Tasting - Sierra Cruz Carmenere

Name: Sierra Cruz Carmenere 

Variety: Carmenere

Country: Maule Valley, Chile

Year: 2009

Price: $6.95

Vintage Cellar Review: As a member of the cabernet sauvignon family, carmenere (pronounced car-men-yare) originated in Bordeaux as one of the grapes permitted for use in the red blends of that storied region. Chilean

winemakers have embraced it and several wineries in that country produce it as a single varietal. The ’09 Sierra Cruz is a very pleasant, soft, medium bodied wine that has fresh cabernet-like aromas and flavors of spice, dark fruit and black pepper. It is a great value and also would be a nice match with marinated and grilled skirt or flank steak.

My Review: This wine had a strong nose of black pepper.  The taste of the wine was slightly earthy, with a spice filled after taste.  This was no one of my favorite wines.  The finish was slightly tannic and drying, with an afterburn.

Tasting - Lost Vineyards Chardonnay

Name: Lost Vineyards Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Country: Argentina

Year: 

Price: $3.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Pale golden color. Perfumed peach, pineapple, and nougat aromas. Round and soft with a fruity-yet-dry medium body. Tangy apple skin and lemon zest notes lift the fruit nicely on the finish.

My Review: This wine smelled creamy and slightly oaky with a hint of fresh peach.  The wine was not as light as the sauvignon blanc tasted before it.  There were light notes of lemon and green apple which made the wine slightly tart.  There was a fairly smooth clean finish to the wine.  It was not a sweet wine. 

Tasting - Sierra Cruz Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Sierra Cruz Sauvignon Blanc

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Country: Maule Valley, Chile

Year: 2011

Price: $6.95

Vintage Cellar Review: This Chilean Sauvignon Blanc just oozes with bright citrus flavors and a nose of herbs and grass. Stylistically, it is a cross between the herbal, grassy wines so prevalent in Sonoma County and the riper,

more fruit forward products of New Zealand. Match it with pasta sauced with arugula, pine nuts, mushrooms and parmesan.

My Review: This wine had a floral nose.  There were hints of green apple in the taste, as well as herbal notes.  The wine was also light and crisp.  When swallowing the wine there was little burn.  At this point in my wine tasting knowledge, the sauvignon blanc is one of my favorite wine varieties.  

Tasting - Primo Amore Moscato

Name: Primo Amore Moscato

Variety: Moscato

Country: Italy

Year: 

Price: $8.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Straw-yellow with golden reflections and a delicate mousse. Fruity and very inviting, with intense scents of peaches and exotic fruit. Fresh and pleasantly sweet with a taste that reveals its varietal characteristic.

My Review: This wine smelled like honey covered fruit.  There was a strong scent of peaches.  When tasting the wine these flavors were amplified.  There was no burn upon swallowing it.  I enjoyed this wine and decided to purchase it, in the hopes that mixing it with grapefruit juice would cut the sweetness.  However, mixing it with the juice and vodka was not a good call.

Tasting - Faraway Farms Shiraz

Name: Faraway Farms Shiraz

Variety: Shiraz

Country: South Africa

Year: 2008

Price: $5.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Fresh, modern style, with lots of plum pudding, sweet chocolate, mocha, blackberry and

boysenberry flavors supported by round, sweet tannins and toast.

My Review: This wine smelled like dark fruit and chocolate, with possibly a slight hint of tobacco.  The wine was very smooth and tasted like sweet dark fruits.  I enjoyed this wine.  There was little burn and only slightly drying.

Tasting - Tres Ojos Old Vines Garnacha

Name: Tres Ojos Old Vines Garnacha

Variety: Garancha

Country: Spain

Year: 2009

Price: $6.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Bright ruby color. Primary dark berry aromas are simple but offer very good purity and focus. Juicy blackberry and bitter cherry flavors are youthfully tangy, with good back-end acidity adding snap. The clean, brisk finish leaves behind notes of sweet dark berry preserves and cracked pepper.

My Review: The nose of this wine smelled like pepper, fruit and alcohol.  When drinking this wine, these flavor profiles were increased.  The wine was also slightly bitter, and there were a few mouth drying tannins.  The dark fruit flavors were stronger after the wine had sat in your mouth for a moment.  There was very little burn upon swallowing.

Tasting - Oak Vineyard Chardonnay

Name: Oak Vineyard Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Country: Napa & Sonoma California

Year: 2010

Price: $5.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Quite an interesting Chardonnay, in an era when so many are too sweet and extracted. There’s plenty of orange and apricot fruit flavor, but also a brilliant streak of minerality, like a lick of cold steel, and the overall taste is dry. Really easy to like, with lots of complexity to warrant repeated sipping.

My Review:  This wine smelled creamy.  There was also a hint of oakyness to the nose.  When initially tasting the wine there was an overwhelming tropical fruit flavor.  The wine was very smooth, with little or no burn upon swallowing.