Tasting - Maipe Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

The last wine of today's tasting was the Maipe Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 from Argentina, which is priced at $19, but on sale for $14.95. I was pretty excited for this wine after the man pouring my wine told me he thought this would fit my preferences a little better with the fruitiness it brought.

On the tasting sheet, the following review was given by The Vintage Cellar:
"The 2013 Maipe Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, primarily aged 12 months in French oak. This lush wine is a terrific value in Cabernet Sauvignon. Its deep ruby color is accompanied by uncomplicated notes of black currants, licorice and a touch of vanilla. Medium-bodied, straightforward, delicious and surprisingly concentrated for a wine in this price range, it should drink well for 3-6 years. It is not easy to find Cabernet Sauvignon for under $25 a bottle at this quality level, but this 2013 delivers." 

The man pouring my wine was spot on - upon first scent, I knew I liked this miles beyond the last two. The scent was fruity and brought out hints of cherry and raspberry followed by a strong scent of black licorice. The presence of the fruit was brought through into the taste, which I really enjoyed. While the feel was definitely a bit dry, the fruit flavors really did it for me. There was a strong taste of cherry, raisins, black currant and a small trace of sweetness, which I noted was similar to a subtle amount of honey.

I personally thought that this wine was really balanced by the fruit and sweetness complementing the tannins. In the future, I could see myself purchasing this to pair with heavier foods such as steak or red meats.

Tasting - Costera Cannonau di Sardegna 2013

I'd be lying if I said I was even remotely looking forward to the second red wine after just finishing such a strong red prior to this, but it was now time for the fourth wine of the tasting - the Costera Cannonau di Sardegna 2013 from Sardinia, Italy priced at $17.95.

The following review from Wine Advocate, along with a 90 point rating was provided by The Vintage Cellar:
"The 2013 Cannonau di Sardegna Costera hits all the right buttons. This is a steady and well presented red wine from the heart of the Mediterranean. It shows a high level of confidence and boldness with big, black cherry aromas followed by more subtle nuances of spice, tobacco and freshly milled black pepper. Although the wine tastes very dry, it is not without its softness and plushness in terms of texture." 

First scent and already not a fan - woah the alcohol smell was present in this one. Aside from the heat of alcohol and a tart scent to follow, I really didn't get much from the nose. In terms of tasting, I immediately noted that this was a spicy wine and had a strong presence of pepper. There were tastes of cherry that came through in the middle and finish, which I enjoyed, but I found that the dryness of this wine killed it.

From my perspective, I didn't find this wine to be great. Initially, I found that I was surprised by enjoying the flavor that this wine brought forward, but couldn't seem to get past the immense dryness it left in my mouth.

Tasting - Palacio del Burgo Rioja Reserva 2008

The third wine of the day was the Palacio del Burgo Rioja Reserva 2008 from Rioja, Spain. This was the first red of the tasting and was priced originally at $20, but at a sale price of $13.95. 

The Vintage Cellar listed the following review by Stephen Tanzer:

"85% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha and 5% Mazuelo: Bright ruby. Spicy red fruits and coconut on the nose and palate. Fleshy and sweet in the middle, then nicely energetic in the finish, showing good punch."

The very first thing that came to mind when this was poured for me was some major coconut oil scents. It reminded me of the smell of a pan after frying something in coconut oil and it was strong. I also noticed scents of black pepper on the nose. For the tasting, I immediately noted that this was a dry red wine. It gave me a very dusty feel on the mouth and really dried my mouth out as I swished it around. After getting past my dislike for the feel, I found that this wine was pretty hot on the taste and appeared to have a strong presence of alcohol. There was little fruit flavor that came through the heat, which I noted to be a dark cherry taste. 

Overall, this was definitely not my cup of tea. It was dry, hot and had little traces of fruit and sweetness (all things that I don't enjoy in a wine). While I know that I didn't enjoy it because of my personal preferences, I have to note that it scored pretty well on almost every review I found online. 

Tasting - Chateau des Perligues Graves 2011

The second wine of the tasting was the Chateau des Perligues Graves 2011 from the Graves region of Bordeaux, priced normally at $18, but on sale for $11.95. 

The Vintage Cellar gave the following review:

"This vineyard sits along the banks of the Garonne River and benefits from the temperate micro climate producing a classic white Graves of extraordinary quality at a very reasonable price. 60% Semillon, 40% Sauvignon Blanc. Brilliant gold color, elegant and racy, with white floral aromas. This wine compares well with white Graves at twice the price."

My first note taken on this wine was in regards to the smell - it was amazing on the nose. I found scents of apple peel and white grape juice with a nice balanced sweetness. I'm really into fruity wines, so I loved how fruit forward this was on the nose. After tasting it I noted that the white grape juice scent was also found in the taste with a good amount of heat in the finish. There were subtle earthy flavors that I thought resembled a nutty taste as well as a bit of a creamy feel to the wine. The acidity of this wine was pretty high, but I think the creamy/buttery hints helped to balance it out.

Initially I thought I would love the taste of this wine when smelling it, but it turns out I loved the smell more than the taste. I think I might have been more fond of this wine if the heat wasn't so persistent in the finish, but with the fruity and acidic flavors, I think the alcohol content kind of killed it for me.

Tasting - Portium Cava Brut

After a nice and relaxing spring break, by Saturday I was ready for some wine. I found out that The Vintage Cellar also hosts Saturday wine tastings and figured I could get my fix there. The tastings went from 11:00am - 4:00pm, but when I arrived at 3:00pm, they had stopped pouring some things and switched some things out.

After waiting in no line at all (sweet perk of Blacksburg on break), I went straight to tasting. The first wine up was the Portium Cava Brut from Catalonia Spain. I couldn't find a vintage year for this wine anywhere, including looking at the bottle and then doing some online searches. This Cava is a blend of Xarel-lo, Macabeu, Parellada and Chardonnay and comes in at around the $10 price point. 

The Vintage Cellar tasting sheet provided the following review:

"Cava is always a good value, but you'll look long and hard to find any sub-$10 sparkling wine that's this good. It's a blend of traditional Cava varietals - Xarel-lo, Macabeu, Parellada - with 30% Chardonnay and fermented in a bottle, just like Champagne. It's rich, yeasty, showing off caramelized apricot flavors, fine bubbles, and finishing zesty and dry." 

With this wine, I definitely got a strong citrus and acidic scent that came across almost instantly. I knew right away that this wine would be very acidic and noted hints of orange peel on the nose. For the taste, I confirmed my prediction that this would be high in acid, but felt the acid was toned down a bit with the bubbles in the wine. I tasted flavors of peach, honey and grapefruit and really enjoyed the way they integrated with the carbonation.

Overall, I enjoyed this wine and noted that it may be something I buy in the future in place of champagne, as I'm not huge on dry feels in wine. 

Tasting - Dona Sol Shiraz, Petite Syrah & Symphony

The last wine of today's tasting was the Dona Sol Shiraz, Petite Syrah & Symphony from California. I wish I would've looked closer at the bottle while I was in the store because there is nothing in the online documents providing the year and I don't want to guess and get it wrong. This wine was $6.95 and for the awesome wine class, even cheaper with the 10% discount. 

The review from The Vintage Cellar was listed as:

"Velvety smooth texture just like its name. Soft tannins and lush dark fruit character. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah bring backbone and character, while the Merlot balances out the blend for a soft, smooth texture."

First sniff and I was already pleased. After the Velvet Crush with the insane tannins, the sweet cherry scent from this brought a smile to my face. On the nose I got a cereal scent, maybe a Special K with Red Berries and a strong resemblance to the little Ocean Spray dried Craisins. With the tasting I also noted some great sweetness, although there also was a warm finish. As cliche as it sounds, this really tasted like grapes to me, specifically dark red grapes. There were also clear hints of dark fruits including cherry, prune and black currant. I noted that this wine had lower tannins than I'm used to with a wine that appeared this dark, which was a bonus in my book. Additionally, I believe that the sweetness that I got from the taste was more of a honey scent. Overall, I was pretty pleased with this wine. It was complex and had a lot of flavors, but was smooth and sweet with a relatively low amount of alcohol. I think that if I were to pair this wine with a food it would be something I'd pair with a semi sweet dessert to complement the residual sugar in this wine. 

Tasting - Velvet Crush Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon & Petit Sirah 2012

The fourth wine was this Velvet Crush Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Sirah 2012. This was the second wine from California and is originally priced at $18, but was on sale for $6.95, which is a pretty awesome sale price. I started this tasting with high expectations after hearing the two girls beside me raving about it. 

The Vintage Cellar listed the following review:

"Velvety smooth texture just like its name. Soft tannins and lush dark fruit character. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah bring backbone and character, while the Merlot balances out the blend for a soft, smooth texture."

Again, I was pretty excited for this wine not only because of the girls talking about it, but also because I haven't had much experience with blends like this. On the nose this had a strong fruity scent that came across strong on the blackberry and a little hot on the nose. From a tasting perspective, I got a strong spice with this and noticed some serious tannins. There was a clear taste of black pepper and the wine was hot on the finish. It was definitely darker than I prefer my wines. Overall, I was a bit disappointed because this didn't appeal to my taste preferences at all. I think I might not have been so disappointed if I didn't have such high expectations going into it, but it's a free tasting, so I can't complain too much. I didn't have this with food and probably won't have it with food in the future, but if I had to pair it with food I would definitely pair it with something heavy and high in fat to help calm the heavy tannins.