Name: Chateau les Tuileries Bordeaux Blanc
Variety: 15% Semillon/ 85% Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Bordeaux
Country: France
Year: NV
Price: $12.95
Winery Review: From the Bordeaux Blanc heartland of Entre-Deux-Mers Chateau Tuileries Blanc is a fantastic entry level white Bordeaux. Crisp with boysenberry fruit note rounded out by notes of honeydew and white flowers. - Vintage
Cellar 3/30/2013
My Review: Not a bad example of a Bordeaux Blanc; it was very light and freshreshing with strong green apple flavor. This wine has a floral aspect to it that enhances its refreshing effect. Over all I consider Chateau les Tuileries' wine enjoyable.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Caprice de Bastor-Lamontagne
Variety: 60% Semillon/36% Sauvignon Blanc/4% Muscadelle
Region: Sauternes
Country: France
Year: 2004
Price: $7.95
Winery Review: Very clean, with lemon, mineral and honey aromas that follows through to a medium body. Shows vanilla, apple and melon flavors, with a medium finish. Lightly sweet. - Vintage
Cellar 4/11/2013
My Review: It was hard for me to taste this wine because the preceeding wine was extremely smokey. What I was able to detect was a strong citrus component. Caprice was extremely sweet tasting of honey supported by a bitter, acidic finish. It was okay.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Torre Castillo Alegre
Variety: Monastrell
Region: Jumilla
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $9.95
Winery Review: 4 months in new American oak barrels. Bright ruby-red. Dried cherry, pipe tobacco and rose aromas with a hint of woodsmoke. Sweet and fleshy on the palate, with blackberry and cherry flavors complimented by licorice and a suggestion of dried herbs. The cherry and smoke notes repeat on the finish. - Vintage
Cellar 4/11/2013
My Review: I think I finally understand what the "Oak Monster" is mentioned on Wine Library TV! This wine is incredibly dirty and smokey. It smells like over cooked mashed green vegetables, licorice and cherry. On the tongue the smokiness gets even stronger, it was hard to clear my palate afterwards to taste the following wine. It was a very interesting wine, not one of my favorite. To summarize it has a very strong licorice aroma on the nose, and smokey taste... like inhaling smoke!
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Wilson Daniels
Variety: Merlot
Region: Central Coast, California
Country: United States
Year: 2010
Price: $7.95
Winery Review: Made predominately from Paso Robles grapes, the wine is full-bodied and silky yet robust with aromas of black cherry and plum and a palate of blackberry, raspberry and blueberry jam laced with vanilla and toast. - Vintage
Cellar 4/11/2013
My Review: Dark ruby in color, this wine has an interesting warm aroma. For me it was hard to detect the level of fruitiness expressed in the tasting notes, but I noticed aromas of blackcherry and plum. I also enjoyed the sensation it created on my tongue; it was hot with nice tannins. Not my favorite wine, but not too bad.
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Bricco Dei Tati Rose
Variety: Barbera
Region: Piedmont
Country: Italy
Year: 2012
Price: $6.95
Winery Review: Fresh with aromas of strawberries, cherries, and rose petals, this is an ideal wine with shellfish, salads, chicken, and appetizers. - Vintage
Cellar 4/11/2013
My Review: Made of 100% Barbera, this wine has one of the most beautiful aromas I have even smelled in both wines and perfumes. It is beautifully floral with hints of rose and the fruitiness of strawberries to spruce it up. On the tongue it has a nice combination of acid, and a light sweetness. I would love to spend more time enjoying this wine!
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Name: Smoking Loon
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2009
Price: $7.95
Winery Review: This bleached blonde beauty is reminiscent of fresh green apples, pineapple and has hints of hibiscus blossoms. The concentration of zesty lemon and gooseberry fills your mouth leaving notes of thyme and melon behind. The bright acid in this wine gives you a zing while the fruit keeps your mouth watering for more. This wine pairs beautifully with a grilled prawn salad with a grapefruit vinaigrette, veggie spring rolls or grilled tilapia with mango salsa. - Vintage
Cellar 4/11/2013
My Review: A very bright and refreshing wine in both color and taste. It was strong in green apples flavor, with a tropical aspect of citrus and pineapple. I really enjoyed how this wine felt in my mouth, it was tangy and mildly sweet with a prominent bitter backbone. I haven't been a fan of white wines recently and this one impressed me!
Food: I did not try this wine with food.
Zeppoli's Wine Dinner
I attended a Zepoli's wine dinner whose theme was "The Big Varietals", hosted by Matthew Burch. Zeppoli's provided a buffet style meal with an assortment of food and nine different wines to taste.
The food included:
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Greek salad
- Cheese ravioli
- Assorted cheeses
- Cheese bread
- Bread and dip
- Cake (vanilla and chocolate)
During the dinner, the host poured samples of a variety of white, red, and dessert wines to try as the dinner progressed. As we ate and drank, the host gave descriptions of each wine as well as pairing recommendations. He took the time to give further wine information on bottling and opening techniques. As we ate, we took tasting and wine pairing notes.
White Wines
- Torre di Luna 2011 Pinot Grigio IGT Italy
- Has a very pale, golden color. Very fruity, fresh, and tart with a mildly dry/sweet edge. Yum, I was definitely a fan!
- Sierra Cruz 2011 Savignon Blanc Maule Valley, Chile
- Very light in color with floral and citrus aromas. This wine was sweet, but with a slightly acidic aspect that gave back bone to the wine. I tried this wine with the cheese bread and it became a lot more fruitty. The food brought a lot out of the wine!
- Hope Estates 2009 Chardonnay Hunter Valley, Australia
- This was one of my favorite wines tried during this dinner. This Chardonnay was yellow in color, smooth and light on the tongue, with a long finish. It was very sweet, but backed by a bit of acid. I tried it with with the cheese ravioli and noticed the combination brought the acidity out of the wine.
Red Wines
- Coastal Vines 2010 Pinot Noir Sonoma, California
- Yum, I loved with wine. It has a beautiful ruby color encompassing warm notes of blackberry and cherry. It also had a warm, syrupy, vanilla, spicy edge that made it inviting and enjoyable. This Pinot Noir was sweet, but also has an acidic backbone.
- Kenwood 2010 "Yulupa" Merlot California
- Very warm wine with spicy edge. I was able to detect the spiciness of the clove, as well as hints of cherry and plum. This wine was oddly light on the tongue compared to its aroma, and a little dry. I wasn't that big of a fan of it.
- Gen 5 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Lodi, California
- Big fan of this wine. It was a beautiful plum color with a warm, blackberry scent. The taste was rather unique, characteristic of sweet vanilla and dark berries. To me, the wine seemed in balance since the acidity nor the sweetness stood out to me
- Oxford Landing Shiraz Australia
- Not a bad wine, wasn't too acidic to me. I was able to detect hints of blueberries, raspberries mixed with the warmness of caramel and vanilla. Dark purple to ruby in color, this Shiraz was light and refreshing on the tongue with a hint of warm spices.
Dessert Wines (served with vanilla cake)
- Famiglia Pasqua 2011 Moscato d'Asti DOCG Piedmont Italy
- On the nose this pale Moscato was very feminine and floral. It was very sugary, tasting exactly like white grape juice. I was apprehensive to try this wine with dessert being I felt the sugar may become overpowering. I was surprised to find how well this wine complimented the vanilla cake. It was not overpowering at all and made both the wine and the cake more exciting to the tongue!
- Banfi "Rosa Regale" Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG Italy
- After trying the initial dessert wine, I was excited to try another to see how it complimented the vanilla cake. This wine was salmon in color with a lot of carbonation. I was mostly able to detect a soft floral side complimented by strawberries and raspberries. I was disappointed to find how poorly it complimented the vanilla cake. It was too fruity to be paired with the sweet warmness of the vanilla.
Overall this dinner was a great experience! I really enjoyed trying a variety of wines spanning from soft, sweet and fruity to dark, spicy and tannic. This experience sparked in interest in learning how to better pair wine with foods.
