Thursday, December 25, 2008

HORIZON DE LYNCH - CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Greetings and Holiday Wishes!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday. I certainly did. Now that the New Year is approaching, you should definitely be ringing it in with bottles of bubbly. Here's what entertained my Christmas day.


Vintage
: 2004

Price Range: $10
Producer: Henri Moreau
Region & Country: Bordeaux, France
Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon from Medoc
Recommended By: Wine Club

Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 10/08/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 12/25/2008 - Merry Christmas! Ho Ho Ho!!!

Appearance: Full-bodied, deep red garnet
Nose: Lingering scent of plum; sweet scent
Taste: Smooth, sweet and clean; this has the taste of raspberry
Finish: Sweet and slightly acidic
Overall Impression: This cab is sweet but in a good way. I did feel like I needed to eat something salty with it to counter the sweetness. It definitely is delicious and very juicy. I liked it and for the price, it's even better!

Overall Rating: 90/100
Overall Value: **** / 5 Stars

Sunday, December 7, 2008

BOLLICINI - PROSECCO

Vintage: N/A
Price Range: $12
Producer: WP SRL Crocetta
Region & Country: Montello, Italy
Grape Variety: Prosecco
Recommended By: N/A

Place & Date Purchased: World Market, Evanston, IL - 12/07/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 12/07/2008

Appearance: Light, medium bubbles and very pale gold
Nose: Fruity, yet somewhat chalky; scent of apples
Taste: Light, but dry; Sweetness is subtle
Finish: Sweetness stays; acidic - bubbles linger
Overall Impression: I think this Prosecco was reasonably priced. Actually, it was bought for about $9, so I think I got an excellent deal for the taste. I would bring this to your New Year's Eve party and get popular quick! The best part is that it's not overly sweet, not too dry. It's just right.

Overall Rating
: 89/100
Overall Value: ***.5 / 5 Stars

Friday, December 5, 2008

ST. LUCAS - TORRONTES

Vintage: 2006
Price Range: $12
Producer: St. Lucas Winery
Region & Country: Mendoza, Argentina
Grape Variety: Torrontes
Recommended By: N/A

Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 12/05/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 12/05/2008

Appearance: Medium-full bodied; slightly bubbly; pale straw
Nose: Pineapple and glazed peaches; sweet scent
Taste: There is a bit of a bite at first with a good acidity and then it gets creamy
Finish: Floral and lingers
Overall Impression: This Torrontes has great flavors. This would be the perfect summer wine! I could also see using it in cooking. It's sweet and good. I can't wait to try this one out next summer.

Overall Rating: 92/100
Overall Value: **** / 5 Stars

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

ALBERTO FURQUE - MALBEC

Vintage: 2006
Price Range: $15
Producer: Mendoza Estate
Region & Country: La Consulta, Argentina
Grape Variety
: Malbec
Recommended By: N/A - First visit to the store.

Place & Date Purchased: In Fine Spirits, Chicago, IL - 09/18/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 12/03/2008
Dinner: Indian food - Chicken Marsala and boy, was it good!

Appearance: Dark garnet red; Full bodied
Nose: Mixed berries; little spice scent also
Taste: Bold, fruity, clean and juicy
Finish: Citrus sweet; lingers
Overall Impression: This was another great Malbec, and if you haven't noticed by now, I love Malbecs. It balanced well with the food, but it can surely survive without the food. It had a wonderful, full fruit flavor!

Overall Rating
: 92/100
Overall Value: **** / 5 Stars