Wine Tasting: Protocolo Vino de la Tierra de Castilla

Name: Protocolo Vino de la Tierra de Castilla

Variety: White Wine Variety   

Country: Spain

Region: La Mancha

Year: 2012

Price: $6.95

Wine Review: Greenish gold. Subtle aromas of mint, lemon and orange with a hint of honeysuckle. Dry, understated and focused offering clean citrus and melon flavors and slow-building sweetness. Finishes dry and brisk with an echo of lemon. As usual, this is an outstanding value. 

My Review:  Nice wine, it has a nice citrusy flavor and a refreshingly sweet finish.  A dry wine with a very soothing sniffy sniff.

Wine Tasting: Jam Jar Sweet White

Name: Jam Jar Sweet White

Variety: Sweet White     

Country: South Africa

Region: Western Cape

Year: 2011

Price: $8.95

Wine Review: Soft floral hints add depth to the otherwise straightforward ripe peach and nectarine aromas. There's a good balance in he mouth, with a nice acidic lift and slightly lime edge to cut the sweetness on the finish and close with the faintest hint of honeydew melons. 

My Review:  This is a very very impressive sweet wine with a nice floral sniffy sniff.  Has the right amount of sweetness and is still evenly balanced with the fruit and melon hints.  

Wine Tasting: Entrada Malbec

Name: Entrada Malbec

Variety: Malbec    

Country: Chile 

Year: N/A

Price: $5.95

Wine Review: Firm and structured, this is a solid wine, laced with mineral acidity and tight tannins. It has a juicy, blackberry fruit component cutting through the texture. 

My Review: This wine is very earthy, mineraly, and only had a hint of blackberry/fruit.  This wine was well-bodied and it's a good buy!

Wine Tasting: Peter Lehmann Chardonnay

Name: Peter Lehmann Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay   

Country: Australia 

Region: Barossa Valley 

Year: 2010

Price: $20.00

Wine Review: The 2010 chardonnay presents subtle notes of spiced apple slices and ripe peaches with hints of freshly baked bread and melon. Light bodied, clean and refreshingly crisph in the mouth, it offers just enough apple and pear flavor concentration, finishing with medium-long persistence. 

My Review: This wine, like many whites, was very crisp and had that light apple/fruity taste.  I also enjoyed this one a lot because of its sour and tangy flavor.   

Wine Tasting: Vina Borga Borsao

Name: Vina Borga Borsao

Variety: Red wine variety    

Country: Spain

Region: Campo de Borja

Year: N/A

Price: $6.95

Wine Review: Made from 100% Grenache, the 2012 vina borgia was fermented and aged in stainless steel. Its medium dark ruby color is followed by abundant notes of strawberries and black cherries offered in a straightforward, medium-bodied, soft, hedonistic, round style. It is hard to believe a wine this good can sell for $7 a bottle. Enjoy it over the next 1-2 years. 

My Review: This wine was very good and easy to drink.  It had a light raisiny sniffy sniff and a very refreshing fruity taste.  

Wine Tasting: Dom Roger Perrin Cotes du Rhone

Name: Dom Roger Perrin Cotes du Rhone
Variety: Grenache, Syrah
Country: France
Region: Rhone                                                              
Year: 2012
Price: $14.95
Review: The back label calls this “Rouge fruité”; and it’s exactly as described, from 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Cinsaut. This offers a classic Grenache nose of crushed cherries and damsons, and then a deliciously forward, supple juicy gulp of raspberries and cherries, with a charming liqueur hint and a lovely perfumed finish. 
My Review: This wine had a pretty distinct nose, very fruity.  However, I didn't really enjoy it.  The fruit flavors seemed a little off/unbalanced to me.  I'd give this wine a 4 on the delightful scale.

Wine Tasting: Courege Longue Buzet

Name: Courege Longue Buzet

Variety: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon 

Country: France

Region: Buzet Country

Year: 2011

Price: $16.95

Review: Displays deep blackberry, cassis, smoked meat, pepper and our signature sage spice.  The silky finish lingers from the ripe tannins with a touch of smoky oak. 

My Review: The sniffy sniff definitely had more of a peppery, spicey smell.  It was very smooth and silky, with a nice oaky finish.  I would certainly recommend this wine to family and friends.   

Wine Tasting: Cherry Cove Pinot Noir

Name: Cherry Cove Pinot Noir
Variety: Pinot Noir
Country: U.S.
Region: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Year: 2011
Price: $17.95
Review: The ruby color of this wine suggests classic Pinot as the nose opens with fresh lavender and plum jam.  Across the palate are vibrant tones, from explosive red cherry on entry to the lush strawberry on the lively mid-palate.  Lingering floral tones hang just for a moment and carry through the soft finish.
My Review: I detected a very fruity nose on this wine.  This is also true with the flavors, exploding with cherry and other berries.  Its soft finish provides for a very mild, refreshing experience.   

Wine Tasting: gPG Gargenega/Pinot Grigio

Name: gPG Gargenega/Pinot Grigio

Variety: Gargenega/Pinot Grigio

Country: Italy

Region: N/A

Year: 2010

Price: $8.95
Review: A blend of two of Italy's best white wine grapes: Pinot Grigio and Gargenega.  The Grigio brings crisp apple and melon fruit to the party while the Gargenega serves up a creamy texture and a hint of toasted nuts.  It's super refreshing, easy to drink, and pretty darn delicious, all at a terrific value price.
My Review: A very crisp, fruity sniffy sniff.  A creamy white wine, yet a little less sweet than other whites I have tasted.  I'd give it an 8.5 on the delightful scale.

Wine Tasting: Delaunay Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Delaunay Sauvignon Blanc                                  

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Loire Valley
Country: France
Year: 2013
Price: $11.95
Review: Sauvignon Blanc from France's Loire Valley are wonderfully aromatic and bursting with minerality and freshness.  Thierry Delaunay harnasses these characteristics magnificently in their Sauvignon Blanc from the Touraine sub-region that borders Vouvray.  Clay and gravelly soils help give this great Sauvignon its zest and complexity.
My Review:  The nose of this great wine was very explosive.  The taste was very earthy, and I tasted a very faint, refreshing fruitiness also.

Wine Tasting: Fattori Runcaris Soave

Name: Fattori Runcaris Soave 2010

Variety: White wine variety 

Region: Europe

Country: Italy 

Year: 2010

Price: $7.95

Wine Review: From the local Italian word for "to work the soil," Runcaris represents an easy, fresh expression of Soave Classico with lingering aromas of citrus, yellow rose, honey, jasmine and dried herbs.

My Review: I detected and crisp, fresh, candy apple aroma in the sniffy sniff.  This wine had a notable heat, but was complemented well by the sweetness and honey flavor.   

Wine Tasting: Baumann Gentil Classiq

Name: Baumann Gentil Classiq                                     

Variety: Blended White Wine

Region: Europe

Country: France

Year: 2012

Price: $9.95

Wine Review: A delicious and fresh blend of Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Gris. Light aromas of fresh fruit and delicate white flowers start your journey, followed by crisp flavors of stone and citrus fruit. A well balanced acidity on the dry finish ends this french blend beautifully. 

My Review:  A very crisp and refreshing sniffy sniff.  A very nice and not too dry finish.  These varieties complement each other well, providing for a very pleasurable drinking experience.  

Wine Tasting: Champteloup Pinot Noir

Name: Champteloup Pinot Noir

Variety: Pinot Noir

Region: Loire Valley

Country: France

Year: 2011

Price: $7.95

Wine Review: In the heart of France's Loire River Valley lies the Touraine wine region. Although it produces vast amounts of well-priced, fresh, mostly white wines, lovely reds like this are broadening Touraine's appeal this wine may seem familiar to you. It is a sibling of the Touraine Sauvignon Blanc we've offered for years. Serge de Bucy employs a light touch in his winemaking, using no wood and doing as little as possible to preserve freshness. Bright cherry and strawberry fruits are followed by a soft, smooth palate.

My Review:  This wine is very fruity, almost as much as a white wine.  I get a red berry taste, complemented by its smooth palate and slight sweetness.  This was a very classy little wine.  

Wine Tasting: Neu Direction Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Neu Direction Cabernet Sauvignon

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: South America

Country: Argentina 

Year: 2010

Price: $7.95

Wine Review: This Cabernet Sauvignon shows very good purity of fruit and skillful winemaking. This wine is full of black-fruit aromas, depth and style. The palate pushes ripe plum and berry fruit along with chocolate, and the finish is chewy and correct in terms of tannins and structure.

My Review: In the nose, I detected a bit of pepper and spice.  Like many reds, this wine was on the bitter side.  It wasn't too dry and had a pretty decent finish.  

Wine Tasting: Sonnenband Moscato

Name: Sonnenband Moscato Magnum                                  

               

Variety: Moscato Magnum

Region: Europe

Country: Spain

Year: Unknown

Price: $9.95

Wine Review: This wine is intricate with the delicate perfumes of white flower blossoms, profound tropical fruit sweetness, and energized by citrus nectars. 

My Review:  This is a very sweet Moscato.  It was a very smooth wine with a very citrusy nose.  I got a lot of lemon and lime in the sniffy sniff.