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Vintage: 2006
Price Range: $17
Producer: Maryhill Winery
Region & Country: Goldendale, Washington, USA
Grape Variety: Red Combination: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Franc
Recommended By: Maggie Noonan of WineStyles, Evanston
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 09/17/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 09/30/2008
Dinner: Variety of cheeses and salami
Appearance: Cloudy, ruby red
Nose: Clean & powerful, spices and vanilla
Taste: VANILLA and sweet
Finish: Sweet with medium acidity
Overall Impression: If you like vanilla in anything, this is your wine. The taste was sweet and strong with vanilla, but it also had a great finish to it. I liked that it was sweet yet spicy at the same time. Great wine!
Overall Rating: 92/100
Overall Value: ***.5 / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2005
Price Range: $10
Producer: Foster's Wine Estates
Region & Country: St. Helena & Napa, California, US
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Recommended By: N/A
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 09/09/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 09/23/2008
Appearance: Straw yellowish gold
Nose: Clean, buttery, sweet, fruity zest
Taste: Buttery and fruity with a little bit of spice
Finish: Acidic and tart, but then turns buttery
Overall Impression: All in all, this chardonnay had a buttery flavor to it. I like that in a white. It leaves a warm feeling in your tummy. It was a great wine.
Overall Rating: 87/100
Overall Value: *** / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2005
Price Range: $10
Producer: Top Wine Chile
Region & Country: D.O. Colchagua Valley, Chile
Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Recommended By: N/A
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 09/09/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 09/22/2008
Dinner: Italian sausage stuffed portobella mushrooms and pasta
Appearance: Deep ruby red
Nose: Hot scent, slightly fruity with a little pepper
Taste: Lightly fruity, cherry taste
Finish: Lingers, acidic and dry
Overall Impression: You can't go wrong when your bottle comes in a sack, right? It's right there on the bottle. This is a good dinner wine, even though it did not go very well with the dinner made. I'm sure it would have been better with something lighter. I do think that this is the kind of wine that would do better with food than alone.
Overall Rating: 88/100
Overall Value: ***.5 / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2007
Price Range: $11
Producer: Underdog Wine Merchants
Region & Country: Alsace, France
Grape Variety: Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Gewurztraminer
Recommended By: N/A
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 09/09/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 09/17/2008
Dinner: Nachos. No, nothing fancy.
Appearance: Very light gold.
Nose: Sweet and fruity
Taste: Light, buttery and sweet. But not too sweet to where it's over-powering.
Finish: Lingers and coats; slightly thick taste
Overall Impression: It doesn't taste as fruity as it smells and that's something I like in whites. That first sip just throws me for a loop because I expect it to be so much sweeter. Wasabi White has a pleasant, sweet taste. It is also not too tart which is something else I like. I hate it when I'm making that pucker face.
Overall Rating: 91/100
Overall Value: ***.5 / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2006
Price Range: $16
Producer: Vina Santa Alicia
Region & Country: Maipo Valley, Chile
Grape Variety: Malbec
Recommended By: N/A
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 09/09/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 09/11/2008
Dinner: Barbecue chicken wrap
Appearance: Thick, blood red; very opaque
Nose: Vibrant chocolate with fruity tones
Taste: Complex flavor and very bold
Finish: Lingers with spice and slightly dry
Overall Impression: I loved this wine. There were so many flavors in just one sip. It had very complex tastes and such boldness. This is definitely one to pick up. KB's Malbec was good, but this cab is awesome!
Overall Rating: 97/100
Overall Value: **** / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2007
Price Range: $20
Producer: Hook & Ladder Vineyards
Region & Country: Santa Rosa, California, USA
Grape Variety: Gewurtzraminer
Recommended By: Wine Club
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 07/07/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 09/09/2008
Appearance: Very light yellow; almost clear
Nose: Apples; Very light and soft scent
Taste: Tart, then sweet; Has a good apple flavor
Finish: Long lasting. Coats the tongue
Overall Impression: This wine is good with cheese and fruit to clean the palate. It was a very tasty white, but I've had the same for a much better price.
Overall Rating: 91/100
Overall Value: **.5 / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2006
Price Range: $13
Producer: Domain De Gournier
Region & Country: Rhone, France
Grape Variety: Grenache Noir
Recommended By: Wine Tasting at WineStyles
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 08/08/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 09/04/2008
Dinner: Chicken marinara with portobella mushrooms and tortellini & penne pasta
Appearance: Cranberry red
Nose: Slightly hot; no particular fruit scent
Taste: It is a little spicy, a little acidic, but bold in flavor
Finish: A little dry; citrus and tart
Overall Impression: This grenache noir had a good flavor. I really loved the spices of it. I think it would have been better with just cheese.
Overall Rating: 90/100
Overall Value: ***.5 / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2006
Price Range: $20
Producer: Engelbrecht Els Vineyard
Region & Country: Stellenbosch, South Africa
Grape Variety: Merlot
Recommended By: Wine Club
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 08/04/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 09/02/2008
Dinner: Home-made mac & cheese with baked chicken
Appearance: Deep red with brown tones
Nose: Soft floral and fruit scent
Taste: Tart, then fruity; slightly acidic
Finish: Warm, slightly dry and acidic
Overall Impression: This Merlot was good with food. I think it would taste better with less spicy food, since I Cajuned up that chicken. It definitely tasted better with the mac & cheese. I think it would be great with cheese in general. I would definitely try it again, but by itself.
Overall Rating: 88/100
Overall Value: *** / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2006
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