Category: WIne Blog

 

Origin: Italy

Grape: 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon

Body: Medium

Year: 2010

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price point: $29

Year Reviewed: 2018

 

So who wouldn’t have picked this Grand Cru up with the bottle dated 2010 and Saint Emilion? This red Bordeaux on appearance was clear with a deep intensity of ruby in color.  I picked up some aromas of kirsch, black currant jelly, nuts, medicinal, cedar or smoke, and earth.  I truly enjoyed deciphering the flavors in this bottle as I picked up kirsch, oak, black cherry, chocolate, nutty flavors and a hint of coffee. Wow, that’s a lot so see what you pick up on the nose and on the palate.  Enjoy this wine until 2025.

Origin: Italy DOC

Grape: 50 % Cabernet Sauv, 25% Nebbiolo, 25 % Barbera

Body: Medium

Year: 2016

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price point: $14

Year Reviewed: 2018

 

I love 90+ cellar wines, so had to try this one at a wine tasting.   Of course, ending up buying a bottle.  Appearance is clean, medium intensity ruby in color.  Nose is clean with aromas of black cherry, smoky cedar, earth,   and chocolate.  I also get a hint of floral off of this wine.  I love the Nebbiolo grape, so was expecting the palate to be more of it, but since this was only 25% Nebbiolo, I picked up more of the Cab flavors.  Dry, medium acidify with high tannins.  An interesting blend, but the next day it did kind of loose its pizazz and interest.  (Guess you have to drink it all on the first day!!)    A nice long finish and I will rate the quality of this wine as very good.  Another interesting wine from 90+ cellars.

 

 

Origin: Touraine, Loire France
Grape: Chenin Blanc
Year: 2015
Alcohol: 12%
Price Point: $15.99
Year Reviewed: 2018

Just left an exciting session on French whites this week and was so pumped up about the whites from France that I had to make a chicken dish so I could pair with my Christmas gift (this wine) from a co-worker, a Vouvray from Domaine Pichot. I made some lemony Greek chicken with mild spices. Jean-Claude Pichot’s family is one of the oldest in Vouvray, with origins as viticulturists and restaurateurs dating back to 1739. These grapes are grown in rich clay soil and are hand harvested.
Appearance of this Vouvray is a clean pale lemon color. The nose is clean with a medium intensity with lemon, biscuit, lees, and floral…..possibly a white flower.
A beautiful wine on the palate. I do receive a higher acidity but a nice crisp acidity. Such a well-balanced smooth wine with a long, almost puckering finish. Quality is Outstanding!!!  Thanks to my co-worker for such a smooth and enjoyable Chenin Blanc.  France is home and famous for their Vouvray, and personally I think they are some of the most enjoyable and crowd-pleasing whites out there. For those of you who have never tried a Vouvray, you really need to!

 

Origin:: Long Grove, IL
Grape:  Seyval Blanc
Year: 2016
Alcohol: 13.2%
Price Point: $24
Year Reviewed: 2018

So yet another grape you may have never heard of… Seyval Blanc. I found this unusual wine upon visiting a winery in Long Grove, IL. Unlike many Illinois or Indiana wineries, the grapes truly are grown on his land. Seyval Blanc is a wonderful variety to grow when the growing season is short because its vines ripen early and tolerate cooler climates well.

The nose of this wine is clean and pleasant with a medium intensity of honey, apricots and peach. I also pick up some fragrant floral and just a lovely aroma to this wine. There is a light peachy salmon color to this wine which adds even uniqueness and something to talk about because it is NOT a peach or apple wine, as found in many wineries in the Great Lake States. One of the first things I noticed on the palate was some effervescence, which sparked some interesting flavors of melon, citrus, green apple and a bit of minerality. Sweetness was off dry with a high acidity, and a medium body. Trouble pinpointing exactly what I was picking up in the glass, but knew I loved it. It was tart but yet sweet with that bit of sparkling effervescence. The quality of this wine was very good. Try this grape and see what flavors arrive in your mouth. Also see my header section on Wineries, to get the location of Valentino Vineyards and take a tour

Origin: Australia (Riverina and South Eastern Australia)
Grape: Merlot
Year: Alcohol: 13.5%
Price Point: $4.99
Year Reviewed: 2018

This wine has been my favorite for years, so I thought why not include this lower priced gem on my blog. This is my guilt free price point wine, when I want a robust red with some heavy fruit flavor to hold up to fuller size dishes or my pizza or pasta nights. I also have great memories of my father and I having this wine together, as it was one of his favorite inexpensive wines. Even when he was in Assisted Living and a Nursing home, I would sneak him some so he could enjoy it.
Appearance is clear, medium ruby. On the nose there is a clean pronounced aroma. I get vegetal, clove or other spice, and vanilla. Also some sweet flower, smokiness, cedar and leather adds to the complex nose.
On the palate I do get dark fruit, cherry or plum, earthiness and ends in a black cherry flavor. A full body, dusty tannic, smooth wine for such a decent price.
Just outstanding for the price point. Yellow Tail Merlot holds its own against $10+ Merlots. If you love a heavier, luscious Merlot why not try Yellow Tail for a guilt free buy?   Love it!

 

Origin:  Portugal

Grape: A blend of Touriga Nacional and Camarate (Camarate is relatively new)

Body: Medium

Year: 2013

Alcohol: 13.5%

Price point: $12

Year Reviewed: 2018

I have enjoyed this wine previously and keep coming back to it.  It has now even been rated 91 points from Wine Enthusiast.  On the eyes this is a clear medium ruby colored wine.  With such a clean and pronounced intensity of fruit, vegetals, earth, black currant and a bit of herbal smell on the nose, this wine give you a multitude of aromas to try to decipher.  On the palate, this wine is dry, medium-high acidity, and medium tannins.  With this full body, silky mix and interesting flavors of fresh fruits such as cherry, black currant, raspberry and cranberry and then some vanilla, you also experience a long finish.  My rating is simply “outstanding.”  Try this lovely wine from Portugal, that won’t break your budget and seems like it should go for around $19.00 a bottle.

From Oddbins.com….”Camarate is a red wine grape originating from Bairrada in Portugal. This grape produces soft, subtle low acid wines which are great as a blending element with other varieties.”

Origin:  Piedmont region, Langhe sub-region, Italy

Grape:  100% Nebbiolo

Body: Medium

Year: 2014

Alcohol: 14%

Price point: $25.00

Was at a nice wine bar in Roselle, IL and wanted a great wine to complement Polenta with a mushroom sauce, so tried this Nebbiolo.  Perbacco means “goodness”  for Italians, and this Nebbiolo was a perfect complement to my food.  This wine is clear medium ruby.  On the nose, it is clean with aromas of vegetals, cloves, a bit medicinal and smells of tomatoes, mushroom and earth.  The quality was very good and there was a fair amount of tannins without a lot of acidity.

The next day the aromas on the nose were not so pronounced and did not have as much interest as the day I opened the bottle.  Compared to other Nebbiolos I have rated, this one was just average.

Origin: Southern France

Grape: 100% Cabernet Franc

Body: Medium

Year: 2016

Alcohol: 13%

Price point: $8  (guys, this is a steal for this wine)

Year Reviewed: 2018

Here we have a clean deep reddish purple wine that on the nose is clean with a fresh fruit and floral finish. I get some fresh meadow smells from it also.    On the palate this so well-blended wine just blows me away with its velvety richness.  It comes off a bit dry with medium acidity, and higher tannins.  A medium bodied wine with a long finish that gives you red berry fruit, a hint of vanilla and some minerality.  The quality of this wine for the price is simply outstanding.  Some of these grapes come from vineyards dated back from the 6^th century.  Cab Franc lovers—-you must try this exceptional wine!!!

 

 

 

Origin: Piedmont, Italy

Grape: Barbera

Body: Medium

Year: 2013

Alcohol: 14%

Price point: $10

Year Reviewed: 2018

The above wine was a great price point so I thought I would give it a try. Barbera d’Asti’s are one of the most famous wines from Italy’s Piedmont region.  It appeared as a clear medium ruby.  On the nose it was clean, medium with interesting smells of baked cherry, cranberry, kirsch, vegetal, wet leaves and a bit of forest floor.  On the palate this wine had lower acidity, lower tannins, and light to medium body.  It was off dry and I definitely tasted that tart black cherry, vegetal and mushroom tastes.  It finishes with a medium finish and a bit of medicinal flavors that linger.  Acceptable quality for the price.

 

 

 

Origin: Bourgogne (Burgundy) , France
Grape: Pinot Noir
Body: Medium
Year: 2015
Alcohol: 13%
Price point: $20
Year Reviewed: 2017
Wanted to check out a 100% Pinot Noir from France and in the glass this is clear, reddish purple.  On the nose, I get complex smells of wet leaves, cherry (maybe cherry candy), tobacco, anise, spice and a sweet flower, maybe violets.  On the palate, my first reaction was scrumptious and so well balanced with low acidity.  A bunch of flavors of cherry, strawberry and spice arose.  The taste was clean with a medium finish.  A bit light for my taste, but a beautifully constructed Pinot Noir from France.