Claire Patelin 'Sauvignon Blanc' (Cotes de Gascogne) 2023

 

Pale straw hue sets off a bouquet of classy "sweet" pineapple and a melange of tropical fruits

Palate-- a balanced first impression gives way to a nicely integrated quaff yielding bright, fresh flavors of a fruit salad that is NOT sweet but rather gives the impression that it is because of the potent bouquet of fruit. (The term in the wine world for this is "off-dry.") 

It will pair nicely with a big variety of lighter cheeses, white sauced pasta dishes, just about any seafood not prepared in a tomato based heavily spiced sauce.

I reviewed this wine over a year ago and noted the "grassy nose..." That is now gone.

It has been a while since I have reviewed a S. Blanc which is the name of the grape now produced world wide but the French version of this grape is distinct from the domestic S. Blancs of the U. S. which give a pronounced "grassy" bouquet and while lovely in their own right, the French version is what put S. Blanc on the map.    

This is a Trader Joe's offering and comes in at the unreal price point of around $8 I think.  Raise a glass!

Niersteiner Spiegelberg Kabinett (Rheinhessen) 2022

Pale golden hue with aromas that are very subtle probably due to the chill of the wine fridge set at 55 degrees F.  I'll add to this when it comes closer to room temp...

Palate--Immediate first impression of gently sweet mid palate with uncomplicated summer fruit and melon.  The structure is a bit "flabby" for my preference but passable. Again the wine is too cold to appreciate so I will re-review this below.

This  Rheinhessen "prodikut (title)" wine is the fifth in ranking of sweetness which you know by the designation "KABINETT." and as you move up the sweetness chart it will read, Kabinett, Spëtlese, then Auslese, Beerenauslese, and Trockenbeerenauslese being the sweetest and the most expensive generally speaking. 

I am pairing this with baked Salmon with a dill and lemon sauce. At $15, it is "OK" but a bit disappointing.

Okay--after dinner and the wine coming up from cellar temperature it was pleasant enough but there are certainly many options available for a few bucks less that are significantly more flavorful.  Either way--raise a glass!

Fonbadet "B" Bordeaux 2019

Garnet hue with the slightest bricking perhaps at the rim. Aromas of surprisingly expressive blackberry, cranberry notes, gentle savory spices.

Palate--First impression is (I served it a bit too warm) Acidic foundation with lip puckering tannins, a beam of dark berry fruit and not much else.  The finish is fleeting and for the age of this wine it is showing better than expected

I have reviewed this wine at least three times before so it will be interesting to compare my notes. I suggest you do so as well and see the evolution of a wine related to its age. At $8 this is OK and I will be serving it with my grilled prime rib burgers from the Omaha Steak Company. THAT I am looking forward to.)

DA PIPA Tinto (NV)

Young purple hue with aromas of bright cherry berry and latent plum (maybe).

Palate--A confusing presentation of mouth watering acidity, on a bed of perky cherry and red berry.

This wine is marginal despite what the review said another site from Portugal, the wine's home. 

That being said it is also a very inexpensive wine and well, you get what you pay for. This may have been $5 but either way, "Life is too short to drink bad wine." 

OKAY!!!  Eating a little crow here: So I had the rest of this bottle with our Sunday pizza and I will admit that it was actually satisfactory considering... BTW it's also pretty good with "CROW!"  LOL...

Cross Springs Zinfandel (Lake County) 2023

Medium garnet hue with aromas of vibrant and slightly spicy dark fruit with a more intense spiciness inside the bowl.

Palate-- (Served a bit too warm) Nice presentation on first impression with loads of zesty dark mixed berry, and again, a touch of spicy goodness. Structurally sound and though young is probably at its best. 

With a list of $18 I paid $7.50 a bottle and bought several.  Glad I did. A nice pizza wine, pasta, lighter cheeses and anything italian or tomato based sauce.  Previously reviewed with similar notes.  Raise a glass if you find it around $10-$12!

WARRE'S Warrior Porto Finest Reserve

 

Intense deep purple nearly black hue with aromas of thick aromas of intense plum, blackberry, raisin, strawberry patch nearing harvest, and espresso.

Palate--Intense deep penetrating sweetness on the tongue yet with balanced, silky, presentation, with gobs of jammy lovely intense fruit with a silky lasting finish.

This Port is around $16 and worth every penny. Ya need to know how to drink Porto however.  It is a dessert wine and fantastic with some surprising pairings like strawberries, dark chocolate, bleu cheese, Stilton, and basically almost any desert you might serve but chocolate and fudge are the quintessential pairings. At this price point it is a NO brainer and wonderful so raise a glass!

Sky Side Red blend 2020 (North Coast)

Very cherry hue with aromas of sweet and spicy cranberry fruit with  a rustic touch to it. 

Palate--Acidic first impression that is over the top, with again, spicy cranberry fruit that is diminished with the raging acidity.  

I paid $12 (maybe) for this and it is to angular and with six years of age already done it is not going to relax.  I would skip this wine!

KungFu Girl Riesling. (Washington State) 2024

Pale straw hue with lovely Riesling aromas of sweet baby powder and lime above the rim, Christmas pudding in the bowl with vanilla bean on the edge.

Palate--*Off-dry first impression with sweet spice nuances surrounding a vanilla citrus note, and white not-quite-ripe melon and pineapple suggestions.  

Charles Smith has been creating Washington State wine at a bargain level for decades and he does it better than anyone!  This is a Trader Joe's regular offering around $12 and it is better than most wines like this at twice the price. I will be pairing this with salmon in a lemon dill sauce for my wife of 53 years who has endured the past 11 months of AML --Acute Myeloid Leukemia resulting in a Stem Cell Transplant at the renowned Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Ma. This birthday is quite special!

No matter how you pour it--raise a glass!

*Off dry is a description of white wines which people tend to say taste "sweet" and they don't like sweet wines so they have determined NOT to like the wine.  BUT--An "off-dry" wine is a wine like this which gives the impression of tasting sweet but is actually bone dry because the definition of a sweet wine is one which has residual sugar left behind that has not been fermented into alcohol. 

Layer Cake Shiraz 2021

Nice rich looking dark purple hue with aromas of thick black berry compote, blue flowers, and a hint of cola.

Palate--Supple mouth feel with integrated body and fruit forward, with gobby dark fruit jam. Finish is nearly non-existent.

Shiraz is a BIG wine and Australia knows how to do it up from the $10 price point to over $1000 a bottle (Penfolds "Grange..." for example.)

Well, this is not THAT wine but it also isn't anything like that price point. LOL...  I think I may have paid around $12 and it is what you would expect at that price point.  

I am serving it with my homemade venison chili with spicy cinnamon, toasted cumin seed, and garlic,bacon and onion topped with shredded cheddar and a dollop of sour cream. It is to die for so raise a glass!

BUEHLER Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2022

 

Light golden hue with a slight touch of green with aromas of sweet vanilla, lemon lime, and tropical fruit.

Palate-- Mouth watering acidity, and tropical fruit, subdued lemon lime, vanilla hints, a touch of elegance with last finish but a mite shallow over all.

I have reviewed different vintages of this wine and I always find the bargains of this Russian gem. Priced at over $20, I find it for half that routinely when it is available. 

I am making shrimp pasta and it will be a nice pairing. It is not up to a $20 price point and a bit off for Russian River but a bargain nerve-the-less! Raise a glass!