Palate--vibrant acidity, with a delicate structure yielding tropical fruit flavors, tangy citrus, and a subtle finish that lingers.
I am making baked salmon with a dill sauce to go with this Washington State Chard. Listed at $19 I paid $9 for it which is the right price point. It doesn't have the oomph to be a $20 Chard. Raise a glass!
Palate--Notes of lemon/lime with a clean citrus, off dry palate, and a fleeting creamy mouth feel.
This was my pairing for our daughter's Easter ham. Saint-Hillaire has a storied and aged history but in the end ya just want to drink it. It was a decent pairing and at $18 a pretty decent value so raise a glass!
*The photo of the wine is set in my daughter's home where she is an accomplished artist. Ya might want to check out her work; it is quite stellar and sit with a glass of bubbly and admire her works.
https://williamsfineartdealers.com/shop
Palate--Lovely first impression sitting integrated and balanced in the mouth with everything just playing in harmony. Varietal fruit abounds and structure is finessed and lovely.
I bought a couple cases of this over a year ago and the store where I found these was sold out finally. I was bummed. Then a couple months ago they had more of this incredible Zin again at the $7 price point. I had them hunt in their back room as they only had a couple out front. They found more--EUREKA!
I love this Zin and will pair it with my own french onion/bacon tart (pizza) and it is fabulous based on history! Raise a case!!!
Palate--Tart first impression, with bitter mid palate, a suggestion of tropical fruit, a touch of citrus on a bitter ending.
I am not a fan of Pinot Grigio but I splurged(ish) $20 for this one and it is not even palatable for my liking. I had a Pinot Grigio a couple months back and it was less than $10 I think. It was actually enjoyable. This one is getting dumped. Understand this is not a "flawed" wine, just a very crappy example of Pinot Grigio. AVOID!
FYI. see my review of Gabbiano Pinot Grigio from 2025 for a nice $9 Pinot...
Palate--pin prick bubbles scintillate the palate making ready for an off dry debut in the mouth. Flavors are subtle on a crisp palate with a fairly quick finish.
I paid $24 for this eye pleasing California bubbly and it's a fresh quaff so raise a glass!
Palate--Mouth watering acidity, tightly wound (young profile) a touch flat (again due to youthfulness) and a very quick finish.
This is the classic GSM Rhone blend (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) just seems flat even for such a young wine, especially as "Reserve" wine at that. I think it will improve as it ages another year but not even sure of that.
I think I paid around $12 for this and it's pretty darn good, for a distinguished history of the producer. I will pair it with roasted chicken thighs and root vegetables and it will show better than it is all by itself.
Palate--Silky tannins, rigid acidity, nice mid palate vibrancy, with lingering finish.
At the $20 price point it is a lovely Chianti Classico and it was paired with a stew my daughter made with polish sausage. It was a perfect compliment so raise a glass!
Palate--Balanced, lovely first impression of purity and prudence, but ready to drink Zinfandel even better than a previous review of this wine back in January.
I bought a couple cases of this the first time around and then my source dried up. I stumbled upon it again and bought another case. For $7-- That's SEVEN DOLLARS--this is just a crazy value. If you happen upon it, grab all you can. Even at twice the price, this is a very nice Zinfandel so raise a glass!
BTW--Pairing it with braised, smoked pork hocks over egg noodles and it will be glorious!
Palate--Very nice first impression weighing lightly on the palate, with robust structure although a bit thin in the flavor profile somewhat unusual for the many Chiant's I have had over the decades. It could be it's youthfulness and needs a couple more years to come around.
It is never-the-less a very light but delightful Chianti and will be nicce with my homemade pizza tonight. I paid $13 for this marked down from $19. Raise a glass!
Palate--A touch tart (in a good way) first impression, nicely structured, lighter body, nice spicy Zinfandel fruit, quick finish.
If you follow this blog you know that I am heavy on the Zinfandel reviews. This sale Zin was listed at $18 at an out of state liquor store so I grabbed a couple bottles. I am glad I did not pay the aforementioned price but am super glad I bought two bottles at $7.50 each! Pairing it with my fabulous French onion and bacon tart (pizza) with blenderized cottage cheese and sour cream on top of which goes a ton of previously crisped bacon bits.
What's not to love? Raise a glass!
