Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin 2010

This wine just joined my list of favorite wines.  I really enjoyed both the bouquet and the taste. It has a wonderful full aroma of fruit and spice. The taste is full-bodied and long lasting.

I would recommend this wine to any fan of "spicy" wines such as other Zinfandels and Shiraz/Syrah. I also think this is a great crossover wine for those wanting to expand their palate, yet find Syrahs typically too spicy/peppery.

**And yes I know I wrote "clody" not "cloudy" in the sheet below, but since it is an image I can't change it.

Little Black Dress Pinot Grigio 2010

Yes, that light color in the picture is the color of this wine. Yes, that light color reflects the light taste of this wine. Yes, that light taste is why I am not a fan of this wine.

The overall taste of this wine is enjoyable, and worth a shot if the descriptions below sound interesting to you. It is just not what I look for in my Pinots. The most enjoyable thing about this wine was the hint of pear. The least enjoyable thing was how drying this white was. I like tannins and drying wines, but normally I look for that in my reds. I did appreciate the length that the flavor lasted after drinking and the fact that it was a fairly full-bodied white.

Overall I would probably buy this wine on sale for a gift of someone I knew was a Pinot Grigio lover or for a party if it was on sale. Otherwise, I, personally, would not buy this wine again.

Waterbrook Melange Noir 2008

This wine is a perfect example of how spending a bit more on wine isn't always a safe bet. This also creates a big disappointment as well because you spend that extra bit on your wine and you get something lack luster or even bad.

There was nothing great about this wine. When wines are blended, the wine is normally at least interesting even if not tasty. This wine was 100% boring. It had a light basic wine bouquet. The taste was short and basic with no finish to speak of.  In plainer terms, this was like drinking watered down wine. There was some variety in the taste as all wines (even the worst) will have. There was nothing undrinkable about this wine and no unpleasant taste, but there was nothing exciting or enjoyable about it either. That is what I look for in a wine. I truthfully wouldn't even cook with this wine because I am not sure it would really add that much flavor to the dish.

If someone serves you this wine or gifts it to you, don't worry you won't spit it back out, but don't expect an interesting blend with different flavors and finishes.  It's just a wine.

Little Black Dress Chardonnay 2010

I was pleasantly surprised by this wine. Chardonnay is normally my least favorite of the whites because of the Vanilla and Oak tendencies (same reason I do not normally like Merlots). This Chard, however, was quite enjoyable. But on the other had, those that normally like Chards, would find this a bit contrived and not what you would normally expect from one.  So for the same reason I would prefer this over other Chardonnays, would be the reason why many would not.

As already mentioned there is not a strong oakiness to this Chard, however, it is still present. I personally did not taste any vanilla and am usually rather sensitive to it.  I did taste a citrus fruit hint though. The other reason why I was so surprised I enjoyed this wine so much is the bouquet was so light I could barely smell anything. I have had water that had a stronger odor than this wine.

This is a good neutral white to serve at parties, or to have for a day when you want a white wine, but not really sure what kind. If you are wanting something specific, or want to have a varietal that is true to its tendencies, this is not the wine for you.



Rosenblum Syrah 2009

I wish I had a bottle now! This stuff was so tasty. This is probably one of my favorite reds I have ever had.  I am a big fan of the Shiraz/Syrah wines right now (Fun Fact: Shiraz is what Syrah goes by in Australia & New Zealand).

This wine had a wonderful bouquet with a full fruity and spicy aroma. The taste was smooth and pleasing.  It was a very full-bodied wine that stayed true to the spicy notes that Syrahs are so often known for. I also enjoyed the fruity plum taste that is so often missing in most Shirazes.

If I did not have this blog where I need to try different wines and new ones I have not tried, I would have bought at least 4 bottles of this wine, especially at the sale price!

Little Black Dress Merlot 2010

This was a wine had the opportunity to taste at a wine tasting a few days ago.  This was my favorite of the 3 Little Black Dress wines I tried (the other two were whites).  Forgive me if this description is a bit short. I only had a tasting size, so I could only get so much information out of it (a full glass really helps).

I am not always a fan of Merlots because of the typical oaky notes, but this one I really did enjoy.  It was a bit fruitier than most Merlots I have tried.  If I was hosting a dinner party, I would definitely make sure to have a bottle of this for those Merlot lovers.  It is an affordable price and easy to drink.