Varietal: Pinot Grigio
Region: N/A
Country: Italy
Year: 2009
Price: $5.95
"Vintage Cellar" Review: "Pale straw-yellow color with brilliant reflections. Delicately fruity bouquet, with outstanding finesse and marked hints of almond blossom and peaches. Elegant, soft and well-structured fruit on the palate, with remarkable freshness and a clean, persistent aftertaste."
My Review: Wow. This wine is a ridiculous deal. The bottle is huge at about 1.5 liters and it's only $5.95! You must be thinking - this is going to be a terrible wine. Nope! It was actually very nice! It had some chardonnay qualities on the nose, which I sometimes find with pinot grios. It was medium to full bodied but it didn't feel heavy making it very easy to drink. Great fruitiness gave it a nice sweetness. We picked up a bottle of this baby!
Tasting #2: Estrella Chardonnay
Varietal: Chardonnay
Region: Napa, California
Country: United States
Year: 2010
Price: $5.95
"Vintage Cellar" Review: "Intensely flavored and balanced with layers of vanilla, butter, pear, followed by apple, banana, and oak."
My Review: Without even looking at the description, the first thing I wrote down for this wine was "banana on the nose." It wasn't overwhelming but definitely noticeable for me. I have never experienced that in a wine so it was a little odd. I didn't actually pick up much of the banana on the palate, however. I did taste the vanilla. It was very different than any chardonnay I've had before, that's for sure!
Tasting #3: San Elias Carmenere
Varietal: Carmenere
Region: N/A
Country: Chile
Year: 2010
Price: $5.95
"Vintage Cellar" Review: "The grapes for this Carmenere are selected from vineyards in the Central Valley. Beautiful red fruit aromas. Supple and round in the mouth, the wine pairs well with full flavored cheeses and lamb."
My Review: This was my first experience (and the first time I had even heard of) Carmenere. It was very different. To me, it had smoke and vanilla really coming across on the nose. However, in the palate, it had flavors of pepper, sweet vanilla-y flavor, and a very vegetal quality coming across. My boyfriend said he could taste green peppers. I didn't get that, but it definitely had a very distinct quality to it.
Tasting #4: Col Des Vents Corbieres
Varietal: Carnigan, Grenache, Syrah
Region: N/A
Country: France
Year: 2009
Price: $7.95
"Vintage Cellar" Review: "50% Carignan, 35% Grenache, 15% Syrah. Brambly berry, cherry, and raspberry, spice, black pepper...all are present in this authentic French country wine."
My Review: Something about this wine made me want to smack my lips and tongue like you do when you drink grape juice. My guess is that would be the tannins talking? I'm not sure. This wine was pungent and bitter for me. I didn't have too much else to pick out or say about it. Maybe it's the grenache in it (which I have not liked in the past)?
Tasting #5: Peter Mertes Liebfraumilch Rheinhessen Qualitatswein
Varietal: Liebfraumilch
Region: Rheinhessen
Country: Germany
Year: 2009
Price: $5.95
"Vintage Cellar" Review: "Liebfraumilch is a soft, delicate wine of the Rheinhessen and Palatinate districts. The original wine was named after the Liebfraumilch monastery in Worms, where the monks were the first wine growers and produced an unusually pleasing wine. Wines of the Rheinhessen and Palatinate are noted for their aroma, well-balanced harmony, and fragrance. Liebfraumilch, as all excellent white wines is best served chilled. We suggest serving with cold entrees, as well as poultry, such as chicken or turkey, or even with a mild Cheddar, mellow and slightly nutty with a medium consistency."
My Review: This was another first for me. It was actually quite nice! This wine had a really gorgeous fruity bouquet on the nose. It was filled with so much fruitiness, I couldn't even distinguish which ones were in it! It reminded me a lot of the way a Moscato or sweet Riesling hits your nose. That just super in-your-face smell. However, unlike those two (which I do not prefer), this did not taste sweet on the palate. The fruit played itself out in a much more complex and almost dry way. It was really interesting! We picked up a couple of these puppies too!
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