Tasting - Sean Minor 4 Bears Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Country: United States

Region: Paso Robles, California

Vintage: 2019

Price: $16

Wine Critic Review: "Ruby in color and displays aromas of cassis, black cherry, mocha and violets. Ripe flavors of blackberries and raspberries combined with a touch of white pepper to coat the palate. The soft tannins and sweet oak balance lead to a long and lingering finish." - Total Wine

Wine Characteristics: "The rich flavor and high tannin content in Cabernet Sauvignon make it a perfect partner to rich grilled meats, peppery sauces, and dishes with high flavor." -p.88 Wine Folly

My Review: I ordered this wine to pair with my brie burger and was absolutely blown away. The brie burger was slathered in a delicious, homemade fig jam that brought out strong fig notes in the wine. The peppery and mustardy flavor of the baby arugula on the burger brought out notes of pepper from the wine. Its mellow tannic structure and jammy profile allowed it to cut through the fat in the burger perfectly. I was extremely impressed by this wine and can't wait to pair it with another burger. 

Visual - Dark Ruby

Nose - Ripe Raspberries, Raspberry Pie, Strawberry Jam

Palette - Fig, Ripe Raspberry Jam, Blackcurrant, Blackberry, Pepper

Food Pairing - Brie Burger with Fig Jam, Baby Arugala, Bacon, and Roasted Garlic Aioli

 

Tasting - Mionetto Prosecco

Variety: 100% Glera

Country: Italy

Region: Veneto

Vintage: Unpublished

Price: $8

Wine Critic Review: "A straw-colored wine with brilliant reflections. The aroma is fruity, reminiscent of pear and citrus with a slightly floral bouquet. The wine is fresh and crisp with apparent apple and peach flavors. This lightly sparkling (Frizzante) wine typifies the traditional wine-maker's Prosecco. Finished with easily opened crown cap" - Winery Notes

Wine Characteristics: "Italy's most popular sparkling wine is created with Glera grapes grown in Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The best Prosecco wines come from Valdobiaddene" -p.155 Wine Folly

My Review: I thought this Prosecco tasted very nice was quite refreshing as an afternoon libation. I felt like this Prosecco had mild yet pleasant notes of honeydew melon. I did not pair this wine with any food, but I think enjoying this with a spicy Italian pizza or lasagna would have tasted delicious. Overall, I would buy this Prosecco again but would like to pair it with authentic Italian cuisine to get the full experience. 

Visual - Pale Gold

Nose - Beer, Honeydew Melon, Cantelope

Palette - Honeydew Melon, Cantelope, Butter

Food Pairing - None

 

Wine and Cheese Pairing #1

 

My social pod and I had a great time doing our first wine and cheese pairing together. We all brought a bottle of wine and a cheese of our choosing. The biggest takeaway from our evening is that we learned it is pretty hard to have a bad time while tasting wines and enjoying cheeses together. To make things even better, we watched Blood into Wine while doing our tasting. We had a blast. 

Wines:

Lapis Luna Zinfandel 2018

Emancipation Red Blend 2016

Pinetti Notte Zinfandel 2019

Burgo Viejo Rioja Crianza 2016

Cheeses:

Manchego

Brie

Gouda

Crackers:

Balsamic Triscuits

Rosemary and Olive Oil Triscuits

Club Crackers

Meat:

Red Pepper Coated Italian Soppressata

    I will start with the Lapis Luna Zinfandel. This wine had a bold, jammy, delicious fruit structure with ample tannins to balance the wine. My favorite pairing for this wine was the manchego cheese. The hard texture and bold flavor from the manchego brought out the jammy notes in the wine. I felt like the brie and gouda made this wine taste somewhat flabby and I lost some of those delicious raspberry jam notes that the manchego uncovered. 

    The second wine I enjoyed was the Pinetti Notte Italian Zinfandel. This wine had an aroma of lighter fluid mixed with a small hint of fruit. I tried this wine on its own and immediately determined it was young zinfandel that needed to be paired with some sort of food. My favorite pairing for this wine was still the manchego cheese. I felt like the manchego cheese allowed this wine to come out of its shell and I could start to taste specific tastes of raspberry and blackberry.  This was enjoyable with the softer cheeses (brie and gouda) as it provided a body to the zinfandel that I thought was missing. The creamy notes brought out vanilla notes from the wine that I could not discover on its own. 

    The third wine I tasted was the Spanish Rioja.  This wine was 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano grapes. The employee at the Vintage Cellar told my friend that this wine would pair specifically well with the manchego cheese, and he was absolutely right. The manchego cheese brought out notes of nutmeg, coffee beans, and overripe fruits from the tempranillo grapes. This was tasted delicious with the gouda and brie as the neutral, creamy cheese let the spiced notes of this wine take center stage. I would like to try to pair this wine with some traditional Spanish foods, such as seafood paella, to open this wine up even more. 

    The last wine I tasted was the Emancipation California Red Blend. This wine is made up of 44% Grenache, 34% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, 6% Petite Sirah, 2% Zinfandel, 2% Mission, and 2% Valdiguie. This was the best California red blend I have ever tasted as it had a beautifully crisp yet juicy flavor. I immediately tasted bright red cherry that almost tasted like a maraschino cherry. This was the sweetest wine of the night. After trying this wine with the creamy brie cheese, I was able to uncover notes of cream that led to me tasting notes of strawberries and cream. Most importantly, my favorite pairing of the night happened after I tried this wine paired with the spicy Italian soppressata salami. The sweetness of this wine tasted absolutely delicious with the spiciness in the meat and it was a combination that I could not put down. The spiciness of the food brought out even sweeter and more brilliant cherry notes that were extremely enjoyable. I can't wait to try some wines on the sweeter sides with spicier foods as it seemed like a match made in heaven. 

    Overall, I had a great time doing my first wine and cheese pairing and can't wait to enjoy this activity for the rest of my life. Cheers!

Tasting - Airfield Estates Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Country: United States

Region: Yakima Valley, Washington State

Vintage: 2018

Price: $10

Wine Critic Review: "Subtle aromas of matchstick, cherry and herb lead to plentiful black-currant, plum and herb flavors brightened by tart acids. It hasn't come out of its shell yet but has the stuffing to excel when it does." - SEAN P. SULLIVAN. 90 Points. 

Wine Characteristics: "The rich flavor and high tannin content in Cabernet Sauvignon make it a perfect partner to rich grilled meats, peppery sauces, and dishes with high flavor." -p.88 Wine Folly

My Review: I really enjoyed this wine as it complemented my filet mignon dinner very well. I used this wine to craft a red wine shallot reduction to serve with the steak and it created a strong synergistic effect that brought out the spices used in the reduction and the thyme used in cooking the steak. This young red had notes of black cherry and plum, but I felt like it hasn't opened up yet. I wish I had decanted this wine before enjoying it to introduce it to some oxygen and open it up. I felt like the tannins were so bold and strong that they covered up some of the complexities that are yet to come from this wine. I would love to buy a case of it and age it for 5-10 years and see how it opens up over time. 

Visual - Deep Violet

Nose - Black Cherry, Berry Jam, Oregano

Palette - Black Cherry, Black Plum, Cedar

Food Pairing - Filet Mignon with Red Wine-Shallot Reduction

 https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/airfield-estates-2018-cabernet-sauvignon-yakima-valley/

Tasting - Cupcake Vineyards Red Velvet

Variety: Merlot, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah

Country: United States

Region: Soledad, Central Coast, California

Vintage: 2014

Price: $10

Wine Critic Review: "The aroma characteristics were of red raspberries and a somewhat significant nose of alcohol was noticed.  Definitely a youthful aroma, though not a strong precursor to the wine’s taste.  Very aromatic, as well."

Wine Characteristics: "Merlot is loved for its boisterous black cherry flavors, supple tannins, and smoky or chocolaty finish. It's often found in a Bordeaux blend with Cabernet Franc...cherry, plum, chocolate, dried herbs, vanilla." - p. 131 Wine Folly

My Review: This was a delicious California red blend that focused on the lighter fruit and chocolate notes of the grapes it featured. This was a very merlot-forward red blend that had beautiful notes of red cherry tied together with notes of rich dark chocolate. The merlot bellavitano cheese paired beautifully with this wine as it created a cancellation effect that uncovered notes of strawberries and cream. I would absolutely drink this wine again and pair it with the merlot bellavitano.

Visual - Deep Ruby

Nose - Cherry, Dark Chocolate

Palette - Cherry, Strawberries & Cream, Chocolate

Food Pairing - Merlot Bellavitano, Gouda Cheese, Hard Italian Salami

https://www.honestwinereviews.com/cupcake-red-velvet-wine#:~:text=Very%20aromatic%2C%20as%20well.,black%20cherry%20on%20the%20palate.&text=Overall%2C%20I%20really%20enjoyed%20Cupcake,super%20smooth%20easy%20drinking%20wine.

 

Tasting - Cigar Box Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

 

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Country: Chile

Region: Maipo, Valle Central

Vintage: 2019

Price: $12

Wine Critic Review: "A rich, ripe, dark-fruited cabernet with hints of dark stones, iodine and cedary oak. The palate has a juicy heart of blueberry and cassis flavors with crisp, lively tannin to close. Drink or hold." -James Suckling - 91

Wine Characteristics: "The rich flavor and high tannin content in Cabernet Sauvignon make it a perfect partner to rich grilled meats, peppery sauces, and dishes with high flavor." -p.88 Wine Folly

My Review: This young, bold cabernet sauvignon was an absolutely delicious wine that carried a very full body and beautiful tannic structure. In the wine store, I specified that I was looking for a young, tannic, full-bodied cabernet sauvignon and this wine was exactly that. I paired this wine with Ubriaco Cabernet Casearia cheese. The cabernet in the cheese created a cancellation effect that uncovered notes of tobacco, warm vanilla, and nutmeg. I had a vanilla bean candle burning while enjoying this wine which immensely helped my palette uncover the notes of vanilla that were lying beneath the ripe, jammy blackberry flavors. Overall, this was a delicious wine and I would love to buy a case of it to rest for 5-10 years as I think the tannins would mellow out and create an even more complex flavor profile. 

Visual - Deep Violet

Nose - Blackberry, Tobacco, Leather

Palette - Ripe Blackberry, Vanilla, Nutmeg

Food Pairing - Ubriaco Cabernet Casearia Cheese, Gouda Cheese, Hard Italian Salami

Tasting - CK Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Country: United States

Region: California

Vintage: 2018

Price: $5

Wine Critic Review: "This wine has frank, open fruit and spice flavors, with a slightly boisterous, grippy texture that will wrap very well around all kinds of protein dishes. It's medium bodied, moderately tannic and has a touch of lively acidity." -Jim Gordon

Wine Characteristics: "The rich flavor and high tannin content in Cabernet Sauvignon make it a perfect partner to rich grilled meats, peppery sauces, and dishes with high flavor." -p.88 Wine Folly

My Review: This was was a pleasant surprise in terms of its acidity structure, but left me with something to be desired in terms of tannins. I was expected this young cabernet sauvignon to be aggressively tannic but I felt the exact opposite. The wine was smooth and more acidic than other cabernet sauvignons I have had in the past. This is definitely a food wine and should be paired with something like pork tacos or light prime rib. Skip this wine for your steak and lamb dishes and grab a bottle with more complexity and boldness. Overall, at this price point, I would buy it again and could see myself enjoying it when paired correctly. 

Visual - Dark ruby red

Nose - Light blackberry, oak, slight leather

Palette - Underripe blackberry, cherry, oak undertones.

Tasting - Le Gran Noir Pinot Noir 2015

Variety: Pinot Noir

Country: France

Region: Pays d'Oc

Vintage: 2015

Price: $8

Wine Critic Review: "A very distinctive and immediately enjoyable Pinot Noir, this is a very juicy, raspberryish, cherryish wine with hints of strawberry and oak and a refreshing note of pepper.

Great by itself or to accompany all a wide range of meat dishes, but could also be enjoyed with fish such as tuna or salmon."

Wine Characteristics: "The world's most popular light-bodied red is loved for its red fruit and spice flavors that are accentuated by a long, smooth, soft-tannin finish." -p.150 Wine Folly

My Review: This soft and smooth pinot noir had a very light body with distinct notes of spices such as anise and clove. The wine's subtle tannins balanced well against its alcohol to create a well-balanced bottle. I enjoyed this wine thoroughly and would enjoy drinking this all four seasons of the year. 

Visual - Mild red

Nose - Anise, clove, cherrywood, caramel

Palette - Cherry preserves, vanilla, light plum 

Tasting - Cline Old Vine Zinfandel 2018

Name: Cline Old Vine Zinfandel

Variety: 100% Zinfandel

Country: United States

Region: Lodi, Central Valley, California

Vintage: 2018

Price: $14

Wine Critic Review: "Ripe and jammy in flavor, this full-bodied wine verges on sweet, emphasizing vanilla and milk-chocolate aromas, a rich, plummy flavor and soft texture that's low in tannin." - Jim Gordon. 87 Points. 

Wine Characteristics: "A fruit-forward yet bold red that's loved for its jammy fruit and smoky, exotic spice notes. Originally from Croatia, Zinfandel is related to Croatia's #1 red, Plavic Mali." -p.189 Wine Folly

My Review: This crisp and jammy red pleasantly surprised me with the amount of flavor it produced. Its relatively thin body and mild tannins allowed the fruity notes to come forward from the first sip. Its acidity was balanced by its higher alcohol content which created a harmonious, enjoyable libation. 

Visual - Mild red

Nose - Raspberry, cranberry, oak

Palette - Raspberry jam, plum, strawberry