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

Fox Run - 2007 Cabernet Franc Lemberger

Tasted on: April 27, 2009
Purchased for: $11.99


Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 12%
  
• Residual Sugar: 0%
  

Tasting:

Appearance: Lovely dark red, so dark and rich that little light shows through when held up to a lamp.

Aroma: As I let the wine air on the table next to my recliner, I occasionally caught a whaff of its bouquet. When held to the nose, I detected notes of fruit/berry.

Taste / Texture: A very, very dry wine. There are notes of berry. The body is slightly thin. I can also detect the pepper note.

Aftertaste: A rather fast finish compared to other wines that I've had. The aftertaste is pleasant.

Decision: 80/100. Pleasant red wine. The dry factor overwhelms the taste. I feel that even a 0.3% RS would make a huge difference in the palatability of this wine. I certainly wouldn't turn down a glass of it, but it's not among the best reds that I've had.

2007 - Keuka Lake Estate White

Tasted on: March 27, 2010
Purchased for: $9.99


Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 10.5%


• Residual Sugar: unknown
  

Tasting:

Appearance: Clear. Light green-yellow tint.

Aroma: Fruity bouquet.

Taste / Texture: Unique taste. I'm getting a note that I haven't experienced before, but it's hard to describe. Almost smoky. Lovely mouthfeel.

Aftertaste: Medium-long finish with lingering flavors being pleasant for the tongue.

Decision: A nice value wine. I don't have much more than that to say about it. 75/100.

Brotherhood - 2006 Pinot Noir

Tasted on: March 12, 2010
Purchased for: $15.49


Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 13%


• Residual Sugar: less than 0.3%

Tasting:

Appearance: Dark red with great clarity. Very pretty gem hue.

Aroma: A cherry, berry bouquet. Very pleasant and pleasing aroma. Not overwhelming.

Taste / Texture: Wonderful mouth-feel. Great balance of sugar, acidity, and alcohol. Berry and oak notes.

Aftertaste: Ends a bit woody. Medium finish. The tongue feels coated, but not with a parka, but a spring jacket.

Decision: A pleasant red wine with no overt flaws; however, I've tasted better wine for less wallet. I'm neither dismayed nor exhilarated by this wine. I wouldn't mind having it again, but I probably won't seek it out. 75/100.

Swedish Hill Viking Red

Tasted on: Friday, March 5, 2010
Purchased for: $6.99 750ml


Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 12%


• Residual Sugar: .05%
  

Wine Awards and Ratings:

• "Best Red Hybrid Blend" NY Wine & Food Classic, NY 8/09


• "Best Red Hybrid Blend" NY Wine & Food Classic, NY 8/08


• Gold Medal & Best of Class San Francisco Chronicle, CA 1/08

Tasting:

Appearance: Deep garnet hue with faint opacity

Aroma: Subtle cherry/berry fruit with a slight wafting of oak. Lightly scented.

Taste / Texture: Soft beginning of berry that gains momentum as it coats the tongue in its velvet cloak. The oak becomes more noticeable when the liquid strikes the back of the palate.

Aftertaste: The wine quickly vaporizes upon swallowing yet leaves a footprint of is pleasant character. The mixture of berries continues to remind.

Decision: This New York Table Wine is an extremely good value for the product that you get. The mixture of French Hybrid and vinifera grapes is practically perfected. One can't expect a better red table wine! I will definitely be buying this again. I'll give it a 90/100 for the great value as well as the flavor that this wine possesses.

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

Bully Hill - Bulldog Baco Noir

Tasted on: February 27, 2010
Purchased for: $6.99



Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 11%


• Residual Sugar: unknown, but labeled as very dry
  

Tasting:

Appearance: A dark, blood red with little transparency.

Aroma: Absolutely wonderful bouquet. Hints of pepper intermingled with a strong fruit background.

Taste / Texture: The pepper taste is at the forefront and I like that more than I thought that I would. It waters the mouth a bit and bites at the taste buds. There's a sweetness or lemony acidity in the first taste, but the wine is absolutely dry. It leaves me a tad confused. The notes seem off-balanced.

Aftertaste: Pleasant. A medium-short finish. The dryness doesn't leave the mouth a desert upon finishing.

Decision: This wine is very interesting and would best be paired with a strong red meat dish. I've had better red wines and I've had worse! 75/100.

Four Chimneys - Kingdom White

Tasted on: February 20, 2010
Purchased for: $9.99

Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 12%


• Residual Sugar: unknown

Tasting:

Appearance: Lovely light, pale yellow. No particulates.

Aroma: Strong fruity and oaked bouquet.

Taste / Texture: Initially thin and lacking flavor, but the taste quickly catches up and is well-balanced and flavorful. I can't distinguish the notes very well in this wine, but they seem to go together very well.

Aftertaste: Quick finish. Pleasant aftertaste.

Decision: First of all, I need to point out that this is an organically-produced wine. This is a novelty, especially in the Finger Lakes. The taste doesn't compare to some other FL dry white blends that I've had, but it is definitely respectable. I think that over chilling it will dull the flavor, so I would be careful with that. 80/100

Bully Hill - Chardonel

Tasted on: February 17, 2010
Purchased for: $8.99


Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content:11%


• Residual Sugar:unknown - dry
  

Tasting:

Appearance: Lovely straw color. Very clear - no particulates.

Aroma: Crisp, melon bouquet. I can also smell a floral note too. Very nice aroma.

Taste / Texture: Wow. Complex taste on first sip. Very strong beginning. Melon note is the strongest. There is a note that I cannot identify that almost has a minerality to it, but not so bitter or moisture-sucking. Lovely medium body.

Aftertaste: Coats the tongue a bit. The aftertaste is nice and reminiscent of the primary tasting.

Decision: A great everyday wine. I would recommend drinking it in warmer weather with a nice southern-style meal. 85/100

Heron Hill - 2005 Eclipse Red

Tasted on: February 12, 2009
Purchased for: $11


Wine Data:

• Alcohol Content: 12.5%


• Residual Sugar: 0.02%

Tasting:

Appearance: Dark, dark red-purple. Opaque. Would love to have a dress in this color!

Aroma: Very, very pleasant bouquet. I'd dab it behind my ears if I weren't drinking it! Sort of smells peppery - is that the currants? Has a cherry note rounded out by the oak aging. My naive nose doesn't detect a complex aroma.

Taste / Texture: Full-bodied and very nice mouth-feel. Doesn't taste as sweet as it smells. The forefront taste is a subdued cherry. The acidity feels a little strong, but I'm new at evaluating this aspect of wines.

Aftertaste: Long finish. The wine coats the tongue and leaves a pleasant aftertaste.

Decision: Very pleasant dry red wine. I would pair it with a nice dark chocolate or a light seafood dish or salad. It's more of an everyday wine than a special occasion wine. I would purchase again if I had a food pairing in mind. 80/100