Thanksgiving Holiday

While my mother (and brother) visited for the Thanksgiving holiday, we enjoyed two wines:

-- Goose Watch Pinot Noir Brut Rose
-- Broadbent Vinho Verde

I already formally reviewed the Broadbent wine; however, I will not be reviewing the Goose Watch champagne at this time. I thoroughly enjoyed both and anticipate purchasing both bottles again in the future.

Fulkerson - 2005 Delaware

Tasted on: November 20, 2009
Purchased for: <$10


Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 12%
• Residual Sugar: 4.5%
  

Tasting:

Appearance: Very clear. very slight straw tinge.

Aroma: Wonderful bouquet. Fruit notes are the strongest. Pear, perhaps?

Taste / Texture: Boy howdy, is there sugar. The sweetness almost overwhelms the flavor, but not completely. The sugar comes first and then the taste of the grapes. I can't pinpoint the flavor.

Aftertaste: Lasting and coating on the tongue (probably due to the sugar).

Decision: Way too sweet for my tastes. 65/100

Swedish Hill - Natural Sparkling Wine

Tasted on: November 13, 2009
Purchased for: ~$20


Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 12%
• Residual Sugar: 1.4%
  

Wine Awards and Ratings:

• Gold Medal Int'l Eastern, NY 5/09
• Gold Medal Riverside Int'l, CA 5/09
• Gold Medal & Best of Class Pacific Rim Int'l, CA 4/09
• Gold Medal Pacific Rim Int'l, CA 4/09
• Gold Medal Florida State Fair Int'l, FL 2/09

Tasting:

Appearance: Very clear. slight yellow-green tint. Very active bubbles and head.

Aroma: Very aromatic with strong citrus notes. Not overwhelming and harmonious.

Taste / Texture: Strong citrus flavor (pears? apples?) with a hint of mineral. Mineral seems a bit too strong to make the flavors sing together. Crisp. Doesn't make my tongue tingle, though.

Aftertaste: Lasting and somewhat coating on the tongue.

Decision: Nice champagne, but definitely not the best that I've had (that prize goes to Chateau de Frank). Wouldn't buy it again because the price doesn't seem to correlate with the quality. 75/100

Broadbent - Vinho Verde (NV)

Tasted on: October 23, 2009
Purchased for: $7.99


Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 9%
• Residual Sugar: Unknown, but likely below 2.5%
  

Wine Awards and Ratings:

• 86 points - Wine Spectator

Tasting:

Appearance: Very clear. slight green tint.

Aroma: Very aromatic with citrus notes. Simple, yet delightful bouquet.

Taste / Texture: The slight carbonation gives it a tingly mouth feel. The blood orange note is clear. The wine has a medium body. The flavors work harmonious towards a generously flavorful taste.

Aftertaste: Lasting, somewhat coating, and quite pleasant on the tongue.

Decision: Excellent, excellent wine. It would pair great with a salad or white meat summer dish. Also a great wine to drink by itself. As a fan of champagne, I love bubbles and their tingling taste on the tongue. Definitely a keeper. 90/100

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

Penguin Bay - 2007 Rose of Chambourcin

Tasted on: October 9, 2009
Purchased for: $7.99


Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 11.7%
• Residual Sugar: 0.25%

Wine Awards:

• Gold Medal Florida State Fair Int'l, FL 2/09
• Double Gold Medal San Francisco Chronicle Competition, CA 1/09
• Gold Medal Golden Nose Wine Competition, NY 5/08
• Gold Medal Indy Int'l, IN 6/08

Tasting:

Appearance: A beautiful ruby red with a medium intensity. No particulates or haziness. Mostly transparent.

Aroma: Strongly aromatic - sitting about two feet away from my opened bottle, I can smell it. Strawberry note is the easiest to detect

Taste / Texture: Thin bodied, full of flavor. Again, the strawberry note drowns out any other flavor for detection. Great dryness and acidity.

Aftertaste: Moderate-short length for the finish. Remaining flavors are pleasing.

Decision: Wine has a great balance of acidity, sweetness, and alcohol. Though simple, the flavors are very enjoyable. Would recommend and buy again. An easy wine to like. 85/100

Long Point Winery - 2006 Zinfandel

Tasted on: October 2, 2009
Purchased for: $12.99


Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 14.7%
• Residual Sugar: unknown, but dry (probably < 0.5%)
  

Tasting:

Appearance: Dark, deep red. Not translucent. Almost black. Be VERY careful around furniture and rugs. I have a feeling that this wine could leave a nasty stain.

Aroma: Complex bouquet. I can smell the liquorice / anise note. My nose isn't very sophisticated at picking out smells. I'm sure that over time this will develop.

Taste / Texture: Smooth and strong. The flavor is complex with a hint of coffee, anise, and dark chocolate. Of course I could taste these once I read the winery's description of the bottle.

Aftertaste: Lingers on the tongue. Residual taste is somewhat appealing. Leaves a quite bit of a bite of bitterness and dryness at the end.

Decision: For a red wine, I am very impressed with the quality of this wine. The aroma and flavors are very complex. I would likely buy it again should a red wine mood strike me. 85/100

Atwater Estate Vineyards - 2007 Riesling

Tasted on: September 26, 2009
Purchased for: $9.99


Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 12%
• Residual Sugar: 2.2%
• Acidity: 0.74%
• pH: 2.76

Wine Awards and Grades:

• 91 points from Wine & Spirits
• Gold at New York Wine & Food Classic

Tasting:

Appearance: Straw-colored and clear. Very subtle green hue.

Aroma: The first thing I smelled was the sweetness of the wine. Perhaps a fruit note.

Taste / Texture: Sweetier than I usually taste, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the flavors. The sugar does not shield the taste of the grapes. Robust, complex flavors are present, but I am having trouble separating the different flavor notes. Smooth and medium-bodied.

Aftertaste: A nice, but not overbearing, coating of the tongue. Flavor doesn't overstay its welcome.

Decision: For a sweeter wine than I am used to, it does have a magnificent flavor. I would definitely buy this again. 85/100

Fulkerson Winery - 2007 Dry Riesling

Tasted on: August 27, 2009
Purchased for: $8

Wine Data:

• Alcohol: 12%
• Residual Sugar: 0.7%

Wine Awards and Grades:

• 85 Points Wine Enthusiast

Tasting:

Appearance: Clear and very pale straw

Aroma: Not very aromatic. Smells sweet and of melon.

Taste/Texture: Medium-bodied. Dry finish. Not bursting with flavor. Mellow. Mineral finish.

Aftertaste: Clean finish, slight coating of tongue with mineral and melon notes.

Decision: 70/100. Not bad. Might or might not buy again.

Anthony Road - 2007 Dry Rosé

Tasted on: August 21, 2009
Purchased for: $9.99

Wine Data:

• Alcohol: 12.5%
• Residual Sugar: 0.4%

Tasting:
Appearance: Clear crimson. Beautiful hue.

Aroma: Strong. Fruity (apple?). Pleasant.

Taste/Texture: Full of flavor. Strong beginning with a bit of a bite. Smooth.

Aftertaste: Soft finish. Lingers a bit, but doesn't coat the tongue.

Decision: Very nice. 80/100.