Wine Tasting: Domaine Les Fines Graves Moulin-à-Vent

  Name: Domaine Les Fines Graves Moulin-à-Vent

Variety: 100% Gamay

Region: Beaujolais, Moulin-a-Vent

Country:France

Year: 2020

Price:$45

Online Review: 

Explosive nose of raspberries, red currants, plums; medium body with layers of fruit on the palate, plush texture, fruit lasts through the finish, acidity well balanced by the fruit.

Folly Review: 

Pg. 113 Gamay- Wine folly describes this wine as only high in acidity. Tannins, alcohol, body and sweetness were all rated very low. Folly also describes it with notes of pomegranate, blackberry bramble and violet. 

My Review: 

This was one of my favorite wines I've had. I thought it was fruity but not overly sweet and quite smooth. I think it was more flavorful than other wines I've had so far. 

I had this food with a platter of cheese. 

Wine Tasting: Patamar Lisboa Red Blend

  Name: Patamar Lisboa Red Blend

Variety: Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca

Region: Lisboa

Country: Portugal

Year: 2015

Price:$13

Online Review: 

This is a concentrated wine that has fine tannins that are integrated with the ripe blackberry flavor. It is rich and dense in feel, with a succulent texture. Drink now.

Folly Review: 

Pg.  178  Touriga Nacional- According to Folly this wine is very high in body, alcohol, tannins, and acidity but quite low in sweetness. Common notes in this type of wine are violet, blueberry and plum. The other grapes were not in wine folly but the book does discuss Portugal wines. 

Pg 264- Wine folly describes Portugal as a country with unique wines and not well known outside of the country. 

My Review: 

I liked this wine. I don't think this wine was high in tannins or acidity but that might just be because of the other grapes that were in it. I thought it was really smooth and not too sweet but not too dry. Overall I enjoyed the wine. 

  I did not pair this wine with food. 

Wine Tasting: Schmitt Söhne

  Name: Schmitt Söhne

Variety: Reisling

Region: Mosel

Country: Germany 

Year: 2020

Price:$7

Online Review: 

Schmitt Sohne Family Wines Rieslings are everything that great German Rieslings are supposed to be: richly fragrant, light-to medium bodied, with a lively, fruity acidity and earthy minerality. They’re the kind of easy drinking, go-with-anything wines that only dedicated vintners, steeped in centuries-long winemaking tradition, can make.

Folly Review: 

Pg.  158  Riesling- According to Folly this wine is very high in sweetness and acidity but quite low in alcohol tannins and body. Common notes in this type of wine are lime, green apple, beeswax, jasmine and petroleum. 

My Review: 

I really liked this wine and am considering if maybe I am more of a white wine person. It is one of the few white wines I've drank for this course and really enjoyed it. It is sweet and acidic with green apple and citrusy flavors which I enjoyed a lot.

  I did not pair this wine with food. 

Wine Tasting: Génération 1905

  Name: Génération 1905

Variety: Grenache

Region: Vin De France

Country: France

Year: 2019

Price:$11

Online Review: 

Lovely nose full of ripe red fruit. VERY pleasant and friendly flavours of Sweet cherry, ripe strawberry with acidity to match. No tannins to be found.

Folly Review: 

Pg.  117  Grenache - According to Folly this wine is very high in alcohol and body but quite low inn sweetness acidity and tannins. I do think this one was more sweet and acidic maybe than other Grenache wines. Common notes of this wine are stewed strawberry, grilled plum, leather, dried herbs, and blood orange. He also recommends pairing the wine with meats which I could see would have fit really well with this wine and will consider it next time. 

My Review: 

I liked this one, it wasn't too tannic and a good amount of sweet. I felt like it was a little acidic which I enjoyed and I think the red fruity flavor was also prevalent and enjoyable. 

  I did not pair this wine with food. 

Wine Tasting: Old Vine Zinfandel

 Name: Old Vine Zinfandel

Variety: Zinfandel

Region: Sonoma County

Country: California

Year: 2019

Price:$10

Online Review: 

Tasting the medium-bodied wine reveals a super smooth and easy to drink Zin with the nuanced complexity that only comes from older vines. It's a great example of a Sonoma Zin with very brambly flavors of ripe black cherry, blackberry, blueberry and cranberry. You'll also find a bit of leathery spice and vanilla in this very flavorful and nicely balanced wine.

Folly Review: 

Pg.  189 Zinfandel - According to Folly this wine is very high in alcohol, tannins and in body. Folly also considers Zinfandel as low sweetness and acidity  Some flavor notes are blackberry, strawberry and cinnamon.

My Review: 

I liked this one a lot more than the Malbec I also had this week. Interestingly enough, opposite again to what Folly reports, I felt like this one had less tannins. I also noticed the high alcohol in this wine. I thought this wine was fruity with berry flavors as well as cherry. I also felt like I could sense some of the spice in it.

        I did not pair this wine with food. 

Wine Tasting: Bodega Norton

  Name: Bodega Norton

Variety: Malbec

Region: Mendoza River Valley

Country: Argentina

Year: 2019

Price:$13.99

Online Review: 

Vintage 2019. Plum , spicy notes and tobacco. Juicy and pleasant. But of complex, Medium + acidity and tannins, medium-bodied. Not too long but pleasant finish. Good value for money.

Folly Review: 

Pg.124 and 125 Malbec- According to Folly this wine is high in alcohol and very high in body. Folly also considers Malbec to have low tannins and low sweetness, which while it was low in sweetness I felt like it was actually quite tannic. Some flavor notes are dark berries like blackberry and red plum as well as vanilla. Malbecs from Argentina, like this one, have red fruit notes and soft tannins.

My Review: 

This was actually one of my least favorite ones I have had so far. It did feel full bodied to me and I felt like it was quite tannic as mentioned earlier, leaving me with a dry mouth feeling which is not something I enjoy very much. I definitely tasted the red and dark berry flavors and maybe even a hint of peppery flavor. 

                                                                I did not pair this wine with food. 

Wine Tasting: La Finca Eugenio Bustos

  Name: La Finca Eugenio Bustos 

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon 

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2021

Price:$5

Online Review: 

Pretty mellow for a Cabernet, although I love that it’s not too much black cherry. Spice, tobacco, leather, a bit of raspberry. Really nice!

Folly Review: 

Pg.88 Cabernet Sauvignon- According to Folly this wine is high in tannins and body and quite low in sweetness, which I definitely noticed. Often there are notes of black cherry, cedar and baking spices. 

My Review: 

I thought this wine was very dry and left my mouth feelings the tannins, which is one of my least favorite aspects of wine. I thought it was mostly oaky with favors of spices and cedar. I was one of the less fruity wines I have had so far. It also was not my favorite. 

I did not pair this wine with food. 

Wine Tasting: Famiglia Castellani Chianti

 Name: Famiglia Castellani Chianti

Variety: Sangiovese

Region: Tuscany

Country: Italy

Year: 2019

Price:$14

Online Review: 

Dry and balanced, lightly tannic which turns into velvety softness. Bright ruby red color, the Castellani Chianti Annata shows an intense and characteristic bouquet, fruity with violet fragrance and a slight hint of cherries and red currant.

Folly Review: 

Pg.162 Sangiovese- According to Folly this wine is very low in sweetness and very high in acidity. This gives it notes of cherry, roasted tomato and espresso. It also considers it to have fairly high tannin flavors, which I did not notice.

My Review: 

I thought this was wine was somewhat full bodied. I believe I found notes of black and red fruit like cherry and plum. It was somewhat fruity but not overpoweringly so, and quite dry. 

I did not pair this wine with food.