Tasting - Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Shiraz

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Name: Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Shiraz
Variety: Shiraz
Region: South Eastern Australia
Country: Australia
Year: NV
Price: $9.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop Review:
A relatively light, fresh style of sparkling Shiraz, with berries and hints of chocolate picking up just a touch of sweet vanilla on the finish.

My Review:
Sparkling shiraz...

The shop keeper that was poring our wines mentioned as she was poring the wine that most people, when they here the word sparkling in the name of a wine, they immediately think welches grape juice.  From my experience with wine, I haven't found that to be the case at all, ...until now. On the nose this wine offers aromas of red fruits. It was fresh and bubbly in the nose, which lead right into the taste. The flavors in the wine were exactly like a dry welches grape juice. It was very refreshing.

Tasting - Tres Ojos Garnacha

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Name: Tres Ojos Garnacha
Variety: Garnacha
Region: Calatayud
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop Review:
The wine has a brick red color with a bouquet of red raspberries, spice and white pepper. The palate is incredibly concentrated and rich. This wine is fruity, juicy and shows a great depth, ripe tannins, length but yet with wonderful elegance and lightness. Enjoy with sausages, roasted meats, aged cheeses etc.

My Review:
On the nose this wine offers aromas of dark berries, bark and a nice little spice. In the tongue this wine is very DRY and quite bitter. The flavor profile was very unique. It was as if I took a glass and dragged it half under the bed of a small, old creek. Take the mud, stones, water, and whatever else was in the cup, swirled the glass and took a big gulp. Very interesting to say the least.

Tasting - Montebuena

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Name: Montebuena
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop Review:
Ripe cherry and blackcurrant on the nose and in the mouth. Pliant and seamless in texture, with good heft and back-end energy. Finishes smooth and sweet, with fine-grained tannins providing shape and grip. Still on the young side but this wine drinks very well with an hour or so of decanting; it’s an excellent value for Rioja.

My Review:
Recently I have been smelling the same things over and over, and tasting what I am about to just start calling "wine" flavors. Nothing really standing out among the rest. But when I run across a wine, like the Montebuena, with very unique aroma and flavor profiles, it gets me interested in wine tasting again. This was a 100% tempranillo. I have seemed to struggle with this varietal, but this one was interesting enough to draw me back. On the nose, this wine offers a very dark black cherry flavor profile, but at the same time leaving you with a crisp feeling. But on the tongue this wine offers a much different story. This wine is heavy in the chocolate flavors. It felt like drinking a dark chocolate milk made with chocolate powder. It leaves your tongue feeling creamy yet like you still have chocolate powder in your mouth. Overall a very interesting and  well crafted wine. (I love tasting new wines!)

Tasting - Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence

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Name: Sainte Victoire Cotes de Provence
Variety: 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Cinsault
Region: Provence
Country: France
Year: 2011
Price: $8.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop Review:
Bright salmon pink; typical of the fresh but warm Provence style. Refined and complex on the nose, with summer fruit and floral notes. Dry and crisp, with a delicate flavor and full texture.

My Review:
I found this blended white wine sweet on the nose, with a powerful sweet peach aroma that made me excited for this wine. However, on the palate, I found this wine to be dry, and offered a little heat on the mid. The taste was OK, but nothing spectacular.

Tasting - Canyon Road Chardonnay

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Name: Canyon Road Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95 (Vintage Cellar)

Shop Review:
Medium- bodied wine with notes of crisp apple and ripe citrus fruit with a hint of cinnamon spice. Delicious complement to grilled chicken, lighter pasta dishes or mild cheeses.

My Review:
This Chardonnay had aromas of sweet peaches and a hint of citrus, in the form of orange peels. On the palate this wine had a nice bitter sweet component. I enjoyed this wine, but feel, as the review says, that I would have enjoyed it even more paired with a chicken or pasta dish.