rose so great, but it was fine.
  • Other notes: I made a concerted effort to pick up some sub $10 wines recently for a few reasons, only one of which was budget. Part of my experiment, if you want to call it that, was to see how different types of wine were at that price given what I (little) I know about how expensive it really is to make wine. I started with rose and white wines because they do tend to be a little less expensive than reds since you don’t need to age them and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. So far there haven’t been any wines that wowed me, but for an everyday drinking wine, these have been pretty good. We did have one bottle that was just not drinkable to us and we tossed it. The others made the trip to Trader Joe’s well worth it.
  • From the bottle: No bottle notes. 12.5% alcohol by volume.

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Vignobles Lacheteau, Muscadet – 2016

  • Basic info: Vignobles Lacheteau Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie, Loire Valley, France – 2016
  • Type: 2016
  • Price estimate: $7 (Trader Joe’s)
  • Look: Very pale yellow, almost clear in the glass, with a slight green tint
  • Smell: Apple, melon, salt, jasmine
  • Taste: Tart green apple, lime, tiny bit of lemon. Round feel in the mouth with a little honeydew, apricot and white grape. Good finish with a little saline and melon notes.
  • Conclusions: For a sub ten dollar bottle of wine, this was great. Super easy to drink, nice taste and a little complexity – not a lot and it isn’t one that I will seek out all the time, but for the price I think it’s fantastic. I would happily pick up a few bottle of this to have around for the summer.
  • Other notes: One of the wine podcasts I listen to has mentioned getting wine at Trader Joe’s a few times. The one “near” us is not convenient, easy to get to and the parking lot is always full, so I’ve never been inside despite really liking the store (from my days back in Jersey). But, when we were in Tallahassee we stopped by the Trader Joe’s there and picked up some wine. Definitely worth it and I may have to find a time to go to our local store this summer when I can actually get in the parking lot.
  • From the bottle: “Issued from the MELON grape variety and vilified in he respect of the Loire Valley traditional methods, this wine is matured “on the lees” at least for a winter to offer richness and complex floral aromas. Best enjoyed with starters, seafood or fish dishes.” 12% alcohol by volume.
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Folktale Winery, Pinot Noir – 2017

  • Basic info: Folktale Winery “Golden” Pinot Noir, Monterey County, CA – 2017
  • Type: Red
  • Price estimate: $20 (local wine shop)
  • Look: Dark ruby red almost opaque even at the edges.
  • Smell: Fresh raspberry and cherry pie. (Yes, I know those two things seem incompatible, but that’s what I got.)
  • Taste: Very ripe raspberry, blueberry, black cherry. This was a pretty smooth wine and easy to drink. Notes of chocolate and a little oak in the middle with a tart finish. with lots of cherry and a tiny bit of chocolate.
  • Conclusions: I liked this wine. It was easy to drink and went with dinners as well as sipping by itself when watching tv. It isn’t really memorable, but it was definitely pleasant.
  • Other notes: I had this wine over the course of a few days and while I liked it when I first opened the bottle, it was better the second and third days. Bob thought this was “fine” but it wasn’t his favorite.
  • From the bottle: “Our Monterey Pinot Noir is a classic style of red fruit, spice, floral, and great acidity. A background of toasted oak and a soft supple texture on the palate create pure enjoyment.” 14.2% alcohol by volume.