Sonoma-Cutrer Rose of Pinot Noir 2021

The Rose of Pinot Noir from Sonoma-Cutrer is a 2021 vintage of Rose from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County, California. The bottle cost $39 and has an alcohol content of 12% ABV. This rose was chosen because many complained about how dry and unsweet the last week's tasting was. Personally, I do not care for Rose; I think it is still dry, unsweet, and lacks the body that I enjoy in red wines.

On Sonoma-Cutrer's website, this wine is described as having "aromas of tangerine, pink grapefruit, strawberry, raspberry and a light hint of rose petal." I agree, it is light and floral.

The wine had a medium copper color in the light, with a light crisp floral scent. Roses have a strong scent to me that I can only describe as grape-y. The taste is hard to define for me too; it doesn't have too strong a flavor to me. It has a great mouthfeel though. Its clean, fresh, crisp and makes me feel like I am drinking cider.

I would say it is off-dry, with a light body. It is acidic, but not high in tannins. The brie cheese and crackers we enjoyed with this pairing made the wine taste less sweet and more acidic to me. I did not think they were a good pair. The wine was served a little colder than room temperature.

From page 150 of the Wine Folly book, Pinot Noir is a grape variety with flavors ranging from cherry and raspberry to clove, mushroom, and vanilla. In Rose form, I did not taste any of this.

 

Casa Bella Lambrusco Dolce

This week we decided to try sweeter wines. The first was Casa Bella Lambrusco Dolce from Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It had an ABV of 8% and cost $8. I was surprised to learn that most Lambruscos are dry, when I had always considered it a sweet wine. It is made up primarily of the Lambrusco grape variety. There was no vintage year labeled for this wine.

We decided to pair this sweet bubbly red with some toasted rosemary crackers and a creamy brie cheese. The wine was chilled ahead of time and allowed to warm a bit before serving.

Reviews on vivino.com have described this wine as being sparkly and light, with notes of dark fruits such as blueberries and blackcurrants. It also has some red fruit flavor such as cherries and cranberries.

Upon opening, I noticed its deep purple color and strawberry/red fruit aroma. It tasted strongly of sweet blueberries and subtle tart blackberries. The bubbles and sweetness of the wine actually made the cheese taste creamier, sweeter, and more buttery. The food did not make the wine taste less sweet. It was a viscous wine but not too heavy. I would describe it as having a medium body, with low acidity.

According to the Wine Folly book on page 122 describing Lambrusco wines, this variety ranges in sweetness and has common tasting notes of strawberry, blackberry, rhubarb, hibiscus, and potting soil. It is mostly made in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Also on page 60 I took the advice to pair a sparkling wine like this with a delicate, buttery cheese like Brie and I am glad I did.

Provenance Chardonnay

   

The Provenance Chardonnay 2016 vintage is the first Chardonnay that I have ever enjoyed. My mother's wine of choice is Chardonnay and I always found it to be too dry and oaky. This bottle comes from Carneros near Sonoma, California. The alcohol content is 14.5% ABV and the price was $30. As a Chardonnay, it is predominantly made from Chardonnay grapes.

According to wine.com, this wine boasts notes of lemon curd and white peach, with some oaky flavor. Other reviews describe it as a medium-bodied white with pineapple, honeydew, and guava notes. According to page 96 of Wine Folly, Chardonnays usually exhibit flavors and aromas of yellow apple, starfruit, pineapple, vanilla, and butter. Most Chardonnays I have had before only feature the last two flavors and remind me of whiskey (not a bad thing, just not what I am looking for when I drink wine).

 

I am not normally a fan of white wines, especially Chardonnay. I find it to be too dry. However, this was a very enjoyable wine for me. Out of four I tasted in one night (two Chiantis and two Chardonnays) this was my favorite. It had a medium yellow color and a light-to-medium body, leaning medium. I found it to be pretty sweet for a Chardonnay, with notes of peach and pineapple that surprised me. It had a very aromatic bouquet, and I also noticed the subtle scent and flavor of citrus, like an orange. It was not quite what I would call dry, more "off-dry." And it was only when I swallowed that I noticed the nuanced taste of toasted oak.

This is a wine that I would serve on a date. It did not need any food beside it, which is good because we did not have any. Still, I feel it would pair fairly well with seafood although the flavor profile may conflict with most dishes.

Castellani Chianti Classico Riserva 2017

The first wine I have had the pleasure to review for this course would be a Chianti Classico 2017 Reserve from Famiglia Castellani. This wine comes from Santa Lucia, a village in the region of Tuscany, Italy. This wine had an ABV of 13% and a price of $16. As a Chianti, it is predominantly made up of a variety of grape known as Sangiovese.

According to an employee at the wine store, this was a very good wine. It scored a 93 from renowned critic James Suckling. According to reviews from wine.com, it has orange-peel and blackberry notes, with medium-to-full body and is tangy and fruity.

The wine was ruby red in color, with a strong alcohol smell. It smelled a bit like cherry and dark fruit (perhaps blackberry?). The taste of this wine was dry and medium-bodied, leaning more towards being more full-bodied. It tasted of tart cherries and oak. It was not very sweet, but it was acidic. I would not say it was very fruity as the wine review mentions, but it is tangy.

There does not seem to be an overview of Chianti in the Wine Folly book, but on page 250 it does give some tasting notes of Chianti Classico as well as other various wines from Italy. It describes this variety as a medium red, with notes of preserved cherries, aged balsamic, espresso, and dry salami. While the only note from these I got was the cherries, I will say that this wine with a side of salami and cheese would be out of this world.

However, the chief grape variety in this type of wine is Sangiovese, and details on this variety can be found on page 162 of Wine Folly. It lists flavors and aromas of this variety as cherry, roasted tomato, sweet balsamic, oregano, and espresso. Again, I do not notice any of these notes except for the cherries.

I was recommended at the wine store to put out cheese with this wine, but I did not heed their advice. This was a mistake; the wine would have gone very well with a meal or a snack. On its own, it was not very easy to drink. I believe it is a very good wine for an Italian meal like pasta, especially if the sauce is tomato based.

A Life with Wine

My name is Nicolas Manfred. But to my friends, family, and to you, the reader, you can call me Cole. Wine has always been an important part of my life and I have had a fascination with spirits since I was a teenager. Wine was always the drink of choice in my family; my mother would have a glass of chardonnay at dinner and then another as the evening unfurled. My father was a bit more buttoned up. Perhaps he would have a glass of red blend while he was cooking every now and again, or opt for a stiff scotch and soda if he were feeling more jovial.

A glass of cabernet sauvignon in my Blacksburg apartment

I had my first taste of wine before I was 10 years old. My mother would let me sip from the glass she was holding without a care. I did not like the dry, oaky taste of her chardonnay; to this day I have mixed feelings on that variety. I wanted to be like my father and his side of the family, the Italians, who drank all types of red wine: chianti, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and a plethora more. I am starting to gain an appreciation for dry white wines (I do not care for the extra sweet varieties), however my go-to is still a full-bodied red.

I enjoy a good party. When I am out with friends I usually opt for beer or liquor, whatever will get me drunker. However, I prefer a milder buzz around family and reach for a bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner. And I find that wine is a more romantic beverage to fix a date on a carefree weekend evening as opposed to a vodka cranberry or two fingers of bourbon. It would be nice to have a more discerning palate for selecting wine in these situations.

Family trip to Sorrento, Italy in 2019

Truth be told, I am an aspiring wine snob. I love to learn about the science behind wine, the language of wine, the culture of wine, and everything wine-related. Maybe a (not so small) fraction of this driving force stems from the desire to appear sophisticated and mature. The biggest takeaway I hope to take from this course is how to communicate my feelings about a wine to another person. Because if it is something I love, I want to share with someone why I love it and why they should too.