Penelope's wine blog

Name: Starborough Variety: Sauvignon Blanc Region: Marlborough Country: New Zealand Year: 2016 Price: $15 Wi nery Rev ie w :   The quality of the vintage shows through in this wine, which is being produced in ever-increasing quantities. It's plump in feel, marked by ripe fig and melon flavors, with hints of grapefruit and nectarine. Drink now. J.C. (7/1/2016)- 88 My review:  I bought this wine because I have recently discovered I like sauvignon blanc, and I was wanting to try one from New Zealand. Upon smelling this wine, I sensed an apple or lemon aroma. After I said apple, my boyfriend smelled it again and exclaimed that he could smell the apple scent of the green apple jolly rancher, which I could definitely smell after he said that. When I tasted the wine, it tasted acidic to me. Very acidic. I did like the wine a lot though. I was sad to see that I did not taste or smell anything that was talked about in the professional review. The only similarity that I saw was...

Name: Palacios Remondo La Vendimia (Rioja) Variety:  Tempranillo Region: Rioja, Northern Spain Country: Spain Year:  2014 Price:  $17 Wi nery Rev ie w:   Choppy, stalky red-berry aromas shows a modest green note and a reedy quality. Although raw in feel, this offers a solid mix of plum and stalky berry flavors. A dry, peppery, oaky finish tastes as if the grapes struggled to get fully ripe in what was a cold vintage throughout Spain. M.S. (8/1/2016)- 88 My review: When I first smelled this wine I smelled a fruity flavor. At first, I thought it smelled like blackberry, but then thought maybe cherry flavoring. I could smell a fruity, but also possibly a tart aroma. When smelling it I thought it smelled good, like a wine I would probably like. Upon tasting it, it tasted very smooth and subtle! Yum!! I liked it a lot. I could taste a little bit of spice. I could taste a little bit of an acidic flavor, but hardly. I was excited to see in the professional review th...

Name: V.No Malbec Variety: Malbec Region:  Mendoza Country: Argentina Year: 2014 Price: $13 Winery Rev ie w:   Full-bodied, with rich tannins and dark cherry flavors, along with a chocolate and pepper spice finish. My review:  When I smelled this wine I could smell a cherry scent. I was excited to see that in the review they also smelled cherry. As I tasted it I tasted spice, but did not taste any cherry like I thought I had smelled. My grandmother said she tasted a black pepper taste, which I was unable to detect which spice I was tasting until she said that, and was also interested to see the review tasted the same finish. I was unable to sense any chocolate smell or flavoring. I liked this wine, but the Dona Paula Malbec I had the night before- also from Mendoza, Argentina- I liked better. I thought this one was less smooth than the Dona Paula. Before this weekend I thought I did not like Malbec very much, but both the Malbec's I tried I thoroughly enjoyed. I pa...

Name: Concha Y Toro 2015 Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay Variety:  Chardonnay Region: Limari Valley Country:  Chile Year:  2015 Price:  $22 Winery Rev ie w:   On the nose, this Chardonnay smells mostly of oak, with apple and melon notes in the background. Salty oaky flavors mask the wine's fruit, which falls into the stone-fruit category. A barrel-dominated finish with nectarine notes is resiny and salty. M.S. (6/1/2017)- 87 My review: When I smelled this wine, I could smell the aromas of light fruit. As I tasted it I tasted a little after taste on the top of my mouth, which was not my favorite taste but I did not dislike it. I could taste a fruity taste, but I was not able to tell what kind of fruit. I was thinking possibly a citrus taste. When swirling the wine it made the taste much stronger and less enjoyable.  I paired this wine with spaghetti squash and homemade meat sauce. Gross! I would not ever recommend that pairing. It made me like th...

My favorite wine and cheese pairing we had was Mt. Tam cheese with a sweet Rose wine. Best. Cheese. Ever!!! I loved it! I was definitely able to taste a mushroom flavor when I had this cheese, especially as an aftertaste. The cheese was super creamy, which I also really enjoyed because I am not really a fan of when cheese is crumbly. The rind on this cheese was also tasty. It had an even stronger mushroom flavor, which I liked because mushrooms are one of my favorite foods. The wine on the other hand.. Yuck! Worst wine I've tried so far this semester. The wine we tried was a St. James Winery Pink Catawba Sweet Rose Wine. This wine was made in Missouri and has 8.4% residual sugar. I am wondering if maybe I do not like sweet wines because to me this one tasted like syrup! When I smelled this wine it had a flowery scent along with some type of fruit, possibly strawberry. I was unable to detect any alcohol type scent. When I first tasted the wine it tasted like peach. After swirl...

Name: Dona Paula 2014 Estate Malbec Variety:  Malbec Region:  Uco Valley, Mendoza Province, Argentina Country: Argentina Year: 2014 Price: $16 Winery Revie w: High-elevation aromas of blueberry, herbs and bramble are accented by cumin and spiced-plum notes. This displays ample size and grip, while flavors of roasted plum and savory spices are earthy. On the finish, this is oaky and minty tasting. M.S. (2/1/2017)- 87 My review:  When I smelled the wine I was unable to smell much. I thought maybe I could smell some fruitiness but was not able to really tell. However, when I tasted the wine I did not taste fruitiness but I did taste a spice accent and thought maybe a mushroomy flavor. I really liked this wine! I thought it tasted very smooth. I was excited to see in the critic's review we both tasted spices. I was unable to taste any plum, oaky, or mint flavorings though.  I tried this wine with tenderloin medallions, roasted carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms a...

Name: Vina Tarapaca Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon Variety:  Cabernet Sauvignon Region:  Maipo Valley Country: Chile Year:  2014 Price: $18 Winery Review:  Aromas of blackberry, iron and spice. Mushroom too. Full-bodied, juicy and rich with a long finish. Soft and flavorful. Drink or hold. J.S.-92 My review:  I really enjoyed this wine! When I smelled it I smelled spice and a fruity flavor, which I deemed to be cherry. While tasting the wine, I enjoyed the flavor of mushrooms and spice. I accidentally choked on one sip of the wine when trying to taste it like seen in a lecture video and was surprised to find I was actually able to taste more of a mushroom flavor. I was excited to see that in the review he also found spiciness, fruitiness, and earthiness in the wine. I was especially excited to taste the mushrooms as he did. However, I did not taste or smell any iron or blackberry. I did not try this wine with any food.