Carmel Road Pinot Noir

Carmel Road Pinot Noir

Growing Area: California

Vintage: 2009

Price: $17.49 USD

The visual inspection of this Pinot Noir showed the wine to have a clear medium tawny color with ruby overlay in the tint.  The smell was easily defined as a smoky, oak, black current scent. 

The flavor summary revealed notes of fruity plum and jam that eventually gave way to a dry mineral tastes making for a moderately simple finish.

I ended up pairing my Carmel Road Pinot Noir with the following meal:

Chicken Teriyaki

Brown Rice

Fried Pineapple Slices

Overall I give this wine 3 corks out of 5. 

Louis Jadet Beauolais-Villages Red Burgundy

Louis Jadet Beauolais-Villages Red Burgundy

Growing Area: France

Vintage: 2010

Price: $12.99 USD

Upon pouring this burgundy wine I noticed the beautiful red color that had a blush purple haze to it.  The smell teased my senses with juicy fruits, cotton candy, berries, and a grave meatiness.  This certainly had me looking forward to the first tastes.

The initial tastes showed dry tannins, earthy tones, and a mild vanilla.  A tart unbalanced finished left my palate dry and somewhat unsatisfied.  Kind of a disappointing experience since the color and smell were wonderful. 

I paired this wine with the following meal:

Homemade Zuppa Toscana Sausage Soup

Buttered Breadsticks  

Overall I give this wine 2 corks out of 5.

Castillo de Monséran Cariñena Garnacha

Castillo de Monséran Cariñena Garnacha

Growing Area: Spain

Vintage: 2009

Price: $9.99 USD

Funny how special moments and memories in life can be remembered with select items.  For me this wine did just that.  I was able to enjoy an earlier vintage of this exact wine at a wonderful dinner party in 2006 and since then have been looking for a bottle of it.  Well, finally I found it!  And what better way to reminisce than with dinner and a review.   

The appearance of the wine was a deep violet/purple with a light red hue present upon tipping the wine in the glass.  The aroma of dark cherries and wild flowers was easily detected in the sinuses.  Upon tasting the wine my palate was rewarded with sweet cherry, blackberry, and slight tannins.  Though the wine started sweet it ends with a dry tone of pepper that lingers on the palate.  Very smooth texture all around. 

Tonight I thought about doing a repeat meal of the one I enjoyed with great friends but decided otherwise at the last second.  I paired the Castillo de Monséran with the following meal:

Baked Sausage Lasagna

Steamed Butter Squash

Homemade Garlic Bread

Overall I give this wine 4 corks out of 5.  Wonderful experience with a great price tag!

Willamette Valley Riesling

Willamette Valley Riesling

Growing Area: Willamette Valley Oregon

Vintage: 2009

Price: $12.49 USD

I had the opportunity to enjoy this wine in the late afternoon and served it slightly chilled.  Upon pouring I was shocked that the color of the wine was a very light, almost white, yellow hue.   

The aromas gave way to nice peachy, lemon, citrus, grassy notes.  Upon sampling I was rewarded a sweetness on the initial tastes with melon, peaches, and slight honey characters appearing afterward.  The finish had a semi-dry touch with an easy finesse that coated my palate.

I would suggest pairing this wine with a light raspberry sesame seed salad or some sort of chicken salad croissants.

Overall I give this wine 3 corks out of 5.  Great value for the price!

E.Guigal Côtes du Rhône

Growing Area: France

Vintage: 2006

Price: $14.99 USD

Tonight I had a pre-dinner wine that I had not yet experienced, the E.Guigal Côtes du Rhône 2006 from France.  Upon inspection the wine had a nice velvet color in the glass.  The sniff revealed lots of fruit and colorful herbal accents on my sinuses. 

The aroma alone left my tastes buds wanting to try this lovely wine.  Upon tasting my palate was flooded with berries and earthy minerals with a somewhat toasty pinch giving way to a clean open finish. 

I ended up pairing my glass of Côte du Rhône with the following meal, which worked out well:

Spiral Cut Ham with Dijon Honey Sauce

Loaded Potato

Home Grown Seasoned Steamed Vegetables

Overall I give this wine 3.5 corks out of 5.  Nice start to the week!