Tasting - Vintage Cellar on 4-19-12

Name: Poysdorfer Saurussel Gruner Veltiner
Variety: Grunter Veltiner
Region: Austria
Country: Austria
Year: 2010
Price: $7.95

Winery Review:  Crisp lime flavors, white pepper and lentils, followed by a mouthful of mineral notes and gooseberry. A long lingering finish. A great accompaniment to any Asian or fresh seafood dishes

My Review:  The aroma of this wine was that of pepper, lemon, and berries.  The taste was interesting.  It was filled with citrus, with a slight hint of possibly a blackberry.  It was crisp and refreshing.  I didn't have this wine with food.










Name: Oak Vineyards Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: California
Year: 2010
Price: $5.95 - 750ml; $10.95 - 1.5 Liter

Winery Review:  This light straw-colored Oak Vineyards 2010 Chardonnay expresses smokey aromatics with nuances of apple and lemon zest that continue onto the palate where they flourish into citrus, orange
blossom, and smoked oak flavors until meeting a crisp, medium finish.

My Review:  As soon as I started to smell this wine, I was hit by the scent of smoke.  It also had apple and orange aromas.  The taste was filled with citrus and smoke.  I could really taste the smoke as an aftertaste.  I didn't have this wine with food.






Name: Canyon Road Pinot Noir
Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: California
Country: California
Year: 2010
Price: $6.95

Winery Review:  This Pinot Noir expresses tantalizing flavors of ripe cherry and wild raspberry, and finishes with brown, vanilla spices and a smooth finish.

My Review:  The aroma of this wine was filled with berry.  I could easily smell cherry and possibly blackberry.  There was also a hint of vanilla.  The taste was ok.  It wasn't as berry tasting as I expected.  It actually seemed to have almost of a smokey flavor.  I didn't have this wine with food.











Name: Cortenova Primitivo
Variety: Primitivo
Region: Italy
Country: Italy
Year: 2010
Price: $7.95

Winery Review:  Dark, ruby-red color with violet highlights. Intense and fragrant bouquet with a rich array of red and black fruit aromas and flavors. Harmonious and velvety on the palate. Great balance and structure. Excellent with grilled or roasted meats, game and cheeses.

My Review:  The wine smelled like a fresh bouquet of flowers.  I could also detect a slight hint of berry and pepper.  The taste was quite interesting.  It was a little bit all over the place, from fruit to flower to pepper.  I didn't have this wine with food.






 Name: Morada Sangria
Variety: Sangria
Region: Spain
Country: Spain
Year: n/a
Price: $4.95 - 1 Liter

Winery Review:  A traditional Spanish drink made with red wine and citrus extracts. Garnet color and fresh on the palate. Serve well chilled, on its own or with lemonade and slices of fruit like peach, banana or apple.

My Review:  I was quite excited to try this sangria, since I have been to Spain in the past.  The aroma instantly reminded me of how it smelled in Spain.  I could smell the orange along with some spices.  The taste was fantastic.  It was quite smooth and not overly sweet.  It had a perfect balance of sweetness to tartness.  I didn't have this wine with food.

Tasting - Vintage Cellar on 4-12-12

Name: Sierra Cruz Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Chile
Country: Chile
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95

Winery Review:  This Chilean Sauvignon Blanc just oozes with bright citrus flavors and a nose of herbs and grass. Stylistically, it is a cross between the herbal, grassy wines so prevalent in Sonoma County and the riper, more fruit forward products of New Zealand. Match it with pasta sauced with arugula, pine nuts, mushrooms and parmesan.

My Review:  The aroma of this wine was quite citrus filled.  It also had an interesting grassy smell, which reminded me of fresh cut grass.  The taste was interesting.  It was a little bitter but had a almost lemon flavor.  It wasn't to heavy, but wasn't my favorite wine.  I didn't have this wine with food.




Name: Lost Vineyards Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Argentina
Country: Argentina
Year: n/a
Price: $3.95

Winery Review:  Pale golden color. Perfumed peach, pineapple, and nougat aromas. Round and soft with a fruity-yet-dry medium body. Tangy apple skin and lemon zest notes lift the fruit nicely on the finish.

My Review:  This wine smelled wonderful.  It was filled with the scents of fruits and flowers.  The taste was fantastic as well.  It was extremely smooth and light.  I could taste the peach and lemon instantly.  This was probably my favorite wine.  I didn't have this wine with food.






Name: Sierra Cruz Carmenere
Variety: Carmenere
Region: Chile
Country: Chile
Year: 2009
Price: $6.95

Winery Review:  As a member of the cabernet sauvignon family, carmenere (pronounced car-men-yare) originated in Bordeaux as one of the grapes permitted for use in the red blends of that storied region. Chilean
winemakers have embraced it and several wineries in that country produce it as a single varietal. The
’09 Sierra Cruz is a very pleasant, soft, mediumbodied wine that has fresh cabernet-like aromas and
flavors of spice, dark fruit and black pepper. It is a great value and also would be a nice match with
marinated and grilled skirt or flank steak.

My Review:  The aroma of this wine was filled with spices and pepper.  I got a small scent of fruit, possibly a cherry.  The taste was okay.  It was a little bitter and was somewhat overpowering with the spice flavor I got.  It was on the heavier side, and pretty full bodied.  I didn't have this wine with food.




Name: Senda 66 Tempranillo
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Spain
Country: Spain
Year: 2008
Price: $8.95

Winery Review:  90 Points, Robert Parker -“The 2008 Senda 66 spent 8 months in new French
oak. Purple/black in color, it sports a fragrant nose of spice box, lavender, blueberry, and blackberry.
Smooth-textured, layered, and remarkably rich on the palate for its humble price, this lengthy effort will
drink nicely over the next 5-6 years.”

My Review:  Throughout the semester I have found that I don't really care for Tempranillo's, so I wasn't expecting to enjoy this wine too much.  The aroma was filled with berry and pepper.  The taste was interesting.  It was pretty rich and heavy.  The blackberry came out as well as the pepper.  Surprisingly, this wine was better than I thought it would be, based on past experiences.  I did not have this wine with food.





Name: Opera Prima Sweet White
Variety: Sweet White
Region: Spain
Country: Spain




Year: n/a
Price: $5.95

Winery Review:  Flowery and sweet smelling, then round and fairly smooth in the mouth. The flavor package of tropical fruits galore is pleasant and shouldn't offend anyone. Finishes clean and easy. A mango boat of flavor.

My Review:  The aroma of this wine was wonderful.  It was filled with mango and pineapple.  The taste didn't disappoint either.  The mango was easily detected as well as possibly leches.  It was extremely smooth and refreshing.  It had a nice crisp taste and was not overly sweet.  I didn't have this wine with food.

Winery Visit - Chateau Morrisette on 4-8-12

On Saturday, April 8, 2012, I went to Chateau Morrisette with my girlfriend and two other friends.  We took a tour of the winery, and also participated in a tasting.  The trip there was quite interesting.  My GPS decided to take us on some gravel back road, where we encountered what we thought was a rabbit raccoon.

Raccoon Stumbling Around

After nearly 45 minutes of driving, we finally made it, and were not disappointed by the spectacular view.  I had never been on a winery tour, so was quite excited.

Chateau Morissette, Floyd Virginia

Amy and I at waterfall by parking lot

Chateau Morrisette is located in the mountains of Floyd County, right off the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It was the result of a love affair between David and Nancy Morrisette that began in 1978.  They started the winery as a hobby until they realized they were giving away more wine than they were drinking themselves.  Their son, David, became the Chateau's first official wine maker in 1982.  Since then, the winery has been booming, and growing steadily.  Although they do grow some of their own grapes on site, the majority of the grapes are received through contractors.  As soon as the grapes are picked, they are crushed using the machines below.

The smaller machine is used to crush red grapes, and the larger to crush white/green grapes.

       

The winery itself, currently produces 19 different wines and has 130,000 gallons worth of steel tanks to store it.  They also have an additional 50,000 gallons worth of French and American oak barrels.  The guide also noted that they recently purchased a few barrels from Hungary.  As soon as the grapes have been crushed, they are processed, fermented, and stored in these barrels/tanks

Wine Barrels

Steel Tanks

The final step in the wine making process is the bottling.  After the wine has properly aged in the barrels, they are transferred to bottles.  All the bottles from Chateau Morrisette are sealed using "real" corks as compared to synthetic.  This is done because Mr. Morrisette insists on it.  He takes great pride in his wine, and does not want to sacrifice anything in order to save a few cents here and there.

At the end of the tour, we were able to participate in the tastings.  We were given ten different wines, starting with the drys, then the off-drys, and finishing with the sweets.

• 2010 Chardonnay: This wine had a wonderful aroma.  Apple, melons, and citrus were all easily detected.  I could also smell some vanilla, due to the oak barrels in which the wine was stored.  The taste was fantastic.  It was extremely smooth and rich in flavor.  I could taste apple and pear, along with a hint of spices.
• Independence: This wine was very dry and crisp.  It had a lot of floral and fruity aromas.  The taste was fantastic.  Grapefruit was definitely evident, as well as melons.  It was quite refreshing and light.
• Liberty: This wine had am extremely light body.  The aroma can only be described as being filled with fruit.  The taste was nothing different.  Berries upon berries could be tasted.  It was also slight bitter.
• 2008 Merlot: The wine's aroma was quite smokey.  It smelled almost like tobacco.  The taste was again extremely smokey.  It was quite heavy and somewhat bitter.
• 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon: This wine was filled with the aromas of blackberry and cherry.  The taste was heavy on the cherry flavor however, which I found quite interesting.  It also had a somewhat smokey aftertaste,which I wasn't the biggest fan of.
• The Black Dog: This wine was quite interesting.  The aroma was more or less dominated by spices. The taste was medium bodied, and somewhat sweet.  Again, as with the aroma, the predominant taste was spice.
• 2010 Vidal Blanc: The aroma of this wine was filled with apples and citrus.  I could also detect a somewhat flowery aroma.  The taste was extremely refreshing.  The citrus and apple flavored dominated, but I think this added to the smoothness.  It was somewhat sweet, but had a slight bitter aftertaste.
• Our Dog Blue: This was probably my favorite wine of the day.  The aroma was filled with fruit, citrus, and flowers.  It reminded me of a nice spring morning.  The taste was fantastic as well.  I could easily taste the melon and citrus flavoring.  It was smooth and light, and was sweet, but not too sweet.
• Red Mountain Laurel: The aroma of this wine reminded me of grape juice.  The taste was almost exactly how it smelled.  The guide described it as Welch's grape juice on steroids, and I could not agree more.  It was sweet and smooth.  If I hadn't known it was wine in the first place, I probably would have mistaken it for grape juice.
• Blackberry Wine:  This wine was extremely smooth and sweet.  I could detect blackberry instantly. It was by far the sweetest of the day, as well as the most popular with my girlfriend.  

Tasting Room

After finishing the wine tasting, it was time to explore the store.  We ended up buying three bottles of wine, and hit the road back to Blacksburg.  Thankfully, I took the Blue Ridge Parkway, so I avoided that gravel road.  All in all, this was a great experience.  It was a beautiful day, and our guide was extremely knowledgeable.  The winery itself is quite impressive, and for the price it's well worth the $8.  I look forward to going to visit more winery's soon, as I will have high expectation after visiting Chateau Morrisette.

     

Tasting - Vintage Cellar on 4-5-12

Name: gPG Garganega Pinot Grigio
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: Italy
Country: Italy
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95

Winery Review:  gPG is from the delle Venezie regions of northeastern Italy. A clean and crisp palate with plenty of texture and weight follows aromas of apples and zesty lemons. It's perfect with grilled white fish or light risotto.

My Review:  The aroma of this wine filled with fruits.  I could detect mostly apple, but also got the off scent of citrus.  The taste was very smooth.  It was quite refreshing, and did not have much of a burn.  It was light and crisp.  I did not have this wine with food.

Name: Oveja Negra Syrah-Cab Rosé
Variety: Syrah-Cab Rosé
Region: Chile
Country: Chile
Year: 2010
Price: $6.95

Winery Review:  Oveja Negra Reserva Rosé is bright cherry-red in color and has an attractive nose with aromas of raspberries and strawberries as well as plum and a bit of green apple. Crisp and juicy on the palate with a slight sweetness that accompanies the red fruit flavors. Pleasing natural acidity with mediumhigh intensity, nice persistence, and a fresh finish.

My Review:  This wine had a very peculiar color.  It was red, but almost a pale red, slightly pink.  The aroma was filled with berry.  I could detect everything from strawberry to blackberry. The taste was excellent.  It's berry flavor came out at first, but finished with more of a citrus taste.  I did not have this wine with food.

Name: Varas Vinho Tinto 3 Liter Box (4 bottles)
Variety: Vinho Tinto
Region: Portugal
Country: Portugal
Year: n/a
Price: $21.95 ($4.95/ bottle)

Winery Review:  This smooth Portuguese red is a blend of Castelão (45%), Tinta Roriz (25%), Tinta Barroca (20%) and Pinot Noir (10%). The vineyards are located near Lisbon, planted in sunny gentle slopes of clay and limestone soils. The wine was aged in oak barrels.

My Review:  Surprisingly, I found this wine to probably be my favorite of the day.  I wasn't expecting much, as I'm use to boxed wine tasting quite cheap.  The aroma was actually very pleasant.  It was nice and smokey and I could detect some small hint of spice.  The taste was quite smooth.  It did not burn at all and was quite crisp.  The smokiness really was apparent when tasting.  I did not have this wine with food.





Name: Montebuena Rioja Crianza
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Spain
Country: Spain
Year: 2007
Price: $6.95

Winery Review:  100% Tempranillo. Dark red. Spicy red berries and cherry on the nose, with hints of cracked pepper and dried rose. Crisp and dry on the palate, with spicy redcurrant and cherry flavors, light tannins and a fresh, energetic finish. An excellent value, and surprisingly elegant for this price point.

My Review:  The aroma of this wine was strong in spices and pepper.  I also noticed a faint scent of flowers.  The taste was alright.  I haven't been the biggest fan of Tempranillo's in the past, and this one was no different.  It was a little heavy on the spices and was quite smokey.  I did not have this wine with food.

Name: Cantina di Casteggio Moscato di Pavia
Variety: Moscato di Pavia
Region: Italy
Country: Italy
Year: n/a
Price: $7.95

Winery Review:  Bright, light golden color. Very aromatic nose of ripe apricots, sage, honey and a slight minerality. Medium bodied, sweet and fruity with flavors of apricots and tangerine. Well balanced acidity and medium finish with layers of sweet and citrus fruit.

My Review:  This wine was everything I would expect out of a moscato.  The aroma of the wine was very pleasant.  It  had everything from honey, to fruit, to spices.  The taste was really refreshing.  It was extremely smooth, but not too sweet.  I could instantly taste apricot and possibly orange.  I did not have this wine with food.