Name: Oak Vineyards Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Country: USA
Region: California
Year: 2010
Price: $5.95
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:
This wine smells like butter, tastes like an oak tree (as Gary V says, OAK MONSTER), and finishes with another butter taste.
I tried this alone without food.
Name: Poysdorfer Sarüssel Grüner Veltliner
Variety: Grüner Veltliner
Country: Austria
Region: Niederösterreich (Lower 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:
This wine had a very fruity nose, tasted kind of like lemons and had an aftertaste that tasted like what I'd assume flowers would taste like.
I tried this alone without food.
Name: Opera Prima Sweet White
Variety: No idea.
Country: Spain
Region: No idea.
Year: 2010
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:
This wine smells like candy and flowers, it does have a tropical taste like the review says. It is very, very sweet.
I tasted this alone without food.
Name: Senda 66 Tempranillo
Variety: Tempranillo
Country: Spain
Region: La Mancha
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:
This wine smelled of strawberries and cherries and flowers. It had a sort of tropical taste to it, it was very sweet.
I tasted this alone without food.
Name: Sierra Cruz Carmenere
Variety: Carmenere
Country: Chile
Region: Maule Valley
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, medium-bodied 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:
This wine has a fruity, jammy nose with a tannic and dark berry flavor. It is not well-balanced with lots of heat.
I tasted this alone without food.
Name: Lost Vineyards Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Country: Argentina
Region: Northwest
Year: Nonvintage?
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 had a very sweet and floral nose. The body was smooth and buttery, with a little tartness on the finish.
I tasted this alone without food.
Name: Sierra Cruz Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Country: Chile
Region: Maule Valley
Year: 2011
Price: $6.95
Winery Review:
This Chilean Sauvignon Blanc just oozes with bright citrus flavors and a nose of herbs and grass. Sylistically, 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 arugala, pine nuts, mushrooms and parmesan.
My Review:
This wine has a citrusy nose, but has a very sharp and kind of stale tasting body and does not finish well with a bad aftertaste.
I tasted this alone without food.
