Wine Tasting 101~ An Italian Stallion

A new favorite.

Tonight, I had a romp with a great Italian Sangiovese (Brunello di Montalcino): an 06 Casanova di Neri.  Since my husband brought the bottle back with him from a recent trip to Italy, I asked for his input.  His take: a mix of black currant on the first nose, that melted into a sweet toffee as the sips went on. I thought it had more of a strawberry preserve  vibe on the nose with a slightly astringent feel. At the end, it morphed into an almost cherry pie, dessert-like finish.  So sinful and gorgeous, it almost made my eyes roll back…but not quite.

What I know of old-world wine is that the first sip will generally be just like the end: good to the last drop. And that’s what many like and depend on in a wine. That’s what draws them to old world wine vs. new world wine time and time again: they always know what to expect when it’s rolling in around in their glass.

It was my first foray into the world of Italian wine and I can honestly say that I wasn’t disappointed. A few more glasses and I might even need a cigarette.

Cheers!

Wine Tasting ~ Original Zin and a little PromisQuity.

Zin-ful

 I’ll admit it: I drink around. As a student of wine, I believe that I have to try a variety of wines to find out what I like and, more important, why I like it. I can’t buy a case of one type of wine. I have to experiment and the one I choose to spend the night with might not last until the next weekend.  For this recent wine night with the girls, we compared and contrasted two Zinfandels. In the past, I haven’t necessarily favored the beloved Zinfandel; I’m not exactly sure why. I guess until now, I thought they weren’t full- bodied enough for my liking. That’s what making assumptions does: it makes an ass of, well, just me in this case.

 We chose to go with 09 Macchia ‘Prestigious’ Zinfandel and an 09 Pezzi King Zin from Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma. The Macchia had a lovely, deep red color, was gentle on the nose and possessed a rich, bold berry on first taste. The next sips brought out more of the richness and lusty flavor. It made me think of a Cabernet in its style; I was pleasantly surprised.  We were unanimous in our appreciation of this wine and it seemed to pair very well with the assortment of mild cheeses I had set out.

The Pezzi King Zin was also a pleasant drinking wine but the consensus was that it tasted very young, as though it could be cellared a little longer. While we did pour both through aerators, it might have enhanced the Pezzi to have been decanted for a time.

PromisQous

With the night still being young, we moved on to PromisQous, a red wine blend from California. It boasted a “delightful dalliance” of Zin, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Syrah. We found that it was indeed a playful little minx and paired very well with the sharp cheddar left on our plates from the earlier tasting.

It was a great night of tasting, trying some new wines I’d never experienced before and getting to know some new friends. I’m not sure what the next wine night theme will be but with so many great wines out there, I’m sure it’ll be just as fun.

Just don’t expect me to call you in the morning.

Cheers!

Night School

09 Red Rock Winery Reserve Pinot Noir

A benefit to online learning is that I can enjoy a glass of wine while in class. I couldn’t do that as an undergrad, so this is a nice perk. While I was waiting for our chat to begin, I thought a lovely red might get the creative juices flowing, so I closed my eyes…and chose another Pinot (we have a few in our cellar right now). It was one I hadn’t heard of before: an 09 Red Rock Reserve from California.

At first, I found it had a musty, black cherry quality on the nose, and a vinyl and berry taste with a slight metallic finish. None of these qualities were bad, per se, it’s just what I experienced. A few more sips revealed a nice peppery heat that I began to really enjoy (it’s still drizzly here in the Cleve).

There were some technical problems with my class chat session that never did get resolved, so I was able to enjoy more than one glass.
I didn’t learn much about grammar tonight, but I did learn that Red Rock Winery makes a very nice, unique Pinot. I also learned that 09 is shaping up to be a very good year.

Cheers!

Candlelight, some wine and me

Taking the chill away

I’ve been out in the cold and dreary Cleveland weather today. So when I got home, I wanted something to take the chill away. I chose an 09 Santa Cristina Sangiovese. It had a nose of berry and the taste of mineral and pepper. I won’t even rate it tonight; that’s not the point. Tonight, it’s about enjoying the wine with my blanket, my candles and a good book.

Cheers!