Wine Tasting Review April 22

Name: Bogle Petite Sirah

Variety: Petite Sirah

Region: California

Year: Vintage 2010

Country:USA

Price: $12.95

Wine critic review: Deeply inky, this wine coats the glass and lingers before the first sip has been taken. Heady aromas of boysenberries and blackberries headline the entry, while flavors of wild blueberries steal the show. Full bodied and concentrated, seductive juniper and anise tangle with coffee and leather tones as the wine's finish lingers on stage. Enduring and enthralling, this wine is perfectly suited for an encore. - Vintage Cellar, Blacksburg VA

Personal Review: Full-bodied on the entry, the heady aromas of black currants and plums on the nose. Not as pronounced spice as I would have expected. This wine would have faired better with a more smoky nose and bigger, bolder fruit. Needed more body and berry complexity. Minimal finish. Not impressed and probably would not have improved if taken with food. This wine was not taken with food.

Name: Ferrari- Carano Siena

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Sonoma County, California

Year: 2010

Country:USA

Price: $24.95

Wine critic review: Delicious aromas and flavors of fresh-picked blackberries, raspberry jam, cola, cinnamon and clove. Sweet oak notes of vanilla and butterscotch complement lingering tart cherry, cranberry, and strawberry. A wine with nice acidity and refined, elegant texture, SIENA has tannins that are showy and evenly coat the palate.

Personal Review: Heavy spice on the nose, jammy, oak notes, bing flavors of cherry, darker baked cranberry. Sweet oak notes of vanilla and butterscotch complement lingering tart cherry, cranberry and strawberry. A wine with balanced acidity without tart flavors, decent texture (fuller mouth feel), and pronounced tannins.

Name: Yalumba Museum Muscat

Variety: Muscat

Region: SE Australia

Year: Unknown

Country:Australia

Price: $22.95

Wine critic review: The non-vintage Museum Reserve Muscat boasts a medium deep amber hue as well as stinning aromas and huge flavors oozing with glycerin, sweetness, honeyed figs, jammy berries, and notions of tea, molasses, and prunes. This wine does not improve in the bottle, but it will last for many years.

Personal Review: This is a full-full-bodied muscat- this was literally a cup full of alcohol splashed around with something like maple syrup. I would like to put this on pancakes. high alcohol on the nose and the color is like black tea steeped for like two minutes. some other flavors of prunes and darker dried fruit. A very, very sweet muscat indeed. This would probably mix better with Scotch over ice rather than something served alone at room temperature. This was not taken with food but would probably pair well with something like a pound cake or warm angel food cake. 

Name: Veritas Saddleback Chardonnay

Variety:Chardonnay

Region: Monticello AVA

Year: 2012

Country:USA

Price: $22

Wine critic review: Light lemon yellow color; lifted lemon, lemon cream, apple nose; soft, tart apple, tart peach palate; medium finish 85+ points (stainless steel fermentation, 4 mos. in neutral oak) (Cellartracker.com)

Personal Review: Some nice Pink Lady apple and bright asian pear in this Saddleback Chardonnay. Very nicely rounded out wine.After being fermented in stainless steel this wine is rounded out by sitting in neutral French oak for 4 months. Great balanced acidity and structure. Lighter color and some floral rose and lavender on the nose. A great unoaked Chardonnay despite the fact that it spent time in a barrel. I did not take this wine with food.

Name: Veritas Sauvignon Blanc

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Virginia

Year: 2012

Country:USA

Price: $22

Wine critic review: Varietal character is the essence of Sauvignon Blanc. The aroma is so distinctive--soft, fresh mown hay, gooseberries, lemony citrus, peach, and white flowers. Wow! Then taste the fresh, tart and mouthwatering flavors of sherbert, lime, grapefruit, passion fruit, honey and almonds with an ever so slight hint of flint chalkiness.(Old Dominion Wine)

Personal Review: Great balance of tartness and acidity. Bike bold, juicy grapefruit on the nose. But this is a sweet grapefruit- no grapefruit skins or membranes up in the mix (afterall, that is what makes a grapefruit sour and bitter- if you shed off all of the white membrane off a grapefruit its sweet and tart). Very light hay color which is decieving- this wine really brings bright, crisp, clean flavors. Great palate cleanser and for day drinking. An extremely versatile wine that is produced with a great balance of fruitiness and acidity. This was not taken with food.