Big House Red 2008

If you had just escaped from the Big House this might be the best thing since-well before you were sent off to the big house.  In reality you just don’t remember what good wine tastes like.  Let me tell you, this is not it. The 2008 Big House Red is a blend of 14 varieties from all over California: 23% syrah, 14% petite sirah, 9% grenache, 9% montepulciano, 6% mourvedre, 6% sangiovese, 6% aglianico, 6% tannat, 5% nero d’avola, 4% sagrantino, 3% touriga, 3% barbera, 3% petite verdot and 12.5% Other Esoteric Reds.  Big House Red is barrel aged in mostly French and American neutral oak. True to many hyper blended wines, Big House Red violates the very essence of a good red blend-well balanced.  The aromas are a little cherry, berries, and leathery-earthy, maybe stale cigarettes (that’s what they get in the big house right?).  The palate has the tartness of cranberries, the metallic hint of steel, the spice of black pepper, and the sweetness of plums, cherry and mixed berries. Tannins and acidity are just mediocre. While this wine has complexity, it is only because every grape under the sun has been added.  Not what I would call an elegant marriage of flavors, but rather a slop bucket of mess hall leftovers.  I think you can send this wine to the "big house" to serve sentence for violating consumer’s rights to good wine.

Varietal:  Red table wine

Producer/Importer:  Big House Red  

Region: California      

Vintage: 2008

Price: $9.00

Tasting notes:

 Sight (Color/Clarity): garnet red to purple although on the light side

 Smell (bouquet, aroma): cherry, berries, leather-earth, stale cigarettes

Taste (acidity, balance, body): cranberries, steel, black pepper, plums, black and sour cherry, and mixed berries

Bottle presentation:  New Yorker like cartoon label.

Overall rating (1-10): 6.5

Date consumed: February 9, 2012

Comments: 13.5% abv

St Francis Chardonnay

The St. Francis Winery label features their bell tower hinting of another place and time, somewhere nostalgic. The winery is named after St. Francis of Assisi, protector of the natural world. Following in St Francis of Assisi's ways the winery practices green methods of pest control, cooling, lighting, bottling and even transportation.

The winery’s began in 1971 when Joe Martin purchased the Behler Ranch. At first the winery sold grapes to surrounding wineries. In 1979 began the winery began bottling their own wines. 

St Francis Sonoma County Chardonnay is produced from grapes grown on the winery’s  Lagomarsino Vineyard in Russian River Valley, as well as from growers in Sonoma County’s other top appellations, including Sonoma Valley, Carneros and Alexander Valley. Each vineyard is carefully selected for their contribution of distinctive and individual qualities to the finished wine.

Grapes are picked during the September nights to preserve the wine’s delicate flavors, aromas and acidity. Grapes are pressed 100% whole cluster and fermented in different lots. Aging occurs for six months in 75% French oak barrels and 25% American oak barrels, with lees stirred by hand to achieve a rich mouthfeel.

The aromas were a little closed and nothing really to brag about. The flavor was a little one dimensional- being overpowered by its acidity.  If you concentrated you could find it lightly oaky on the tongue with only a hint of the buttery taste we crave in a good Chardonnay and a hint of honey in the finish. It seems to be lacking the lees influence to bring out some creaminess the winery speaks of.  The winery notes this wine can age for 2-3 years, but I think 3 years might have put it a little past its prime. For me this is a forgettable wine.

Varietal:  Chardonnay          

Producer/Importer:  St Francis       

Region: Sonoma County, California

Vintage: 2009

Price: $12

Tasting notes:

 Sight (Color/Clarity): Yellow straw

 Smell (bouquet, aroma): typical chardonnay

Taste (acidity, balance, body): little to no buttery oak flavors, hint of honey, dry, but spice-laced as chewed, overly acidic.

Bottle presentation:

Label description: “Aromas of fresh melon combine with hints of hazelnut and citrus. This  medium-bodied Sonoma County Chardonnay displays fresh flavors of butterscotch and pineapple, followed by crisp acidity and a rich, lingering finish.”

Comparisons:

Overall rating (1-10): 7

Date consumed: February 9, 2012

Comments:  Abv 14.2%

Sommerau Castle Gewurtztraminer

Sommerau Castle Gewurtztraminer is produced in the Pfalz region of Germany.  Although the Gewurtatraminer was not rated as high as the 2010 Riesling tasted November 2011 (http://winenightatez.blogspot.com/2011/11/sommerau-castle-riesling.html), it is a still a fair wine.

  

Varietal:  Gewurtztraminer

Producer/Importer:  Sommerau Castle       

Region: Germany

Vintage: 2008

Price: $9.99

Tasting notes:

 Sight (Color/Clarity): Straw

 Smell (bouquet, aroma): musky

Taste (acidity, balance, body): spicy middle lemon, citrus

Bottle presentation: Blue bottle with silver lable

Label description: Spicy notes to accent the juicy peach and apricot flavors.  Enjoy with baked ham, roasted turkey, and spicy Asian cuisine.

Comparisons:

Overall rating (1-10): 7

Date consumed: February 9, 2012

Comments:

Villa Donna Malvasia

Villa Donna Malvasia, is produce in the Italian region of Puglia. It is a sweet and light wine with the color of strawberries and the ripe flavors of Raspberries and Strawberries with a drizzle of honey.

Varietal:  Malvasia    

Producer/Importer:  Villa Donna Puglia

Region:  Italy

Vintage:

Price: $13

Tasting notes:

 Sight (Color/Clarity): Dark Rose’

 Smell (bouquet, aroma): Berries

Taste (acidity, balance, body): Raspberries, strawberries and honey

Bottle presentation:

Label description:

Comparisons:

Overall rating (1-10): 8

Date consumed: February 9, 2012

Comments:

D'Arrigo Italian Riesling?

When you think of Rieslings you think Germany, not Italy, but in fact Rieslings are produced worldwide.  D’Arrigo’s Riesling is produced in the Veneto region in northeast Italy.  It is aged for 4-5 years after gently pressing whole grape at low temperatures and fermented in steel tanks.  It is harvested mid-September and bottled the end of March.

Varietal:  Riesling     

Producer/Importer:  D’Arrigo         

Region:  Italy

Vintage: 2009

Price: $8

Tasting notes:

 Sight (Color/Clarity): golden yellow

 Smell (bouquet, aroma): earthy

Taste (acidity, balance, body): starts sweet, has a spicy pear middle, and finishes off dry with a citrus tang. Light in body.

Bottle presentation:

Label description:

Comparisons:

Overall rating (1-10): 7

Date consumed: February 9, 2012

Comments: abv 11%

Kitchen Sink Moscato

Kitchen Sink Moscato is not what we expected from a Moscato.  It was crisp and buttery and smooth and not too sugary, more like a late harvest Riesling.  We liked it.  This is one wine I would not dump down the kitchen sink, but rather enjoy it far from the kitchen sink.

Varietal:  Moscato

Producer/Importer:  Kitchen Sink  

Region: California

Vintage:

Price:

Tasting notes:

 Sight (Color/Clarity): light

 Smell (bouquet, aroma): earthy

Taste (acidity, balance, body): buttery, crisp golden apple,

Comparisons: Almost like a late harvest Riesling.

Overall rating (1-10): 9

Date consumed: February 9, 2012

Comments: