Martilde OLTREPO PAVESE Barbera 2005 & Cycles Gladiator Central Coast Chardonnay 2005

I bought this wine at CentralBottle Wines after tasting it during one of their Thursday wine events. For a $13 bottle, this wine is extremely impressive. The beautiful label is another plus :) Antonella Tacci herself creates the artwork and produces the wines with her long-time companion and partner Raimono Lombardi. The winery Martilde is a combination of their beloved cats Martina and Matilde. This wine is a feast for the eyes, nose, and tongue!

Nose: sweet, succulent, juicy, and very creamy. Smells like yummy creme brulee and tiramesu. Juicy, with notes of cherry, warm spices, and delicious milk chocolate

Tongue: ultra smooth, robust - can hold down pretty much anything (except maybe raw steak), flavors of the forest and wet earth. Full bodied, bold, and spicy.

Price: $13

Rating: 4.5/5

I'd like to think that I'm a fairly open-minded person and would hate to call myself an ABC (no not American Born Chinese, but Anything But Chardonnay). I have never tasted a California Chardonnay that I liked, but I love Chablis (basically a French Chardonnay, which is mostly unoaked). So I thought that my dislike of Cali Chards might be because of their heavy oaking. This Gladiator Chardonnay boasts of a "subtle use of oak". Besides, the label is gorgeous. I thought I would give it a try. The result? Well, maybe I am an ABC after all...

Nose: toasty, light, with notes of kiwi, honeydew, and pear. Crisp

Tongue: shallow, short finish. I didn't detect any oakiness. Notes of honeysuckle. Stemmy, acidic, slightly aggressive

Price: $10

Rating: 2.8/5

Argento Malbec 2008 & Tolaini Valdisanti Toscana 2005

Had this wine during my Malbec phase last year. I got it from the University Wine Store in Cambridge as a recommendation from their very rude wine seller, and made a mental note to never go there again.  At $12 a pop, I thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. It was a average-tasting Malbec when I first opened, nothing special. However, the wine does not keep at all. The second day after opening it stunk of rotten meat. It goes without saying that it did not taste all that great either. Nope...not going to go to University Wine Store or consult their wine seller or buy Agento Malbec ever again...

Nose: heady fumes of rotten meat, raisins, berry

Tongue: slightly spicy, offensively acidic, raw, muddy, tastes almost like stomach acid. Medium finish.

Rating: 1.5/5

Price: $12

The 2005 Tolaini Valdisanti was as good as the Argento Malbec was bad. Kuddos to my friend Helen for getting it as a recommendation from a very nice and knowledgeable wine seller downtown.

The Valdisanti is a masterful blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese, and 5% Cabernet Franc from the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany. A red Super Tuscan! I have been wanting to try the Super Tuscan wines everyone is raving about for a while, so I opened the bottle with giddy anticipation. The wine did not disappoint. It smelled like yummy desert and was succulent and full in the mouth (though a tad too tannic).  Goes great with bloody red meats on a cold wintry day. Going down in the books as one of my faves :)

Nose: very aromatic, with notes of vanilla, tiramisu, and cashews. Warm and nutty 

Tongue: rich, bold, and creamy. mouthful of tannins. Flavors of chocolate and coconut.

Rating: 4/5 (a tad on the pricey side)

Price: $23

New Blog

Since I have accumulated so many wine labels and notes, I'm going to organize it into a blog and record my journey in wino world from here :)