January 21, 2012 Vintage Cellar Wine Tasting

So, I had my first wine tasting experience of the semester at the Vintage Cellar, and I learned a few things:
1) Get there early...or else all 499 other students and their friends will have gotten there first.
2) Don't chew gum soon before wine tasting...enough said.
3) Bring water and crackers.

First up was this 2010 Sean Minor/Four Bears Sauvignon Blanc.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a good taste of it due to the suffering of my taste buds due to the Juicy Fruit.  It's a shame that I didn't get a good taste, so I'll have to try it again another time.  According to the tasting sheet, it is "Rich and complex with aromas of ruby grabfruit, citrus and tropical fruit.  On the palate, the combined flavors of fresh melon, fig and line are balanced perfectly to form a crisp, mouthwatering texture and a lingering finish."  It sounds like something nice and refreshing for a summer evening!


Next up, as I begin to regain proper tasting, is what is described by Professor Boyer as a "bizarre wine."  In France, it is considered a no-name brand of wine and is sold in plastic jugs as milk would.  Here, it has a convenient flip-top to make serving simple.  This wine is a mixture of various fruits and grape varieties. I could definitely taste the pears.  

This is when I really knew that my taste buds were back!  I came with an adjective to describe this wine from the Côtes du Rhône region of France.  While it is not a very original description, I would say that this wine is woody and dry.  It's description says it's aromas have "cigar box and licorice tones."  I don't really know what a cigar box smells like, but I'll trust that that is what I smelled.

This Four Bears Cabernet Sauvignon helped me and my drinking buddy for the day, Josh, learn a lot about wood barrels!  I instantly tasted blackberries and raspberries when I tasted it, with a hint of the woody taste.  Josh commented that a lot of these wines reminded him of bourbon.  Again, Professor Boyer steps in to save the day!  Apparently, after distilleries use a barrel for about 20 years, they often sell them to wineries to use.  I can imagine how much flavor the wood had absorbed over the years and released into the wine along with the woody flavors.

This Crios Malbec is another dry and woody wine, with a touch of spice and black cherry.  To me, it seems like a good wine for those summer nights!

The last white wine I tasted was the Candoni Pinot Grigio.  At first, the fruity tastes were subtle, but as the chilled wine warmed in my mouth, a strong taste of pear came through.  This is another good summer wine that can be served with fish, pasta, chicken or alone.

Las Rocas Garnacha is a bonus wine that was not listed on the tasting list, so I was not sure what to expect.  It was very, very dry, and had a flavor that I couldn't identify, so after trying to identify it as a licorice flavor, I had to do some research.  According to the Las Rocas website, it is made with "vibrant black raspberries."  I had no idea how that tasted previous to today, but if I can ever get past the dryness, I'll know next time.  I don't mean to go on about how dry the wine was, but seriously, I think it evaporated in my mouth.  As a fan of sweeter wines, I will be hesitant to try it again without at least having some food to pair it with.  It is recommended to be paired with grilled beef or other hefty meats.

I believe I will have to make a point to try the Lyeth Cabernet again when I have the opportunity.  After the Garnacha, my taste buds were shot again.  This Cabernet is described as being "sweet and jammy in cherries, blueberries and cocoa."  I was very excited to taste the fruits and cocoa, but all I got was that it was somewhat dry as well.  

Last for today, but certainly not least, is the Alta Luna Phases.  Unfortunately, I couldn't taste the dark cherry, plum and blackberry.  However, it did have a finish with a kick, that I was certainly not expecting.  There were definitely spicy notes.  I would be willing to try this again as well, in order to be able to fully experience the fruitiness with the kick.


I learned a lot to that I can use for future tastings!  Hopefully, I'll begin expanding my wine vocabulary and start assigning more words for different aromas and tastes.  Nothing really caught my attention today, but it's all part of the experience!


Summary of the day:  These are great cook-out summer wines, especially if you like drier wines with woody flavors.
Next Friday is a hard cider tasting, and then on Saturday, I may be doing a tour and tasting at Maison Beliveau.