VINA ROBLES - WHITE4

Vintage: 2008
Price Range: $15
Producer: Vina Robles
Region & Country: San Miguel, California
Grape Variety: White Wine (Verdelho 41%; Vermentino 26%; Sauvignon Blanc 22%; Viognier 11%)
Recommended By: Wine Club

Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 9/10/2009
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 3/18/2010

Appearance: Clear with a tinge of yellow; brilliant clear and shines; full-bodied
Nose: Light, full floral scent, apple & lemon; creamy
Taste: Bold, full-flavor; creamy; fair taste of lemon; creamy tartness
Finish: Lingers sweet with lemon
Overall Impression: Fresh white, but still a little tart.  Unfortunately, this wine did not pair well with spicy food.  It is definitely creamy though and a great blend, but it tends to be a bit average.  Nothing really stuck out that made it better than others I've had.
 
Overall Rating: 88/100
Overall Value: *** / 5 Stars

THE WOLFTRAP - ROSE

Vintage: 2008
Price Range: $15
Producer: Boekenhoutskloof
Region & Country: Franschhoek, South Africa
Grape Variety: Rosé (Syrah 75%; Cinsault 15%; Grenache Noir 10%)
Recommended By: Wine Club

Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 7/6/2009
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 3/16/2010

Appearance: Watered down cranberry juice; full-bodied
Nose: Non-candy sour apple scent; sweet floral scents
Taste: Sweet with a sour side; acidic citrus; tart
Finish: Sweetness lingers
Overall Impression: First, I have to admit that I'm not a fan of Rosé wines...not even at a wedding.  This one was too tart for my liking.  It wasn't very flavorful to begin with and I thought it would get better.  You know how I feel about "critter wines."  If it has an animal on it, it probably will taste different.
Overall Rating: 75/100
Overall Value: **.5 / 5 Stars

BAGLIO DI PIANETTO - FICILIGNO

Vintage: 2007
Price Range: $18
Producer: Baglio Di Pianetto
Region & Country: Sicily, Italy
Grape Variety: Ficiligno (Viognier 50% / Insolia 50%)
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

STEELHEAD - ZINFANDEL

Vintage: 2006
Price Range: $20
Producer: Quivira Vineyards
Region & Country: Sonoma, California, USA
Grape Variety: Zinfandel
Recommended By: Wineclub

Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 2/2/2009
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 12/20/2009

Appearance: Full-bodied; Glossy, purple-red
Nose: Black and raspberry; oak, tobacco and spices
Taste: Smooth and juicy; raspberry, oak and spices
Finish: Lingers and dry
Overall Impression: I thought after smelling this wine that it was going to be much bolder and spicier. Yes, there was a great bold aroma, but the taste was very smooth. This was a great Zin. I love when wines surprise me!

Overall Rating: 93/100
Overall Value: ***.5 / 5 Stars

AIGLE NOIR - RED BLEND

Vintage: 2003
Price Range: $13
Producer: Remhoogte Estate
Region & Country: Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, South Africa
Grape Variety: Red Blend (57% Cabernet Sauvignon; 40% Merlot; 3% Pinotage)
Recommended By: Dean Noonan @ WineStyles

Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 1/6/2009
Place & Date Tasted: Home; 12/3/2009

Appearance: Dark cherry red; Full-bodied
Nose: Cherry, oak and vanilla
Taste: Spicy cherry, vanilla and oak; layered tastes
Finish: Cherry comes through more; lingers warmly on the throat
Overall Impression: This blend has a familiar flavor, as if I have drank it before. Despite being average, it's still pretty delicious. It has a nice spice and boldness on top of its great fruit flavor.

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

BLACK BERET - GRENACHE SYRAH

Vintage: 2005
Price Range: $12
Producer: Celliers Jean d'Alibert
Region & Country: Languedoc, France
Grape Variety: Grenache Syrah (85% Grenache; 20% Syrah)
Recommended By: Maggie Noonan @ WineStyles

Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 8/6/2009
Place & Date Tasted: Home; 11/4/2009

Appearance: Deep, dark blood red; Light-medium bodied
Nose: Easy berries and heavy spices; oak, deep cherry and blackberry
Taste: Juicy, bold flavor; smooth going down; taste of cherry and oak
Finish: Vanilla and a little oak; lingers softly
Overall Impression: This was a great, smooth wine! I loved how it had bold flavors with a clean taste and finish. This was also a great stand-alone wine. I would bring for a party or present it for a wine tasting.

Overall Rating: 95/100
Overall Value: **** / 5 Stars

VINA ROBLES - RED4

Vintage: 2007
Price Range: $15
Producer: Vina Robles Winery & Vineyards
Region & Country: San Miguel, California, USA
Grape Variety: Red Blend (51% Petite Sirah; 43% Syrah; 4% Tannat; 2% Touriga)
Recommended By: Wine Club

Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 9/10/2009
Place & Date Tasted: Home; 10/21/2009

Appearance: Deep, dark purple; full-bodied; dyes the glass
Nose: Plum, lavender, earthy spices
Taste: Deep earth and oak flavor; mocha; bold flavor
Finish: Slightly dry; lemon zest; does not linger long
Overall Impression: This blend had a lovely scent and a wonderful bold flavor! Actually, the aroma and the taste do not match at all, but it's still quite delicious.

Overall Rating: 93/100
Overall Value: *** / 5 Stars

VINA GORMAZ - TEMPRANILLO

Vintage: 2006
Price Range: $20
Producer: Ribera Del Duero
Region & Country: Soria, Spain
Grape Variety: Tempranillo
Recommended By: Wine Club

Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 10/8/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 10/16/2009

Appearance: Dull, garnet red; full-bodied; leaves the sugar residue on the sides of the glass
Nose: Some cherry and berry aromas, but has a "barnyard" stench to it
Taste: Some berries, vanilla and a metal flavor
Finish: Little dry; more metal taste once it settles
Overall Impression: Unfortunately, after tasting the metal in the wine more than the berry flavors, and the smell of the wine after opened, I'm starting to think that this bottle took a turn for the worse. I can taste those delicious vanilla and berry flavors trying to come through, but I think I waited a little too long to drink this wine.

Overall Rating: 83/100
Overall Value: ** / 5 Stars

PROLOGUE - CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Vintage: 2006
Price Range: $28
Producer: Conn Valley Vineyards
Region & Country: St. Helena, California, USA
Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Recommended By: N/A

Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 5/9/2009
Place & Date Tasted: Home; 10/12/2009

Appearance: Deep dark red-purple; full-bodied
Nose: Slightly hot at first; rich berry scent with cherry
Taste: Light, average-plain; berry taste, but slightly watered down; tastes a little like sugar-free grape Kool-Aid
Finish: Lingers slightly, but lightly; light juicy sweetness
Overall Impression: I like to find wines that can stand alone or be paired with food. This wine is definitely a dinner wine. I really wouldn't want it alone. It has a good palate cleanser and a lot of great berry scents, but it still has that mild grape Kool-Aid flavor that really threw me off. It's just average to me.

Overall Rating: 88/100
Overall Value: ** / 5 Stars

ANTU NINQUEN - RED BLEND

Vintage: 2005
Price Range: $25
Producer: Ninquen Mountain Estate Vineyard
Region & Country: Colchagua Valley, Chile
Grape Variety: Red Blend (70% Cabernet Sauvignon; 30% Carmenere)
Recommended By: Wine Club

Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 1/5/2009
Place & Date Tasted: Home; 10/6/2009

Appearance: Full-bodied; Deep red or blood red
Nose: Cherry, raspberry, oak, a little licorice; smells very rich
Taste: Bold, yet acidic; has some spice to it; earthy
Finish: Very powerful oak, vanilla and berries; lingers
Overall Impression: I rarely come across a wine where the best part is the finish. Usually, it's impressing from the get-go, but this wine had all the best flavors in its finish. You get reunited with the aromas you caught before. I also loved the boldness of this wine.

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