Name: Sepal Estate - Sepal Vinyards - Soft Red Blend
Variety: Syrah, Petite Sirah, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Santa Rosa, California
Country: USA
Year: 2016
Price: $12
Wine Critic Notes: This is a light and lightly sweet wine that looks like a dark rosé, smells very fruity and tastes like cherry juice. It is simple and soft: something to please people who don't like dry wines. - Jim Gordon; Wine Enthusiast; 84pts
Wine Folly: pg 172 Syrah - full body, mid to high acidity, mid to high tannins, mid to high alcohol, and minimal sweetness, along side notes of blueberry, plum, milk chocolate, tobacco, and green peppercorn.
pg 147 Petite Sirah - full body, high alcohol, low to mid acidity, with low levels of sweetness, along side notes of sugar plum, blueberry, black pepper, black tea, and dark chocolate.
pg 125 Malbec - full body, mid to high alcohol, low to mid acidity, with low to mid sweetness, and mild tannin, along side notes of red plum, blueberry, vanilla, sweet tobacco, and cocoa.
pg 292 California Cabernet Sauvignon - At their best, California Cabernet Sauvignons offer lush black fruit flavors which unravel into multiple layers typically consisting of cedar, dusty minerality, and tobacco-laced tannins. Often notes of blackberry, black cherry, cedar, baking spices, and green peppercorns can be found.
My review: A 'soft' red blend indeed - it is silky, soft, and smooth, with a medium body. The color of this wine is deep, almost like a Rosé that spent more than usual time laying against the skins, but it leaves the wine being quite shocking and even attractive. The nose is incredibly fruit forward, lots of cherries, raspberries, and even pomegranate. The mouthfeel, as I said, is soft and silky smooth, ripe with the same notes as were apparent in the nose, as well as notes of florals, light tannins, a mild sweetness you would expect from a ripe red cherry, and an almost juicy consistency as one would assume from an ripe raspberry. It's lightly dry, lightly sweet, pleasant all around - a good pool side wine, or even one to entertain the family with.
No food was had, while tasting this wine - just a glass, and some good music.
Name: Horton - Horton Vineyards - Norton
Variety: 100% Cabernet Franc
Region: Gordonsville, VA
Country: USA
Year: 2008
Price: $10
Vivino Tasting Notes: Tasting notes of oak, tobacco, plum, dark fruits, bacon fat, smoke, dried red fruits, and pepper, with an aroma of spices, tannins, light citrus, and violet. Some speak of firm tannins, pretty florals, red and black fruits, lots of spices, while being smooth and balanced. - Vivino Comments and Tasting Notes
Wine Folly: pg 215 Cabernet Franc - This varietal is one of the unsung workhorses of the Chilean Bordeaux Blend and seems to flourish all over the country's varied climates. With that being said, you'll find a wide range of variation with the best wines primarily coming from Maipo and Maule Valley. Notes of black cherry, roasted red pepper, cedar, wood smoke, and dried herbs are typical of this varietal.
My review: My mother just so happened to have one last bottle of red from the Horton vineyard, where the likes of the Norton wines came from, so of course I had to try it as well. This bottle is a tad old, and I feel it's age does show within the wine, though I don't feel it's so unpleasant as to not drink. While I didn't have any food with this bottle, I do feel it could have used some, as it might have helped pull flavors out of the wine that have otherwise come to fade. The notes still exuded oak, along side notes of dried tobacco, black fruit skins, and smoky pepper. The flavor was smooth, but clearly oxidized, as the notes were more muted than the nose led on - dried figs, oak, black pepper, nutmeg, and tannins remain, while the 'light citrus and violet' notes described on Vivino are no where to be found. The wine was not disappointing, as I had mentioned, but really, truly, was lacking, and left quite a bit to be desired - a less that not all reds should be aged, let alone aged for this long.
No food was had, while tasting this wine - just a glass, and some good music.
Name: Domaine de Bablut - Domaine de Bablut Vineyards - Selection
Variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
Region: Côteaux de l'Aubance
Country: France
Year: 2013
Price: $17
Vivino Tasting Notes: Medium body between light and bold, mostly dry, with mild sugars, and high acidity encompass the tasting characteristics. People describe notes of honey, wax, minerals, peaches, pear, almond, dried fig, caramel, vanilla, cream, and rhubarb. Of 459 ratings, this wine sits at a 4.0 out of 5.0. - Vivino Comments and Tasting Notes
Wine Folly: pg 230 Loire Valley Chenin Blanc - This varietal is made into an immense amount of styles from dry, sparkling, sweet, and even still. The grape grows primarily in Touraine and Anjou-Saumur, and can be found in Cremant de Loire. Notable regions include Vouvray, Montlouis sur Loire, Saven-nieres, and Quarts de Chaume. Notes of pear, honeysuckle, quince, apple, and beeswax are typical of this grape, from this region.
My review: As you can probably tell from the label, this is a wine that came directly from France, not through typical means - the label is completely in french with no english what so ever. Over this past summer I spent about a month in France, quite a bit of time down in the south, and quite a bit of time in the north. As I'm sure you all would probably come to the assumption of "Oh, well then you must have visited quite a number of wineries, as you were right smack dab in the middle of some of the best wine country in the world!" - and, well, I hate to disappoint, but this particular winery was truly the only one I managed to visit. The tasting room was set up in the old wind mill on the winery's property, where a petite, and lovely, woman greeted myself and my two friends, before happily sharing, what felt like, every wine they had to offer! I'm serious, we went through over 10 different wines, she was so nice, so willing to share, so informative about the wines, but also had commented on the fact that this particular bottle was one that american's didn't like. To her surprise, it was the favorite amongst my friends and I!
Needless to say, we bought nearly a case of wine from her, a mix of several different bottles, two of which were this particular bottle. I 'smuggled' these bottles back in my suitcase and till recently thought I had consumed all of them - but much to my surprise, this little bottle has been sitting in the back of the fridge ever since. It has a mild to full body, that is dry, acidic, and lightly sweet in the front of the palate. The aroma is ripe with minerals, fresh pears, peach skins, honey, vanilla, and even some red berry notes. The flavors, oh yes, the flavors, it tingles across your palate as the acidity dances, while the white fluid glides down your throat - but before that, you are met with crushed gravel, wax, nuts, a tart raspberries, lychee, and pear. This bottle, and that visit, truly were one of the highlights of my travels to France, and a single glass really does bring back lovely memories... now to figure out how I can get more.
No food was had, while tasting this wine - just a glass, and some good music.
Name: Horton - Horton Vineyards - Norton
Variety: 100% Norton
Region: Gordonsville, VA
Country: USA
Year: 2017
Price: $20
Vivino Tasting Notes: Of this vintage, people described barely ripe cherries, stone fruit, plum, earthy clay, and other dark fruits, with a nose that exudes much the same, with included oak presence. Some described their first sip to be very acidic, leaving a tart cherry aftertaste, further describing this bottle to still potentially be young; hinting that it might need another year, or a long decanting, to really smooth out. - Vivino Comments and Tasting Notes
Wine Folly: Just as the last, such is the same here, the book lacks information about such an obscure varietal. The back of the bottle describes the Horton varietal as the 'original Virginia claret,' a grape that is native to Virginia and had produced internationally prize winning clarets of the Monticello Wine Company of Charlottesville in the late 1800's. A dark, rich color, with an aroma of plums and tart cherries, and a spicy finish a descriptors the winery flaunts of this grape.
My review: The third and final bottle in a small vertical series I decided to try. This first bottle is the 2017 vintage of the same Norton red, from the Virginia based Horton Winery - a favorite of my mother's. It's aroma is heavy with notes of oak, alcohol, tannins, dried plums, and an earthy minerality similar to top soil. The mouthfeel is curiously more smooth than the 2016 vintage, but not nearly as smooth as the 2015 vintage, despite having the least amount of years aging in the bottle out of the three of them. Notes of black cherries, black currants, black pepper, cinnamon, earthy minerals, and oak ring through loud and clear, more potent than both the 2015 and 2016 vintages; as one would expect from fewer years of applied aging. This was a fun little journey, as I've done plenty of craft beer verticals, but never a wine vertical, it's quite interesting how vintage to vintage the grapes and wines change, some years being more smooth, some being more harsh, others having notes that were lacking from those before it!
No food was had, while tasting this wine - just a glass, and some good music.
Name: Horton - Horton Vineyards - Norton
Variety: 100% Norton
Region: Gordonsville, VA
Country: USA
Year: 2016
Price: $17
Vivino Tasting Notes: Of this vintage, an intense fruity aroma of plum and cherries fill the nose, while the dry, acidic, tannin notes intermingle across the palate, finishing smooth with a touch of vanilla. A few others described this vintage to be 'jammy,' rich, spicy, and even 'foxy.' - Vivino Comments and Tasting Notes
Wine Folly: As before, the book lacks information about such an obscure varietal. The back of the bottle describes the Horton varietal as the 'original Virginia claret,' a grape that is native to Virginia and had produced internationally prize winning clarets of the Monticello Wine Company of Charlottesville in the late 1800's. A dark, rich color, with an aroma of plums and tart cherries, and a spicy finish a descriptors the winery flaunts of this grape.
My review: Second in a small vertical series I decided to try. This first bottle is a 2016 vintage of Norton, from the Virginia based Horton Winery - a favorite of my mother's. It's aroma is heavy with notes of oak, mild fresh drying tobacco, baking spices galor, and even a somewhat smell of what I can only describe as being the smell of grape preserves. The mouthfeel is mildly harsh, the 2015 vintage was much smoother, despite having four years aging in the bottle. Notes of dried figs, black currants, black pepper, nutmeg, and oak continue to show, just as the 2015 vintage, though the dried fruits seem much more potent, combined with heavy tannin presence, leather, and hints of vanilla and tobacco. It finishes smooth, but still not quite as smooth as the 2015 vintage, and the tingling acidity is definitely more apparent.
No food was had, while tasting this wine - just a glass, and some good music.
Name: Horton - Horton Vineyards - Norton
Variety: 100% Norton
Region: Gordonsville, VA
Country: USA
Year: 2015
Price: $12
Vivino Tasting Notes: Of this vintage, notes of oak, vanilla, cherry, red currants, plum, blackberry, leather, cocoa, almond, pepper, dried fruits, and even cheese were described as being found within this deep dark wine. The nose is described as being blueberry heavy, with black cherry jam, oak, and black pepper. - Vivino Comments and Tasting Notes
Wine Folly: Unsurprisingly, the book lacks information about such an obscure varietal. The back of the bottle describes the Horton varietal as the 'original Virginia claret,' a grape that is native to Virginia and had produced internationally prize winning clarets of the Monticello Wine Company of Charlottesville in the late 1800's. A dark, rich color, with an aroma of plums and tart cherries, and a spicy finish a descriptors the winery flaunts of this grape.
My review: It is time for a little vertical! As well as a little adventure of tasting a pretty obscure grape, one that I couldn't really find a lot of information about within Wine Folly, nor even mention of in terms of grape varietals of the east coastal region of the US. This first bottle is a 2015 vintage of Norton, from the Virginia based Horton Winery - a favorite of my mother's. It pours nearly jet black, heavy with an aroma of dried fruits, oak, leather, tobacco, spices, and a hint of vanilla. The mouthfeel is smooth, as one would expect of an aged red, almost silky even. Notes of dried figs, black currants, black pepper, nutmeg, and oak, with hints of vanilla and tobacco. It finishes silky smooth with a light tingling in the back of the throat, either from the alcohol or acidity. I was surprised with the amount of flavor still swirling within such an old vintage, my worries of off notes were quickly subsided - though I guess that's what you can expect when properly cellar-ed at the winery itself!
No food was had, while tasting this wine - just a glass, and some good music.
Name: Meiomi - Meiomi Vinyards - Pinot Noir
Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Region: 56% Monterey County, 26% Santa Barbara County, 18% Sonoma County, California
Country: USA
Year: 2017
Price: $25 - $17.99 on sale
Wine Critic Notes: Obvious oak spices including cedar, clove, cinnamon and wood char fill the aroma of this medium-bodied, extroverted wine and continue in the flavors, giving a sweet edge to the fruit component. - Jim Gordon; Wine Enthusiast; 89pts
Wine Folly: pg 288 California Pinot Noir - The cooler coastal areas of California, specifically the North and Central Coasts, produce some of the boldest, fruit-forward examples of the style on the planet. Despite this, more producers are pulling back in order to focus on elegant, almost Burgundy-like wines. Notes of blackberry, dried blueberry, clove, rose, and cola are typical of this style, from this region.
My review: Rich, bold, but not thick in body, compared to other reds I've had thus far. The nose exudes baking spices, oak, and mild smoke, with tasting notes of dried cherries, smooth tannins, and bits of red and black berries - possibly even black cherries. Despite what Wine Folly notes, I can not for the life of me see where the 'cola' is coming from, but I suppose that could be substitute for a mix of baking spices.
No food was had, while tasting this wine - just a glass, and some good music.
Name: Williamsburg Winery - Williamsburg Vinyards - Pinot Noir
Variety: 37% Petit Verdot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc
Region: 53% Crozet, 30% Williamsburg, 17% Bent Mountain, VA
Country: USA
Year: 2016
Price: $20
Wine Critic Notes: Notes of violet, tart pomegranate, red plum and black raspberry skew a bit high-toned on the nose. The palate mirrors the nose, adding baking spice and charred oak. Sturdy tannins provide ample structure for the long run, and the acidity is generous through the finish, which lingers on black cherry and allspice. - Fiona Adams; Wine Enthusiast; 89pts
Wine Folly: pg 86 Cabernet Franc - low to medium body, low to medium alcohol, minimal sweetness, medium to high acidity, and low to medium tannins accompanied by notes of strawberry, raspberry, bell pepper, crushed gravel, and chili pepper. With such a high level of acidity, this style pairs well with tomato-based dishes, vinegar-based sauces, or even rich black beluga lentils.
pg 88 Cabernet Sauvignon - Full bodied, medium to high alcohol, high tannin, and mild acidity with notes of black cherry, black currant, cedar, baking spices, and graphite. Typically the rich flavors and high tannin content in Cabernet Sauvignon make it a perfect partner to rich grilled meats, peppery sauces, and dishes with high flavor.
pg 146 Petit Verdot - Full bodied, medium to high alcohol, high tannin, mild acidity, and minimum sweetness with notes of black cherry, plum, violet, lilac, and sage. This style does exceptionally well with roasted meats that have pungent notes, such as Cuban-style pork, or even burgers with blue cheese.
My review: The nose is ripe with dried fruits, massive amounts of oak, lots of baking spice and pepper. The mouthfeel is bold, tannin rich, with a lot more acidity than I was expecting - though Fiona Adams of Wine Enthusiast had pointed it out. I get notes of figs, baking spice, oak, vanilla, red currants, dried raisins, black raspberries, and even black cherry - the finish is spicy, mildly alcoholic, but mostly smooth. A pleasant sipper, though I question if it was worth the price of admission.
No food was had, while tasting this wine - just a glass, and some good music.
Name: Tonel - Los Toineles Vineyards - 46 Malbec Reserve
Variety: 100% Vermentino
Region: Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2014
Price: $8.95
Wine Critic Notes: The 2014 Tonel 46 Malbec is produced, like all the wines from Los Toneles, from their estate vineyard in the zone Los Chacayes in Tunuyán in the Uco Valley. I find complexity and depth here, floral aromas and a touch of spices that make it very attractive. The approachable palate has melted tannins and juicy fruit, balanced and soft. - Robert Parker; Wine Advocate; 90pts
Wine Folly: pg 125 Malbec - This wine is described as being very full bodied, mid to high alcoholic taste, mid to low tannin properties, and mid to low acidity. This varietal is most important to Argentina, where it came by way of France. This style typically contains notes of red plum, blackberry, vanilla, sweet tobacco, and cocoa.
pg 200 Luján de Cuyo Malbec - Malbec's produced within this region have more black fruit flavors in a distinctly lush style. The subregions Agrelo (elegance + power), Vistalba (minerality), Las Compuertas (elegance), and Perdriel (tannin) offer the most distinguishable differences. The grape grown in this region typically has notes of blackberry, plum sauce, black cherry, asian 5-spice, and graphite.
My review: The nose. The NOSE. Man oh man, I can not get enough of the nose of this Malbec, it's allspice, nutmeg, huge doses of vanilla soaked oak, with tons of dried berries and raisins. The wine itself is silky smooth, dry, but not as much as you'd expect from it's murky black shade, and the tannin presence is surely there, but intermingle satisfyingly with juicy berry notes. Black cherries, currants, dried raisins, milk chocolate, oak aged vanilla extract, and hints of cinnamon really round this red out. This is the kind of red you'd want to have with a huge honkin slice of cheese cake - or heck, just give me a thick smore with all the fixins.
No food was had, while tasting this wine.
Name: Canoe Ridge - Canoe Ridge Vineyards - Columbia Valley Merlot
Variety: 100% Merlot
Region: Walla Walla, Washington
Country: USA
Year: 2015
Price: $6.95
Vivino Tasting Notes: Bold, dry, middle of the road tannic quality compared to smoothness, and middle of the road acidic quality compared to softness. Reviewers pointed out an aroma of baking spices, oak, and dried fruits tasting notes of toffee, black cherry, pepper, and cocoa, with a smooth and bold mouthful, while leaning towards the lighter side body wise. - Vivino Comments and Taste Characteristics
Wine Folly: pg 131 Merlot - Plum, cherry, chocolate, dried herbs, and vanilla, with a full body, and mild acidity, are described as being typical of this style - however, dried herbs and chocolate were no where to be found, or quite buried.
pg 298 Washington Merlot - This varietal was the first to put Washington on the map for wine in the 1990s. The varietal has proven to be especially well-suited for the region's extreme diurnal shifts and makes rich, full-bodied wines with pure cherry fruit flavor and subtle mint notes on the finish. The varietal from this region typically has notes of black cherry, spiced plum, baking spices, violet, and mint.
My review: I - was not very pleased with this merlot, it was light, light in a way that you wouldn't desire from opening a bottle of red wine. Light in a way that is almost offputting. In a way that would make you question why you would buy this. It's flavorful, don't get me wrong, the tannins are there in full force, backed up by dried berries, black currants, hints of tobacco, white pepper, and cocoa. But, I almost fell like, having had this right before the Tonel 46 Malbec, it just doesn't compare. It's a wine that really should have been benched for something else that would hold it's own a little more against the next team player. For the price, I would drink this wine, I would cook with this wine, but I would not seek out this wine.
No food was had, while tasting this wine.
