Weekly Wine Tasting - Enrique Mendoza La Tremenda

Name - Enrique Mendoza La Tremenda

Variety - Monastrell

Region - Alicante Spain

Year - 2018

Price - $9.99

Wine Critic Review

Bright ruby-red in color, this wine shows expressive notes of fresh black cherries and red berries mingled with hints of sweet spice, toast and cocoa. On the palate, this accessible red shows silky texture, liveliness and long length.

https://www.winebow.com/our-brands/bodegas-enrique-mendoza/enrique-mendoza-la-tremenda/2018

Wine Folly Notes

A wine originating from Central Spain, with deep and smokey flavors, Monastrell has earthly flavors of Cocoa, Tobacco, and Pepper and a strong flavor of berries. (133). Monastrell has a high tannic content. Monastrell from Alicante has more of a raisin taste. 

My Review

The first Monastrell that I have drunk and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I enjoyed the fruity tastes compared with the light amount of earthy tastes. I drank this wine with a meal of pasta carbonara, and I thought it paired very well. I thought it was very similar to merlot. 

Weekly Wine Tasting - Jacobs Creek Shiraz

Name - Jacobs Creek Classic

Variety - Shiraz/Syrah

Region - South East Australia

Year - Vintage 2020

Price - $7.99

Wine Critic Review

Classic as in typical of the volume Shiraz many have grown to know (and love).

Aromas of jammy dark fruits, mocha, heavy oak. Follows on the palate, with a slight pepper note (but only slight) and smooth tannins, light on the acid.

Well-made everyday wine with straightforward flavours.

https://www.nataliemaclean.com/wine-reviews/jacobs-creek-shiraz-2017/308111#:~:text=Reviews%20and%20Ratings,tannins%2C%20light%20on%20the%20acid.

Wine Folly

Shiraz, as its known in Australia, has bold notes of blueberry and plum, with more earthy notes of milk chocolate, tobacco, and green peppercorn (172). Shiraz is the most planted grape in Australia, and the lands there make some of the most coveted wine in the world (173). Shiraz from South Australia tend to have flavors of Blackberry sauce, and more earthy flavors than other Syrah. Wine folly suggests to decant for 60 minutes and spend around $25.

My Review.

This was my first Shiraz/Syrah that I have dranken and I did enjoy it. In my personal ranking right now I have Merlot - Zinfandel - Shiraz as my top 3 wines right now. I very much enjoyed the fruty flavors mixed with earthy elements. I did not decant nor did I drink it with food. The wine was not too acidic or tannic which was perfect.

Wine Dinner Blog

Dinner - Country Club

Over Spring Break, I just went home and was discussing how I had to do dinner blogs for this class. My dad said we should do it at the country club we go to and that's what we did, my dad, mom, and I. 

For the first wine and first course, I went with the Calamari and a Chardonnay. This chardonnay is called Simi 

The Chardonnay had heavy notes of apple both on the taste and the scent. The wine and appetizer paired very well. The chardonnay neutralized the fried aftertaste that calamari seemed to have, and helped with the lemony acidic taste from the squeezed lemon. I think the chardonnay 

The main course for me was a burger with bacon and swiss cheese, and french fries. My wine of choice for this entree was a Pinot Noir which was very hot. 

I thought that this combo did not pair well at all. The pinot was very hot and dry and fruity. I needed to drink water while drinking it and I think that with a merlot or zinfandel the course would have been more enjoyable. This wine definitely overpowered the food and did not compliment the meal. 

Cambiatta Pinot Noir.The wine itself was good, but at 14.5% alcohol percentage it is a little too much for wine. The fruity flavors I tasted include cherry. 

The final course, dessert, featured a chocolate lava cake and a Port. 

These two were a perfect combo. The port really helped with the sweetness of the desert, and the port itself tasted like brandy. That's really the only way I can think to describe it. But overall, in my opinion, this is the best pairing that I had that night. 

Wine Tastings - Bogle

Name - Bogle Vineyards

Variety - Old World Zinfandel

Region - California, USA

Year - 2019

Price - $9.99

Wine Critic Review

This big, robust wine wraps its concentrated blackberry and raspberry flavors in moderate tannins for a rich, mouth-filling effect. A full body and good depth of fruit keep it echoing on the finish.

https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/bogle-2018-old-vine-zinfandel-california/

Wine Folly Notes

Zinfandel's normally feature very fruity and berry notes, especially blackberry and strawberries. As a Zinfandel from California, there is a big tannic content, and notes of raspberry.

My Review

I like zinfandel, and this wine's high tannin level was perfect for a nice drink. This wine was very berry in tasing and smell more specifically raspberries. I did not have food with this wine, and I did not decant. 

Weekly Wine Tasting - Pacherenc du Vic Bilh

Name - Pacherenc du Vic Bilh

Variety - Petit Manseng

Region - Southwest France

Year - 2009

Price - Cannot find price

Wine Critic Review - Could not find a good review from a critic as this appears to be a very rare wine

Color: dark gold with viscous legs

Nose: medium intensity; complex warm aromas of fresh and dried tropical fruits;

Body/flavor: medium-full; complex flavors of tropical fruits

Aftertaste: lingering 

https://www.cellartracker.com/list.asp?Table=Notes&Producer=Domaine+des+Bories&iUserOverride=0#selected%3DW1313463_1_K79cc3c6b268a637aca5b5e109101084a

Wine Folly Notes

There are actually no notes on this wine in the textbook so I found some notes from a website to substitute. Petit Manseng wines are very sweet wines as the grapes are high in sugar. The flavors are normal flavors of sweet dessert wines such as apricot, cinnamon, apples, and a touch of minerality. 

https://thatusefulwinesite.com/varietals/whites/PetitManseng.php

My Review

So a backstory on how I came into contact with this wine. I was at dinner with my parents partaking in my upcoming wine dinner blog, and when we got home my mom pulled this wine out of the cellar saying she tried a bottle somewhere and loved it so much and pulled the trigger on a full case which has been sitting in the basement for over a decade. The wine from this vineyard is harvested from grapes that are left on the vine until almost too ripe, leaving much residual sugar. This wine has a deep amber color and to me tastes heavily of honey and apples. You can not really smell the honey in the smell but can smell the apples. Amazing wine to get.

Weekly Wine Tasting - Ménage a Trois: Pinot Noir

Name - Ménage a Trois: Pinot Noir

Variety - Pinot Noir

Region - California

Year - 2018

Price - $8.99

Online Review - I could not find a wine critic review for this so found a review under a wine purchasing website.

This is a smooth Pinot Noir, good for sipping or with meals. On the nose, definite dark cherries with some vanilla. The cherries come through again on the palate ... nice fruit-forward wine. I didn't care much for the finish ... there was a bit of a vinegary taste, but a friend didn't experience the same thing so it may just be my taste buds. Good value for the price and I will purchase this Pinot again.

https://drizly.com/wine/red-wine/pinot-noir/menage-a-trois-pinot-noir/p1632

Wine Folly Notes

Pinot Noir's are the most popular light-bodied red wine in the world. Pinot Noir's have a taste profile of berries such as cherry and raspberry, with earthy notes of clove and mushroom. Wine Folly suggests decanting for 30 minutes, using an aroma collector glass, and keeping the wine in the cellar around 55-60 degrees. (150). Pinot Noirs from CA tend to have different earthy tastes than French PN's with smoke and vanilla being the dominant earthy tastes.

My Review

This is the first Pinot Noir I have had and I liked it but I had zero references to what a Pinot Noir is supposed to taste like. I definitely tasted the fruity tastes and smells and could taste some vanilla and oak. I did not follow any of the wine folly recommendations. 

Weekly Wine Blog - Darkhorse

 Name - Dark Horse

Variety - Merlot

Region - California

Year - 2020

Price - $7.99

Wine Critic Review

This jammy wine offers lots of candied strawberry and raspberry flavors along with a brown-sugar overtone. It's soft in texture and full in feel. 

https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/dark-horse-2018-merlot-california/

Wine Folly Notes

Merlot's often feature fruity flavors, fewer tannins, and a chocolaty finish (131). The fruity flavors are more often than not cherry and plum. Wine folly suggests decanting for 30 minutes and serving at room temperature. As a Merlot from CA, there are notes of vanilla in conjunction with those flavors previously stated. 

My Review

I thought that this wine was fantastic for the price point. Dark Horse describes this wine as jammy and I can definitely pick out that flavor profile. I did not decant as I do not have a decanted but I did drink this at room temperature and in an oversized glass-like suggested. The tannins were not really present like in most Merlots.