Wines for the Lazy Summer Days

Got this elegant white from a tasting at the local wine store. I am loving the Gruner Veltliner and Pinot Gris wines that Oregon is producing. It's a terroir to rival big California without the inflated price!

Nose: refreshing notes of honey, lemons. Stemmy

Tongue: lemons, honeysuckle, muscat, and rich lychee jelly. Rich, off-sweet, succulent. Slightly creamy. Very layered and complex for a white

Price: $15

Rating: 4.25/5

Made from 100% Lugana (AKA Verdicchio) grapes in Sirmione, Italy. Never was a fan of the Italian Pinot Grigios so popularized in the States, but Italians really know how to make AMAZING wines with their indigenous grapes! This is a great example of them. Sip it on the porch or with some sharp cheeses, seafood, or Asian food. You won't regret it! Also love the label design on this one :)

Nose: fresh, lemony, tart. Notes of granny-smith apples, peaches, and pears

Tongue: Semi-dry, ripe on the tongue, with flavors of melons and honey. 

Price: $16

Rating: 4/5

A red wine for summer? Why not? Marquette is a relatively new grape grown in the Northeastern States designed to withstand the cold weather. Shelburne Vineyard of Vermont makes a light-bodied yet complex wine with this grape that makes for a wonderful sipper in the hot summer days by the pool. Drink it slightly chilled.

Nose: woody, notes of mulch, mud, desert, roasted marshmellows, asparagus, and artichokes

Tongue: light-bodied and velvety, floral and peppery. Flavors of dark berries, hickory, cherry, and violets

Price: $18

Rating: 4/5

Two amazing wines for your money: La Sabonite Rouge & 2011 Oltrepo Pavese Malvasia Piume

This is the only red wine produced by Sabonite, and this $15 red, though vintage-less and deemed a "table wine", it tastes like a gem. Very quaffable and refreshing on the tongue. Be careful about having too much!

Nose:  spicy, roasty, & nutty with mineral backnotes. Aromas of slate, cloves, caramel, marshmellow, vanilla, and cedar

Tongue: light bodied, with barely noticeable tannins. Smoky and complex in flavors - bell peppers, spice, smoke, tomato, chestnuts, vanilla, and butterscotch - balanced with refreshing minerality. 

Price: $15

Rating: 4.25/5

I've had very good experiences with all of the Martide red wines I've tried. Their beautiful watercolor labels of their vineyard farm animals are definitely a plus. The Piume (meaning 'plume' in Italian), made of Malvasia grapes, is special in every way. I was first struck by the deep honey orange color. The distinctively delicious aroma and mouth-feel makes this one of my favorite whites. To be drunk alone or with spicy food and sharp charcuterie. 

Nose: full of tropical fruits and sweet honey - flavors of pineapple, mango, juicy, very perfumed, citrus blossom, wildflower honey, biscuits 

Tongue: med-bodied with dry finish. Tart flavors are prominent, with upfront notes of lime, almonds, quince and lychee. Remniscent of the New England fall foliage.

Price: $18

Rating: 4.5/5

Sure cure for the winter blues: curl up and drink the 2010 Castello di Verrazzano Chianti Classico

2010 Castello di Verrazzano Chianti Classico

I thought I had been forever sick of Chianti after my Chianti binge some 1 year ago, but I guess I just never tasted the right one.The Verrazzano Chianti is a classic Chianti but without domination by the savory cured-meat taste that characterizes many Chiantis I've attempted recently. This Chianti is sophisticated, velvety on the palate, and harmonic. Perfect for those staying-in freezing winter nights :o)

Nose:  immediate notes of cedar, caramel, warm vanilla, lavender honey, and date. Fruit flavors of strawberry and black cherry comes through after the wine opens up with some aeration.

Tongue: spicy and mouth-filling. Medium bodied with a velvety texture. Flavors of warm ceder, hikory, coriander, cardamom and salted sticky toffee. Acidic finish.

Price: $18

Rating: 4.5/5

Beating the snowy weather with vino

Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre 2010 Veronese

This wine was supposedly made in the special "Repasso" method. Whatever that is, it's surely doing a great job. I haven't had a red this delicious in too too long 

NOSE: deliciously layered and aromatic; notes of roasted chestnuts, dried porcini mushrooms, and aged oak; briny, reminiscent of the ocean floor. 

TONGUE: flavors of sea salt, cured meats, & peppercorns. light and mellow on the palate; fine leathery tannins with an elegant dry finish; would pair perfectly with hard cheeses. LOVE LOVE LOVE"

Price: $12 (taste more like a $20 wine!)

Rating: 4.5/5 

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Reinhard Schafer ZUM Mosel Riesling 2012

Riesling is very hit of miss for me, especially with the recent on-slew of commercial soda-like bottles made for suburban party girls. Fortunately, the ZUM Riesling is a hit. It even rhymes with 'yum'!

NOSE: pineapple,  honey, muscat gummies, apple. 

TONGUE: spritzy, bright, with lively acidity,  just the right amount of sweetness,  peachy. Lighthearted and fun to drink

Price: $10.99

Rating: 4/5 

Med School and Revival of Wine reviews

I'm back from a long hiatus getting used to the med school lifestyle. Hiatus from this blog does not mean hiatus from wine drinking. No way. Wine gets me through exams, so as a consequence, I've been able to savor even more than I used to  ;) After all, it's good for my cardiovascular system! (and helps me sleep)
Anyway, here are two of my recent bottles:

2009 Argiolas Perdera

 

The 2009 Argiolas Perdera is a Sardinian wine made with 90% Monica grapes, a varietal I have never heard of. When you think of Italian wine, Tuscany or Puglia comes to mind, or even Sicily (Nero d'Avola!), but definitely not Sardinia, or Monica grapes for that matter. So this was a bit of a stretch on-the-whim buy for me. 

And yes I am so glad I got this wine. It was amazing, and only $12!

Nose: spicy, with notes of young oak and dark chocolate

Tongue:velvety, smooth, purple and bright. Top notes of apricot, strawberry, toffee, and chocolate.  Nice velvety finish, very yummy. Round tannins. Light to medium bodied. Highly recommended!

Price: $12

Rating: 4.5/5

 2008 Azienda Agricola Cos Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico

 My parents got this as a present. Seeing as they do not drink wine, I kindly saved it from going to waste :) It turns out that this was one of the more expensive wines for me, retailing at around $25 (yeah I'm a cheap shot). Maybe it was a bad idea to google the price, because I got overly excited with high expectations, which it didn't quite live up to...

Nose: strong warm and woody. Notes of wet earth, mulch, old world oak. Vinegar, milk chocolate, nuts, toffee flavors.

Tongue: juicy, slightly spicy, mouthfilling. Medium bodied, very mellow and creamy. Flavors of marshmallows. Yeasty and briny. Unfortunately it smells better than it tastes. A bit too acidic.

Price: ~$25

Rating: 3.5/5

2008 Ludovicus Celler Pinol

This was one of the cheap wines I randomly picked on a shopping splurge spree at 3AM one crazy night. I must say that the satisfaction of my materialistic soul when I received the shipment of wines was well worth the $130 :) I happen to start with this wine, which did not disappoint. It is from the Terra Alta region of Tarragona province (if that says anything to you). It is aged 3 months in French and American Oak barrels, and is a blend of 35% Garnacha, 30% Tempranillo, 25% Syrah, and 10% Carbernet Sauvignon - all very masterfully blended to create a complex wine.

Nose: meaty, chewy texture, with flavors of chocolate, vanilla, spices. Somewhat heady at first

Tongue: sweet, a bit raw, with light, short lasting tannins. Spicy, smoky, reminiscent of tar and tobacco. Prunny (in a good way). A velvety mouthful. A juicy and succulent wine. Overall well-balanced, though a bit heady at times.

Price: $10.99

Rating: 4/5

Cheap wines: The Good, the OK, the Bad, and the VERY Ugly

The Good:

2009 Casata Monticello Dolcetto D'Asti

Bought this one in a 2 for $16 deal from Bauer Wine & Spirits on Newbury St. I did not expect too much since it was so cheap, but I was pleasantly surprised. This wine has amazing complexity and punch for such a price :)

Nose: slightly heady, deliciously spicy, with notes of vanilla, cinnamon, plums, warm spices, chocolate, nutmeg, and raisin

Tongue: sweet, velvety, slightly spicy, acidic, light tanins. A pleasant light to medium bodied wine with medium depth.

Price: $8.99 or $16 for two

Rating: 3.25/5


The OK:

2008 Brunellesco Soave

 Again from Bauer Wines, this time it was only 2 for $12! Gotta love them for the amazing deals :). It was my first Soave, which I have been meaning to try in the longest time, and it was a good first impression. The crazy cheap price was a big plus...

 It inspired a "vino goddess" doodle

 Nose: herbal, lemony, zesty. Notes of honey, ginger, and honeydew melons. Slightly sweet

Tongue: very light, spritzy, citrisy, and crisp. Off-dry. It got pretty watery and flat quickly after opening though.

Price: $6.99 or 2 for $12

Rating: 3/5


The Bad:

 2007 Piazzo Barbera

 This one was only $7.99 I think, from the liquor store at BJs. I was excited to find a cheap Barbera after the memories of the great Matilde Barbera wine from my last post. But this was nothing like it. The Piazzo Barbera puts Italian wines to shame. It was totally raw and lean and mean :(, only thing i liked was the smell

Nose: sweet, nutty, vanilla, cinnamon, plums. Warm

Tongue: acidic, slightly spicey, with light to medium tanins. Medium bodied. Notes of forest berries and warm spices. Fairly lean and raw

Price: 7.99

Rating: 2.25/5




*drumrolls*.......now The VERY Ugly:

  2008 La Mano Mencia Roble

I really can't get over the fact that Robert Parker gave this wine a wooping 90 points! Sadly, that is the reason I actually bought this wine. It was one of the worst, if not THE worst wines I have tasted. I even doubted my own delicately cultivated tastebuds for a minute! Are my tastes that different from Mr. Parker's? But after a search at other bloggers' views online, it so happens that a great majority disagrees with him just as much as I. Whew, a relief to know that my tongue is still sane...

Nose: rotting meat, rotten fruits

Tongue: heady, raw and young. Notes of dark berries. Uber-bitter and stringent. Little to no depth. Barely drinkable ugh

Price: $7.99 (wouldn't drink it even if it were free)

Rating: 0.5/5

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