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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
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
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
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
Vintage: 2006
Price Range: $20
Producer: Clos La Chance Winery
Region & Country: San Martin, California, USA
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Recommended By: Wine Club
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 11/02/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 11/26/2008
Appearance: Brilliant; straw gold; full-bodied
Nose: Sweet, green apple; slight hint of cut grass
Taste: Sweet, clean, buttery and slightly acidic
Finish: Sweet, lingers slightly and slightly bitter
Overall Impression: For a Chardonnay, I've definitely had better and for a better price. It was extremely sweet to the point where it started to be a little too tart for me. I felt it was just average. It was also a little sugary and did not taste natural at all.
Overall Rating: 79/100
Overall Value: **.75 / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2006
Price Range: $20
Producer: Axis Vintners
Region & Country: Sonoma, California, USA
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Recommended By: Wine Club
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 09/07/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 11/26/2008
Dinner: Steak and vegetables. May I point out that it was the best steak I have had in about a year.
Appearance: Brilliant; shiny pale red, light bodied and transparent
Nose: Strawberry, raspberry and nutmeg
Taste: Nothing like the smell; spicy and bold; lingers a little
Finish: The fruit taste comes after the spices leave
Overall Impression: Delicious! This went perfect with the food also. This Pinot Noir was light but had a great, bold fruity taste.
Overall Rating: 93/100
Overall Value: **** / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2005
Price Range: $8
Producer: Chateau Diana Winery
Region & Country: Healdsburg, California, USA
Grape Variety: Red Table Wine
Recommended By: Tasting
Place & Date Purchased: World Market, Evanston, IL - 10/26/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 11/11/2008
Appearance: Medium-bodied; opaque, deep red
Nose: Powerful, sweet scent, some spices and berries
Taste: Juicy, sweet, blackberry taste
Finish: Smooth with slight acidity
Overall Impression: You want to know what the trick of this wine is? It's so much better aerated! Actually, this wine was surprisingly good for the price and for being a seasonal wine. I would definitely bring it to my next Halloween Party.
Overall Rating: 89/100
Overall Value: ****.5 / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2005
Price Range: $12
Producer: Oak Ridge Winery
Region & Country: Lodi, California, USA
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Recommended By: Wine Tasting
Place & Date Purchased: WineStyles, Evanston, IL - 10/11/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 11/09/2008
Dinner: Pepperoni pizza from this fancy place called Pizza Hut
Appearance: Brilliant, full bodied; Pale gold
Nose: Greet apple; soft scent
Taste: Light, sweet, apple - crisp and clean
Finish: Creamy, not acidic, doesn't linger long
Overall Impression: This Chardonnay was very nice. It was light and flavorful. It would probably be great with light food. Gnarled Vine is a great clean and crisp wine.
Overall Rating: 89/100
Overall Value: **** / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2005
Price Range: $15
Producer: Estancia Estates
Region & Country: Sonoma, California, USA
Grape Variety: Merlot
Recommended By: Andre LaSalle
Place & Date Purchased: Dominick's Grocery, Chicago, IL - 10/26/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 11/07/2008
Dinner: Various cheeses
Appearance: Brilliant ruby red; Light bodied
Nose: Spicy scent; deep cherry; powerful
Taste: Bold, slightly spicy, a little sweet, cherry
Finish: Doesn't linger much; very low acidity
Overall Impression: This Merlot has a lot of flavor. I think it's much better without food or paired with a better food than just cheese. It's a great casual type of wine and delicious.
Overall Rating: 91/100
Overall Value: **** / 5 Stars
Vintage: 2007
Price Range: $10
Producer: R Wines
Region & Country: Eastwood, Australia
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Recommended By: Tasting
Place & Date Purchased: World Market, Evanston, IL - 10/26/2008
Place & Date Tasted: Home - 10/28/2008
*Shrimp pasta in a white cream sause
Appearance: Brilliant, pale gold; light bodied
Nose: Light & clean scent; green apple
Taste: Fruity & light; sweet
Finish: Creamy, yet slightly tart; taste lingers
Overall Impression: This is another fun Halloween wine that you can bring to a party. Although, I wouldn't mind drinking it year round as well. So I guess Pure Evil is not just for Halloween anymore. This Chardonnay had a great flavor. It was okay with the food.
Overall Rating: 90/100
Overall Value: **** / 5 Stars
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