Name: Lobetia Tempranillo
Variety: 100% Tempranillo
Region: Castilla La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $11
Winery review: Peppy, clean black-fruit aromas come with a touch of leather. It feels full and juicy, with a firm texture and bright, lightly toasted flavors of plum and berry. This is an uncomplicated wine, the perfect quaffer for the price.
My review: I thought this wine was alright. It had a fruit flavor to it, specifically berries. I thought for the price that this wine was very tasty. The nose on this wine had a fruity sense to it and I could see myself drinking this wine with a good steak or roast beef dish. I would recommend this wine to tempranillo lovers and Lobetia is good in my book in terms of making quality wines at good prices.
I tasted this on its own with no food.
Jon's first wine blog
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Wine Tasting - Dominio de Punctum Lobetia Chardonnay
Name: Dominio de PunctumLobetia Chardonnay
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $7
Winery review: This smells like applesauce and pear, feeling tight as a drum on the palate, with sharp nectarine and apricot flavors. It’s tart and crimped on the finish. — M.S. (10/1/2012) 81 points
My review: I thought this wine was different from other chardonnays I've had. I thought it had a orange flavor to it and kind of a bitter finish as well. It reminded me of the Edna Valley chardonnay in a sense that it had the bitter finish/kick to it. I would recommend this wine to white wine drinkers and I could see myself drinking this with a good tuna dish.
I tasted this on its own with no food.
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2010
Price: $7
Winery review: This smells like applesauce and pear, feeling tight as a drum on the palate, with sharp nectarine and apricot flavors. It’s tart and crimped on the finish. — M.S. (10/1/2012) 81 points
My review: I thought this wine was different from other chardonnays I've had. I thought it had a orange flavor to it and kind of a bitter finish as well. It reminded me of the Edna Valley chardonnay in a sense that it had the bitter finish/kick to it. I would recommend this wine to white wine drinkers and I could see myself drinking this with a good tuna dish.
I tasted this on its own with no food.
Wine Tasting - The Naked Grape Pinot Noir
Name:The Naked Grape Pinot Noir
Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $9
Winery review: Krenshaw wrote, "Great value for the price! would have a case on hand to have as a daily drinker. not too sweet, not too strong, not incredibly flavorful, but good to have on hand" (2/22/2011) — 86
My review: I thought this wine was beyond excellent. It tasted very well and I thought it went extraordinarily well with the steak/grilled chicken I had. I thought this wine had great flavor and brought out the juices in the steak I ate. I would absolutely recommend this wine to anyone and I'm excited to see what the other wine varieties taste like from this brand.
I tasted this with grilled chicken, steak, and asparagus.
Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $9
Winery review: Krenshaw wrote, "Great value for the price! would have a case on hand to have as a daily drinker. not too sweet, not too strong, not incredibly flavorful, but good to have on hand" (2/22/2011) — 86
My review: I thought this wine was beyond excellent. It tasted very well and I thought it went extraordinarily well with the steak/grilled chicken I had. I thought this wine had great flavor and brought out the juices in the steak I ate. I would absolutely recommend this wine to anyone and I'm excited to see what the other wine varieties taste like from this brand.
I tasted this with grilled chicken, steak, and asparagus.
Wine Tasting - Fetzer Merlot
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NbCqxAk-F-PJVK8WVq8m3i0a2Yv5Kx48hLZZNZFDJA1JJIRjkM7Mw6D-f_uj4mQOLWb1BdN9HyCrN5j8evw3DW4hWsRNteu69-GGevUwmt4er4_izJCRyZwgQfAy0OFXTCpMgow-9V0/s1600/Fetzer-Merlot.jpg)
Variety: Indicative blend: Predominantly Merlot with Syrah, Petite Verdot, Carignane, Petite Syrah and Cabernet
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2010
Price: $9
Winery review: Mike Kopanski wrote, "They did everything they could to bring us an adequate, value priced wine, and we have to give them credit. It smells and tastes a little manipulated, but still is varietally correct and inoffensive. Rich magenta color. Nose of baked raspberry and oak chips. Almost too rich on the palate for a wine at this price. You get the impression of fruit, but it is not expressive, and acts like a low 80's scored wine. We drank the whole bottle, and ave no complaints about off flavors. A few less oak chips would have been preferable. Not all that bad. " (12/1/2012) — 84
My review: I thought this wine had a very good blend of cherry and fruity flavors. This wine paired very well with the steak dish that I had and I thought it had a nice finish to it. The aroma on this wine definitely had that "oak" sense to it. I think this wine was one of the better merlots that I've had and I would recommend this wine to anyone who likes reds.
I tasted this with grilled asparagus, grilled chicken and a sirloin steak.
Wine Tasting - Edna Valley Chardonnay
Name: Edna Valley Vineyard Chardonnay
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Region: San Luis Obispo County, California
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $11
Winery review: Orepeza wrote, "Banana, peach, apple in the mouth. Nice balance, decent acidty, well done oakiness. This is by no means great wine, but for a budget CA chard it is very hard to find better. (The poster admits to a particular fondness for the Edna Valley AVA's chardonnay which accounts for an extra point or 2)" (11/26/2011) — 88
My review: I thought this wine was not very good. I've had alot of good Chardonnay's and this wine was just bitter to me. It hahd a myriad of fruity flavors and a strong bitter finish. I don't know if it was the food pairing that I had with this wine that made it not enjoyable, but I would not recommend this version of Chardonnay to anyone.
I tasted this with a 14 oz. steak, grilled chicken, and asparagus.
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Region: San Luis Obispo County, California
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $11
Winery review: Orepeza wrote, "Banana, peach, apple in the mouth. Nice balance, decent acidty, well done oakiness. This is by no means great wine, but for a budget CA chard it is very hard to find better. (The poster admits to a particular fondness for the Edna Valley AVA's chardonnay which accounts for an extra point or 2)" (11/26/2011) — 88
My review: I thought this wine was not very good. I've had alot of good Chardonnay's and this wine was just bitter to me. It hahd a myriad of fruity flavors and a strong bitter finish. I don't know if it was the food pairing that I had with this wine that made it not enjoyable, but I would not recommend this version of Chardonnay to anyone.
I tasted this with a 14 oz. steak, grilled chicken, and asparagus.
Wine Dinner - Steak/Grilled Chicken with Asparagus
Wine Steak/Grilled Chicken Dinner
For my dinner, I had asparagus, 14 oz. sirloin steak, and grilled chicken. I chose to get a steak because I had two red wines which I know pair well with dark meats such as steak. I chose grilled chicken to see how it would taste with the lighter wine. The asparagus was a nice finishing touch to eat on the side that I thought would go well with both wines.
My friends and I chose to get three different wines to eat with our meals. There was the Naked Grape Pinot Noir, Fetzer Merlot, and Edna Valley Chardonnay. The Naked Grape Pinot Noir was absolutely excellent. I thought this wine worked really well with the steak and almost made the juices from the steak ten times more enjoyable. It was easy to drink and had a very nice finish. I recommend this wine to pair with steak any day of the week. The Edna Valley Chardonnay was not that good in my opinion. It was not as good as other chardonnay's and it was a little bitter on my tongue. I did not like drinking this wine with the meal at all. Lastly, the Fetzer Merlot was decent. I thought this wine went well with the grilled chicken and steak. It wasn't as good as the Pinot Noir, but it tasted better than the chardonnay. I'd recommend the Fetzer Merlot to dark red drinkers for sure.
The Naked Grape Pinot Noir was from California, USA. It was around $9 and 100% Pinot Noir. It had a lot of cherry and red fruits flavors and I thought it was really well.
The Fetzer Merlot was from California, USA. It was around $9 and a blend of Merlot and Syrah, Petite Verdot, Carignane, Petite Syrah, and Cabernet. This wine had explosive fruity flavors and had a strong finish.
The Edna Valley Vineyards Chardonnay is from Central Coast California, USA. It is priced around $11 and it is 100% Chardonnay. This wine was half decent and had a bitter taste to it with fruity flavors.
My friends really enjoyed this meal at home with these three wines and definitely decided that the Naked Grape Pinot Noir was the best of the bunch. We also decided that the Edna Valley Chardonnay was the worst. In the above picture, my friend is eating fish, asparagus, and steak with this eclectic variety of wines. I enjoyed the meal and definitely realized that a really good wine can enhance any food experience for the better.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Winery Visit - Childress Vineyards
Childress Vineyards
This vineyard is 35,000 foot facility that was designed by an architect named Kyle Troxwell. It is a stone and stucco building with a terra cotta roof inspired by the Italian renaissance infastructure of Tuscany. This facility is not only a winery, but it is almost like a landmark for visitors in North Carolina. It is a very inviting place with a Old World feel to it. There are iron chandeliers, architectural beams, and textured walls giving the place an antiquated appearance.
When you enter, there is a multi-tiered fountain in the lobby which welcomes people in to a very relaxing and tranquil environment. There is a wine tasting room, bistro, banquet room, and gift shop. The gift shop and wine tasting room have an European market place feel to it while the Bistro is like a cafe on the street. There is a very elegant dining area which features a waterfall and a plethora of oak barrels fermenting the signature wines from this vineyard. It is so nice that the place rents their rooms out and dining areas to people for various events including weddings and celebrations.
The weather in this area has a very temperate climate and the soil is gravel like with a mixture of clay. The 100 acres of 12 varieties of Vitus Vinifera have been planted at three vineyards. The soil is mostly red and, as mentioned before, is a rocky clay mixture. The mornings turn up being really cool since it is located on a slope and there is a very strong afternoon sunlight which imitates Burgundy grape growing conditions. Some of the grapes grown are Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Chardonnay, Viognier, and Sangiovese.
They have an assortment of wines ranging from house wines, varietals, and signature wines. Their house wines are light, delicate, and semi-dry. There is usually a berry undertone with a crisp finish. The varietals are aged in French and American oak barrels and are made with new technology along with old world methods. These wines are drinkable immediately, but would be better if aged for a few years. Lastly, their signature wines are hand picked and the barrels are formed from trees in Alliers Forest in central France. The wood is seasoned for 3 years, but only new barrels are used for aging the signature wines.
I had a great time at this winery and I recommend everyone to check it out. Its interesting how this Nascar owner, Richard Childress, picked up this hobby and transformed his passion into making this beautiful establsihment.
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