Tasting-Vintage Cellar Thursday 2/26/15

I did not have a chance to upload my blog from the Vintage Cellar Thursday Wine tastings last week (free wine tasting and all for $10, I was hoping I would find something good!) February 26, I've put all 5 together for easy reading.

Mars & Venus
Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Regular Price $10 Sale $5.95
La Mancha, Spain

Cellar Notes: Citrus and gooseberry aromas are mild but typical of the variety. A basic citrus palate delivers modest tangerine and nectarine flavors which lead to a mild, pithy finish showing light citric notes.

My notes: Immediately I could smell the apricot, it was light and not overpowering. The feeling overall was very light, what I would expect from a Sauvignon Blanc. It had a good fruity component but outside of that I was not impressed, there was not a lot. Maybe it would be better in the summer and being nice and cold. It was okay. 

Takutai

Pinot Gris 2009

Regular Price $21 Sale

$6.95

Nelson, New Zealand

Cellar Notes: Since this wine weighs in at 14%, the fruit was clearly very ripe. That ripeness is reflected in the flavors as well, which feature nectarine and honey accented by hints of white pepper. It’s full bodied and lush, with a long finish that mingles the sensations of sweet and spicy.

My notes: The smell was rotten and there was no taste. That is all I have to say. For obvious reasons smell really sets me off and will ruin a wine for me. So maybe there was full body and a hint of spice, but honstly after I smelled it and hated it, so the rest just didn't matter. 

Yellowtail Reserve

Merlot 2010

Regular Price $12 Sale

$6.95

South Eastern, Australia

Cellar Notes: Round, velvety and mouthfilling, this is a satisfying Merlot at a bargain price. Aromas of black cherries and herbs fold in hints of cinnamon and mocha, while the flavors are generally fruity, but with a slightly tomatoey note. Soft on the finish. Drink now. 

 

My notes: We all know the stigma with Yellowtail, so I was surprised it was on the tasting list, but I stayed open minded. Right away I noticed a delicious chocolate covered fruit smell, which I've noticed I like in wine (which does not surprise me). Honestly I loved it, the black cherries were noticable, very smooth with a great body. I loved it, which I was very surprised. Especially for that price, it's great. Reserve changes a lot. 

Crane Lake

Petite Sirah 2013

$5.95

California, USA

Cellar Notes: Shows a certain rustic simplicity now, with youthfully jammy flavors of blackberries, cherries and currants, sprinkled with cocoa and pepper and wrapped into dusty tannins.

My notes: I don't think I have eer had a petite sirah, but it a had a caramel smell, it was sweet very sweet. With a candied fruit or dried cranberries taste and it was just too sweet for me. It tasted almost fake, I was not excited by the candied taste, if it had more fruit body and real taste, I may enjoy it more. This is what I expect from a desert wine, so maybe I would enjoy it at the end of the night. 

Crane Lake

Riesling 2013

$5.95

California, USA

Cellar Notes: Punchy lime and lemon mark this off-dry Riesling with a staccato rhythm, adding edge to honeyed tones of peach and honeysuckle. Exceptionally priced, it’s satisfying and elegant.

My notes: It seemed like almost a desert wine, which was definitely how the pourer described to be and that was all I could taste. Similar to a Orange Muscat, I smelled a sweet orange. It had an almost carbonated feel to it. What surprised me though, was that it was not a sweet as I was expecting. It had the feel and the smell which reminded me of a desert wine but was not one. It was smooth and ended well, I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed. Still too sweet but dryer than expected. 

UPDATE-TASTING Hokie Bird Red

So last week I had a blog about Hokie Bird Red (which I actually liked). I haven't had a chance to have it since, so I opened it again tonight.

DEFINITELY better with a week and half airrating. First off the color alone had changed significantly. The red which I noted, had a ruby light, see through color. Today it had a deeper, more what you would expect from a more full body red. The smell is all chocolate. Like a choclate covered blackberry or choclate blackberry truffle. Maybe a slight hint of licorice as well. Great start right there.
The taste was much better than the first time, which I enjoyed. Overall it was smooth, with more distinct flavors. To be expected after aging, the alochol taste is way down, same with the acid. The blackberry is coming out, there is subtle apple and then slight pear on the mid palate. Overall fruiter. Later on there is a slight metalic taste (maybe from the barrells used?)

The chocolate smell and slight taste comes out even more when eaten with some left over Valentine's Day chocolate.

So Hokie Red- better the second time around with a week after opening it.

Tasting- Borsao Rosé

Borsao Rosé
-100% Grenache
-Aragon
-Spain
-2013
-$8.99

http://bodegasborsao.com/borsao-rosado-seleccion-5/

Characteristics of the vineyard:Vineyards with an age of 10 to 25 years. The soils are stony and slimy with clay and limestone.

Elaboration: Criomaceration during 6-12 hours and then bleeding-off. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of between 14º-18º C.

Tasting notes: Red luminescent colour with warm glows. Has a strong aroma of berries and sweets. Very young and fresh in the mouth, well balanced with its acidity, rich in floral nuances and spices.

Drinking temperature: 12ºC.

My Notes: 

I did not start my Friday night thinking I would be sampling any wines but when we started (notice this was the beginning on the night so the tasting was not ruined) the night at Bourdreax to celebrate a friend's recent good news, bottles of wine were brought. Naturally, when my friend told me he had just bought a bottle of Dry Rose I was intrigued. And the best part of this class is now every chance I have to sample, I do. I have actually never had Rose, due to being told it is way too sweet and it is never in my house. So I sampled.

The smell was just a blast of flowers (which after researching I learned it is unoaked, cool my first Rose and my first naked wine!) Then the smell turned into a citrus smell which I actually liked. The taste though it was very intriguing, it was strawberries, but not a super sweet strawberry. Very dry. It almost had a carbonation feel to it, without the actual bubbles. It's hard to say I tasted carbonation but something made me think it should be carbonated. My friend mentioned he could taste the acid of a red but the tannis of a white. Which made perfect sense to me after he said that, it was truly a good combination of red and white. Towards the end of the glass, I noticed a plum smell over the strawberry. It was given a high score on a lot of review sites which I did not agree with it. It was good but not great. 

Tasting-Hokiebird Red

Hokiebird Red 
-Chateau Morrisette-Meadows of Dan
-Virginia, USA
-unknown year
-$12.99 

http://www.thedogs.com/wine/red-wines/hokie-bird-red.html

Hokie Bird Red and Hokie Bird White, the officially licensed wines of Virginia Tech, were released on September 9, 2004. Virginia Tech's long standing involvement in enology and viticulture research programs and the university's commitment to improving the overall quality and scope of the Commonwealth's wine industry, makes the partnership with Chateau Morrisette® a natural fit. As with any officially licensed product, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of all of Chateau Morrisette's Hokie White and Hokie Red is contributed to the general scholarship fund at Virginia Tech. Chateau Morrisette® is proud to offer these signature wines to Virginia Tech supporters, alumni and friends.

About This Wine

A unique blend of Chambourcin, Cabernet, Merlot and Petit Verdot produces this exceptionally smooth off-dry red wine. Its appealing spicy character and medium body enhance many dishes as well as light hors d’oeuvres. It’s obviously well bred!

Tasting Attributes

Aroma: Fruity. Palate: Berries, subtle spices. Finish: Smooth. Off-dry, medium-bodied. Chambourcin, Cabernet, Merlot.

My notes: 

I received this wine as a gift for Christmas and as true Hokie, naturally I was very excited. It's in stores all over Blacksburg and looking at the label, it appears like it would not be a great wine. No year, no grape variety mentioned and certainitly pretty basic. What was interesting, just looking at the bottle, there was not punt on the bottom of the bottle. I'm not exactly sure what to make of that, since its a cheaper red, but it still seemed interesting. 

The color on first pour was very light, a light ruby color. It seemed too light to be a cabernet or merlot. The smell was at first alcohol and then it was flowery, maybe rose and then Earthy. The final smell before the taste I noticed apricot and that became all I could smell. On taste it was dry but very fruity. It was noticable that it was from the United States because it was very fruity. There were blackberries and citrus. The apricot I smelled became a taste which I really liked. It was a very smooth wine and the spice that it mentioned on the back of the label came out in the mid palate. Honestly there was not a lot of earthy flavors, which was surprising and I really struggled trying to figure out what type of grapes were in it. I was surprised to read it was Merlot and Cabernet. 

Overall a better wine than I was expecting. 

Tasting- St. Clement Chardonnay

St. Clement Vineyard Chardonnay 
-Chardonnay
-Carneros, Nappa Valley
-California, USA 
-2012
-$23.99...on sale for $16.99

The Winery notes: 
Enticing aromas of red apple and honeysuckle. On the palate, vanilla cream soda mingle with tropical fruit flavorsand notes of cantaloupe. This finishes with bright acidity.

Vivino App Ratings were overall 3.5 stars and people said it was a good Nappa Wine








My Notes: 

I was excited about this wine because I bought it with the Merlot I previously blog

ged about.  Gormet Pantry had some solid wines, on massive sales, so I thought this was steal. Especially since the Merlot was fantastic! 

However, after reading the notes from the winery about this wine...I did not smell or taste any of that. At first smell from pour, it was the oddest smell coming from a wine I have ever smelled and my parents drink a lot of wine. Honestly the only word to describe the smell of this wine is funky. There were earthy smells, old fruit maybe and almost molding. 
The smell screwed up the tasting all together because I wanted nothing to do with the wine. The first thing was the alcohol was very strong on the first taste, too strong. It was very dry and I could not taste anything. It had almost no taste. 

Honestly I have never hated a wine, as much as I hated this wine. 

After letting it airrate, I started to taste some of the different tastes, St. Clement was discussing. The tropical fruit, definitely and citrus. It had a lot going on. It went from nothing to a lot going on after only a couple of tastes. 

So after a second tasting, I thought I could give it a chance and then one more taste and I still hated it.
I paid way too much for this wine and now I wasted my money.