Categories

Sunday, March 25, 2012

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.



Thursday, March 22, 2012

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.



Monday, March 19, 2012

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.



Saturday, March 17, 2012

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!


Monday, March 12, 2012

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.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Copa di Vino Pinot Grigio Single Serving



I saw these cute little guys at a Binny's and they were giving out free samples. These are single 4oz servings of wines. I tried the reisling and what quite pleased so I bought another reisling, cabernet sauvignon, and this pinot grigio.  Well, this pinot is terrible.  It is bitingly acidic.  The flavor is dull on top of that.  The reisling is ok and fairly enjoyable, but this was not.  I could drink this wine if I had to to be polite, but I hope no one would serve this to me out of politeness.

I sure hope the Cab is going to be better than this.  For $3, go to a Trader Joe's and get a bottle of Charles Schawb or spend $5 more on a Columbia Crest or such. The single serving idea is great, but obviously has a way to go before it can serve a wide variety of tasty wine. Truthfully I doubt that it will ever become a top notch wine because anyone that really enjoys a wine, will want a full bottle of it.

Oh well, it was worth a shot and that is what this blog is about. I truthfully I hope I come across just as many bad wines as I do good so I can save people the disappointment of opening up a bad bottle of wine.





Monday, March 5, 2012

Alamos Cabernet Sauvignon 2010



Argentina is known for it's reds, but Malbecs and Zinfs mainly.  This Cab was about what I expected from an Argentinian Cab.  It was pleasant, drinkable, forgettable.  I did try their Malbec as well (no specific review for it though) and it was quite good.  I would suggest going for their Malbec if you are wanting to go for a wine by Alamos, if you are wanting a Cab, stay tuned for a better recommendation.


It isn't a bad wine, just I have had better for $10-13 as far as Cabs go.  The taste was smooth and strong, but the finish was short lasting and I prefer a long lasting finish on my reds.  My biggest problem with this wine is there was debris at the bottom of the bottle & it came out in the last glass poured. The other issue was the tannins were very strong and caused this wine to be very drying. 

This isn't a wine to impress, but easily drinkable by anyone that can enjoy a dry red.