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Vintage: 2007
Price Range: $25
Producer: Stags' Leap Winery
Region & Country: Napa, California, USA
Grape Variety: Viognier
Recommended By: Wine Club
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 7/6/2009
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 7/30/2009
Appearance: Very light in color; full-bodied; color similar to the pulp of a lemon
Nose: Smells ashy like champagne; chalk, apple, floral
Taste: Sweeter than the scent; lots of sweet fruit flavor; slightly acidic with a vague champagne taste
Finish: Dry, but the sweetness lingers in a good way
Overall Impression: If you have never liked champagnes that much, but enjoy a white wine, this is for you. The smell, color and some taste is exactly like a champagne, but without the bubbles! It also has a yummy sweetness and not that ashy taste that most champagnes tend to have.
Overall Rating: 92/100
Overall Value: **.5 / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2007
Price Range: $20
Producer: Coldstream Hills Winery
Region & Country: Coldstream, Australia
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Recommended By: WineClub
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 3/2/2009
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 7/25/2009
Appearance: Deep, glossy purple; light-bodied
Nose: Over-ripened berries and some spices; there is an unpleasant smell of something, but I can't quite put my finger on it
Taste: Sweet, almost sour fruit; starts of tasting juicy
Finish: Dries up and acidic; the sweetness lingers with a hint of ash
Overall Impression: This was definitely not the best Pinot Noir I've had, but I would say it's pretty average. Christie couldn't say anything when she tasted it because she informed me that she was going to gag. I wasn't that dramatic about it. I think the sourness of the fruit seems to throw off the taste.
Overall Rating: 85/100
Overall Value: ** / 5 Stars
Oh my! Excuse my language!
Vintage: 2005
Price Range: $20
Producer: R Wines
Region & Country: Eastwood, Australia
Grape Variety: Grenache
Recommended By: Easter Gift from Erika Swain
*Nothing says "Happy Easter" than presenting someone with a bottle
Place & Date Purchased: The Swain's, Chicago, IL - 4/12/2009
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 7/24/2009
Appearance: Glossy, slightly translucent and yet cloudy; full-bodied
Nose: Strawberry jam and cherries; strong fruit scent
Taste: Sweet berry taste that has a juicy smoothness at first and then also has a spicy kick to it
Finish: Dry, lingers and slightly acidic
Overall Impression: When I was presented this wine, I seriously didn't know what to expect. After tasting it, I loved it. After discussing with Erika that I loved it, she was surprised. She said that when she had it, it tasted like "wine and cigarettes" to her. So, I'm wondering if the following is the reason:
A) Our taste buds are completely different
B) She was probably smoking cigarettes while drinking it
C) She had a bad bottle
It could be a number of things. Here's another thing I'm pondering. If it was so bad, why was she giving it to me? Erika, you got some 'splaining to do. But I thought that this was a fantastic Grenache! I loved the boldness and the finish. I loved how it smelled like jam, but it didn't taste like it. And for the price, you can't go wrong.
Overall Rating: 96/100
Overall Value: ***** / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2006
Price Range: $13
Producer: Withington Vineyards
Region & Country: Western Cape, South Africa
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Recommended By: Dean w/ Winestyles
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 1/6/2009
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 7/23/2009
Appearance: Brilliant, light and pale gold; full-bodied
Nose: Artificial lemon (like lemonade), perfume and oak
Taste: Lemon, yet some lime; a little creamy; earth and oak; light on the tongue
Finish: Lingers; you can taste a powerful amount of alcohol - a warm burn
Overall Impression: This was a different type of Chardonnay. I found it more average than others, but definitely not in a bad way. This wine definitely had more citrus than creaminess, but overall had a great taste.
Overall Rating: 90/100
Overall Value: ***.5 / 5 Stars
Vintage: N/A
Price Range: $9
Producer: Bully Hill Vineyards
Region & Country: Hammondsport, NY, USA
Grape Variety: Seyval Blanc
Recommended By: A gift from Erika & Larry Swain
Place & Date Purchased: The Swain's Home, Chicago, IL - 11/24/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 7/19/2009
Dinner: Ropa Vija Sandwich (extremely spicy...I thought I was going to die.)
Appearance: Bright, pale yellow; light-bodied
Nose: Light & sweet; apple, pears and honey
Taste: Sweet, creamy and light honey taste; fair green apple
Finish: Lingers slightly with a good sweetness
Overall Impression: Yum Yum very good! When you look at the bottle, it describes it as a dry wine. I really didn't think it was as dry as the "meter" on the bottle said. I do believe this would be a better stand-alone wine. Once I finished that sandwich and got the burn out of my mouth, the wine was so much better. I love that the texture is creamy and smooth! It was a wonderful simple wine.
Overall Rating: 95/100
Overall Value: **** / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2007
Price Range: $22
Producer: Simonsig
Region & Country: Koelenhof, South Africa
Grape Variety: Brut Rose (Pinotage, 90%; Pinot Noir, 10%)
Recommended By: Wineclub
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 12/8/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 7/13/2009
Appearance: Dark pink; very bubbly
Nose: Slight fruit with a little grapefruit scent
Taste: Sweet with tangy bubbles; slightly acidic
Finish: Sweet and smooth aftertaste
Overall Impression: This was a great sparkling wine. It didn't have an overpowering sweetness or that ashy taste that some others get. This was more of a dessert bubbly.
Overall Rating: 87/100
Overall Value: **.5 / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2007
Price Range: $12
Producer: Blackstone Winery
Region & Country: Napa Valley, California, USA
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Recommended By: N/A
Place & Date Purchased: Dominick's Grocery, Chicago, IL - 4/25/2009
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 7/5/2009
Appearance: Pale gold; clean and brilliant; full-bodied
Nose: Green apples and sweet perfume; some herbs
Taste: Sweet and crisp, greet apples; hint of pear; perfume and floral
Finish: Lingers with a creaminess and a good slight tartness
Overall Impression: I think this is the nice summer wine that you can bring to a party on a beach. It's very casual and not pricey. It just haves a summer flavor to it with the flowers and fruit. The crisp taste and sweet goodness makes it a very nice Chardonnay.
Overall Rating: 87/100
Overall Value: **** / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2006
Price Range: $23
Producer: Mosby Winery
Region & Country: Buellton, California
Grape Variety: Dolcetto
Recommended By: N/A
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 1/31/2009
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 7/1/2009
Appearance: Deep, cherry red; full-bodied
Nose: Vibrant, smells juicy, cherry, candy apple sweet
Taste: Juicy cherry; huge burst of fruit, but with a lite texture
Finish: Lingers smoothly with sweetness on the tongue
Overall Impression: This Dolcetto definitely goes right up there with some of the other great Cabs & Malbecs I have tried. The explosion of fruit boldness is something I love most about reds, but it is so lite. It is not heavy, so it seems like the perfect summer, stand alone wine. It actually has a delicious, mouth-watering flavor.
Overall Rating: 97/100
Overall Value: **** / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2007
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