BLACKSTONE - CHARDONNAY

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

BLACKSTONE - MERLOT

Happy Inauguration Day, Everybody! Did you catch Obama's speech today? I didn't because I'm a real American with a job and that's why we have YouTube.

Vintage: 2006
Price Range: $12
Producer: Blackstone Winery
Region & Country: Napa Valley, California, USA
Grape Variety: Merlot
Recommended By: N/A

Place & Date Purchased: Dominick's Grocery, Chicago, IL - 01/20/2009
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 01/20/2009
Dinner: Spaghetti

Appearance: Black cherry red; Medium-bodied
Nose: Without airing, it's hot; with airing, still hot but not as bad. The hotness overpowers the berry scent just trying to come through.
Taste: Watered down flavor; very little berry taste
Finish: Citrus, but not very acidic
Overall Impression: Not that impressed. There was no real flavor that stuck out and made me like this Merlot. It was just an average wine. To be honest, it was on sale, but I would definitely never pay full price for this wine. Too bad it wasn't as good as our new president's speech.

Overall Rating: 75/100
Overall Value: **.5 / 5 Stars