Wine Dinner #2

For this dinner, we went for a good variety of reds and whites, paired with food that would work well with them. We started with a good chianti, with a decanter (right) with a ball topper. It's used to separate out the "sediment" and helps the wine feel and look a little cleaner. Next challenge: decant with a fishbowl.

Vigneti La Selvanella Chianti Classico 2008

The "Riserva" label indicates that this Tuscan grape was aged 38 months instead of the standard 4-7.  Classico Chiantis are premium varietals with characteristic full-bodied tannins and high acidity, from the Classico subregion, bearing an iconic black rooster seal.

Smell: dark plums, raspberry. Dark as sin
Taste:  balanced tannins, good expansion of taste that covers the bread and cheese very well. Especially good with pasta/meatballs (below), mixing well with the balsamic vinegar to give a compact, whole, and fruity taste.
Verdict: 3.5/5

Gen5 Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

In California's central valley, the upstart Lodi Valley is considered by many wine and viticulture experts to be the next Napa. That's high praise.

Smell: ground pepper, spices, and a hint of fruit. very rough on the nose.
Taste: like dried apricots. much better as a desert wine; it didn't pair well with any of the foods above.
Verdict: 2/5

Lodali Moscato D'Asti 2014

From the Piemonte region in Italy, as far northwest as you can go towards the Swiss Alps. That means good opportunities for white wines with rich fruity flavor.

Smell: a little bit of petrol, with hints of pineapple and melon.

Taste: Fruity, as advertised, with a fresh bouquet aftertaste. With strawberrries and brownies, it was greatly enhanced. The brownies taste fruit-infused, and had a great melt-in-your-mouth action. The strawberries were less tart with Moscato, and felt sweeter and richer.

Verdict: 4/5

(38-42) Vintage Cellar Tasting

Terre di Poggio Laude- Peccorino 2013

Check the website for this wine out: it's one of the better looking ones, which obviously means it has better wines, right?

Smell: lemon, like a newly installed air freshener.

Taste: very good balance of crisp and dry taste, like a rich lemonade, with just the right amount of sugar. Definitely a good wine to drink alone. Not alone, like by yourself, that's a little depressing.

Verdict: 3/5

Torre Castillo Cosecha Monastrell

Cosecha is "to harvest" in Spanish, a fitting description. With this on the label, at least 85% of grapes must come from the Monastrell grape. Lucky for them, it's 100% Monastrell.

Smell: spicy, with licorice and black cherries

Taste: Nice and smooth on the way down. Good body, but pretty limited in taste: dark blueberry/berry, which is a broken record with these reds.

Verdict: 3/5











Chateau Suau Bordeaux Rose 2013

Chateaux in France are the lifeblood of the country's wine industry. This one is 10% Cab Sav. Trying the abbreviations here.

Smell: orange and melon, but very fresh. cool how that works.

Taste: leans towards fruit juice at first, but levels off with a great finish. All the orange, melon, and pear you'd expect, and this is good to drink by itself.

Verdict: 3.5/5

















Tres Ojos Garnacha Calatayud 2012

Guess how many grapes are in this blended wine? The Spanish tempranillo is one of them, with the titular Garnacha as well. I buy these Spanish ones just because they're fun to say sometimes.

Smell: Cherry on the nose, and a bit like roses too.

Taste: A more complex cherry, like eating it in a spicy salad. Hard to handle on its own, though. Best paired with some grub.

Verdict: 2/5
















Hahn Piesporter Michelsburg Riesling

I think I'm in a Riesling stage right now. I had a dream where I drank some, and it was the 2nd greatest dream of my life. The 1st was meeting the cast of the Lord of the Rings. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Smell: like a flower bouquet with orange wedges in it.

Taste: like orange wedges with flowers in them. See what I did there? Perfectly sweet, great wine to have as is.

Verdict: 4/5

(30-34)

Charles Thomas Cotes-du Rhone 2013

50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre. It says on the back of the bottle that part of the vineyard in France was plowed by horses, which is pretty cool. Hopefully they clean up that stuff.

Smell: berry, with a flowery smell at the end. Nice and deep.

Taste: round, with a strong body. Very dark berries that go well with meats.


Verdict: 3/5

Grande Resereve des Bastides Gaillac 2013

50% of creamy Loin L'Oell, 30% Mauzac, and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. Mixtures all around here, which really make these wines more flavorful. Think of putting creamer and flavor shots in coffee.

Smell: freshly picked pears and apples. Very small rocks. cider. Gravy. Churches. A duck. All things that float, right?

Taste: a bit like seltzer water, but with fruity taste. Like a crisp apple hard cider.

Verdict: 3.5/5

Terre di Poggio Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Laude 2012

What a mouthful. If the bottle and label gives any hint, this is a dark one. This Southern Italy red hails from Southern Italy, or as my grandma calls it, "IT-lee."

Smell: dark aroma, like an old cigar box. Leathery, and dark plums

Taste: soft tannins, which go easy on the palate, but lots of dark fruit too. Too dark for me, like dark cherry licorice

Verdict: 2.5/5

Peter Mertes Reisling Platinum 2013

The Riesling grape is a white variety from the Rhine region of Germany. Usually relatively oakless, it's used to make dry, relatively

Smell: like a bouquet of flowers...and a fruit stand right next to it.

Taste: acidy melon and honey. like a really good sweet tea. Very good

Verdict: 4/5








Sean Minor Pinot Noir Rose Vin Gris 2013

Vin Gris has a bright salmon color, as shown. It comes from the Napa Valley, not from Sean Minor. Trust me, you don't want anything that guys try to put in a bottle.

Smell: watermelon, and a variety of berries. A bit like blueberry pie.

Taste: spicy, crisp acidity. raspberry, and way to much cherry. Doesn't do it for me.

Verdict: 2/5