Brotherhood - 2008 Merlot

I haven't tasted a new vintage of New York wine for a while, but I'm back!

Tasted on: February 26, 2011
Purchased for: $10.99




Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 13%
• Residual Sugar: <0.3%

Tasting:
Appearance: Dark, dark, barely transparent color. Decent set of legs.

Aroma: After letting my glass of red wine air for a half hour, the aroma still wafted over to my chair. A wonderful bouquet of berry and pepper.

Taste / Texture: My first impression is that the flavor is unassuming and pleasant. A tad acidic with the berry (currant?) flavor. Decent mouth feel.

Aftertaste: Relatively short finish with a nice aftertaste.

Decision: Decision 85/100 I haven't had too many merlot wines to compare this one, but I like it and would purchase it again.

Treleaven - 2008 Dry Riesling

Tasted on :November 20, 2010
Purchased for: $12.99
Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 10.9%
• Residual Sugar: unknown, dry
  

Wine Awards and Ratings:

• 2009 Wine Spectator - 85 points
  

Tasting:
Appearance: Clear, pale straw. Bubbles are adhering to the sides of the wine glass.

Aroma: Nice, delicate bouquet. Hard to place exact notes aside from "fruity".

Taste / Texture: Excellent mouthfeel. Wonderful flavor. Crisp fruit notes.

Aftertaste: A lingering lemon on the sides of the tongue after swallowing. This note lasts longer than the taste on top of the tongue. Medium finish on the top of the tongue, medium-long on the sides.

Decision: Very respectable Riesling wine. Interesting flavor notes on different parts of the tongue. 85/100

Leonard Oakes - 2008 White Oakes

Tasted on: August 07, 2010
Purchased for: $11.49
Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 11%
• Residual Sugar: 0.6%

Tasting:

Appearance: One of the palest white wines I've encountered. The palest of yellows. Nearly colorless.

Aroma: Lovely bouquet. Not the most aromatic wine, but the notes that are there are pleasant. I cannot place the aromatic notes through smell. Perhaps the chill has dampened them (and my allergy-afflicted nose doesn't help!).

Taste / Texture: Very smooth texture. Interesting flavor. Fruit note... pear? No. The winery describes it as apple. Yes, I can agree with that. The winery also notes an allspice component, but I can't tease that apart from the flavor as a whole.

Aftertaste: Medium finish on the tongue. Aftertaste flavor is pleasant.

Decision: Very nice, mild wine. I might not buy it for myself again, but I would not turn down an offered glass or two. 80/100

Swedish Hill - 2008 Dry Riesling

Tasted on: June 18, 2010
Purchased for: $11.99

Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 12%
• Residual Sugar: 0.5%

Wine Awards and Ratings:

• Gold Medal NY Wine & Food Classic, NY 8/09

Tasting:
Appearance: Light green and clear. No particulates

Aroma: Nice, strong riesling bouquet. Strong fruit notes, particularly pear; however, the description indicates that they are floral notes. I can see how I confused the two. Definitely clean and uncomplicated.

Taste / Texture: Great initial taste. Smooth texture with a punch of dryness, especially after eating something salty. The exact notes of flavor are difficult for me to separate out this evening, especially after my nose led me astray earlier. I'll just say that whatever the flavors, they're very nice.

Aftertaste: Medium-short finish. Nice lingering taste.

Decision: Very agreeable dry riesling. The notes are pleasant and the dryness doesn't over- or underwhelm the wine. I'd definitely buy this one again. 85/100.

Anthony Road - 2008 Dry Riesling

Tasted on: April 30, 2010
Purchased for: $13.99
Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 12.4%
• Residual Sugar: 0.7%

Tasting:

Appearance: Clear faint yellow color with the slightest tinge of green.

Aroma: Very nice floral aroma. Not very strong, but alluring nonetheless.

Taste / Texture: Bursting with flavor. Medium body with excellent mouth-feel. The balance of acidity, sugar, and alcohol seems perfect.

Aftertaste: Very nice. There is a relatively long finish with a slight coating of the tongue. The aftertaste itself is quite pleasant.

Decision: I really like the taste and balance of this wine. A very solid showing for a riesling with a cloying sweetness that doesn't affect its dryness. I would pair this wine with a light summer dish, perhaps even something with shrimp. 90/100

Hunt Country - 2008 Seyval Blanc

Tasted on: March 5, 2010
Purchased for: $7.99
Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 12%
• Residual Sugar: 1%
• pH: 3.3
• Total Acidity: 8.7 g/L
  

Wine Awards and Ratings

• Seyvals from Hunt Country have won 6 Gold and Double Gold medals since 2004
  

Tasting:

Appearance: Transparent, greenish-yellow hue with a medium intensity.

Aroma: Clean, fruity pear aroma. Very nice.

Taste / Texture: Sweeter than I expected, but still off-dry. Intense fruit flavor that I can't really identify. Medium-thin body. The pH, alcohol, and acidity seem balanced.

Aftertaste: Aftertaste is pleasant. Medium finish.

Decision: Excellent value wine. The taste is pleasant and very well balanced. I would buy it again. 85/100

Hunt Country - 2008 Dry Riesling

Tasted on: December 11, 2009
Purchased for: ~$13


Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 13%


• Residual Sugar: 0.7%


• pH: 3.1

Tasting:

Appearance: Very clear. Only the slightest tinge of straw. Weak legs.

Aroma: Intense fruit notes. Apple and floral scents are the strongest. Very nice bouquet.

Taste / Texture: WHOA is this wine dry. Green apple flavor is at the forefront. The wine has a rich mouthfeel that quickly leaves. Tart and light-to-medium-bodied.

Aftertaste: Acidic aftertaste with a medium finish.

Decision: I never thought that I'd say this, but I think I've found a wine that is too dry for my tastes, so to speak. However, I know that my mom would LOVE this wine. 80/100

Raats - 2008 Chenin Blanc (Non-NY)

Tasted on: October 17, 2009
Purchased for: $10.50


Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 13.5%
• Residual Sugar: 2.2 g/L
  
• pH: 3.45
• Total acid: 6 g/L

Wine Awards and Ratings:

• 88 points - Wine Spectator

Tasting:

Appearance: Very clear, slight straw color

Aroma: Complex, sweet, and fruity aroma. Intense.

Taste / Texture: Mineral taste with fruity tones. Light-medium mouth feel. Flavors taste a bit disjointed - the mineral overwhelms the fruitiness when slightly chilled.

Aftertaste: Tongue retains some flavor, but is not coated. Pleasant after-taste.

Decision: The wine is layered with minerality and fruit notes that are a bit out of sync. The residual sugar seems high to me because the sweetness isn't overwhelming. Pleasant taste, but a bit too subdued. This vintage was not aged in oak - perhaps that would have changed its flaovring and added taste value to the wine. Would probably not buy again, but not a terrible wine. 75/100