Tasting - Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc 2016

• Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc 2016
• Sauvignon Blanc
• San Antonio Valley
• Chile
• $10.99
• Vineyard Brands: “This wine starts with light aromatics of pear, pink grapefruit and hints of jalapeno pepper. There are flavors of crushed mint, white peach, gooseberry and jalapeno pepper. This has nice minerality and poise, as it is on the lighter side."

My Tasting Notes:

Color: clear, faint straw hues, almost as clear as water in the glass

Nose: very fresh of green and white flowers, bushes with white blossoms, gress and herbs, fresh spring air and greens with faint stone fruits

Palate:

• Body: 1
• Acidity: 3.5
• Alcohol: 2

Very light and easy on the palate. Fresh and balanced but also delicate flavors. Typical light green sauvignon blanc flavors, like green veggies, grass, hints of grapefruit, green pear, apple, lime, and green berries. This wine is very easy drinking and would go well with light seafood dishes and shellfish like oysters. 

Tasting - Le Grand Caillou Sauvignon Blanc 2015

• Le Grand Caillou Patient Cottat Sauvignon Blanc 2015
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Loire Valley
• France
• $12
• Vineyard Brands: “Screw cap. Excellent Sauvignon Value: Medium bodied, crisp, and finely flavored (pear, lime, lemon grass), with good balance and medium length. Unwooded.”

My Tasting Notes

Color: Very transparent with straw hues and slightly green tints

Nose: very fresh and green of flower stems, nettles, bushes, fresh grass, herbal spices, and basil with hints of pear and green apple

Palate:

• Body: 1
• Acidity: 4
• Alcohol: 2

This is extremely well balanced and has extremely smooth acidity, almost as if it had been put through malolactic fermentation (the tech sheet wasn't clear about this or the quantity of oak used). It is fresh but not too edgy, and has very good minerality behind its fresh, green aromas. Flavors include faint white peach and pears with gooseberries, fresh iceberg lettuce, white stones, and lemon grass. Really supple, elegant, and balanced, would definitely recommend especially with light seafood dishes.

Tasting - Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc 2015

• Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc 2015
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Walker Bay
• South Africa
• $16
• Wine Spectator: “Juicy and well-built, with a solid core of lemon zest and pith notes stretching out through the finish, picking up gooseberry, jicama and verbena accents. Drink now through 2018.”

My tasting Notes

Color: Straw hues with strong transparency

Nose: dark green grass aromas and fresh dark herbs, light green apple and pear notes

Palate:

• Body: 3
• Acidity: 5
• Alcohol: 3

The attack of this sauvignon blanc seems normal but once the acidity and the alcohol are perceived it becomes heavier towards the back of the mouth. It's a bit edgy with biting acidity giving it zing and good for pairing with white sauce and fish or chick pasta dishes. The flavors stay dark green and vegetal, like romaine lettuce, raw vegetables, and notes of slightly bitter green berries. Not a bad bottle, but it's a heavier style sauvignon blanc that's a bit heavy towards the finish due to high alcohol and acidity.

Tasting - Aranda Cream Sherry

• Aranda Cream Sherry
• Pedro Ximenez and Palomino
• Jerez
• Spain
• No vintage
• $6.95
• Wine Searcher - Youthful and raisiny, this is a fresh style of cream sherry. Appetising flavours of marmalade bread and butter pudding

My Tasting Notes

Color: rich tan light brown and mostly transparent with straw hints

Nose: Bread, yeast, and stinky french cheese, hints of dark moist wood, kind of sour smelling

Palate:

• Body: 5
• Acidity: 4
• Sweetness: 4
• alcohol: 5

For me, the nose and the palate do not match. The nose is a bit off-putting, since the yeasty cheesey smell is odd. However, the palate was surprisingly smooth with tons of complexity. It was very sweet with sirupy consistency, and had flavors of maple, coffee bean, teriyaki, honey, nutmeg, vanilla, caramel, toffee, soy sauce, and hints of chocolate. The acidity does a good job of being strong enough to balance with the sugar, and the higher alcohol content kept the body big and well structured while the wine remained balanced. Pretty good bottle, but needs to be consumed with food.

Tasting - Ruffino Chianti Superiore 2014

• Ruffino Chianti Superiore 2014
• 70% Sangiovese, 30% merlot and cabernet sauvignon
• Chianti
• Italy
• 2014
• $11
• Doctorwine - In accordance with existing regulations, the Sangiovese base (70%) is blended with other grapes including Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet. These help soften the harshness of the Sangiovese and make the wine very easy to drink. The color is a bright ruby, while the aroma has the classic fruit, with cherry standing out, accompanied by some light spice. The flavor has the right acidity and a nice body - the product of a hot year. Very lovely, the way a Chianti should be. Drink to your heart's content.

My Tasting Notes

Color: It's mostly red with violet and orange hints, but is about half transparent and appears similarly to a lighter bodied red.

Nose: Cherries and black pepper. Not too much going on in the nose

Palate:

• Body: 2
• Acidity: 4
• Tannin: 2
• Alcohol: 3

This wine is pretty well balanced and simple. It has good acidity to give it some zing, and cherry aromas dominate the palate accompanied by hints of raspberry and good red and black pepper spice flavors coming in on the medium finish. This would go well with spicy sausage or red meat pasta. It tastes like a pretty classic and cheap Italian wine. It was pretty good, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend this wine. 

Tasting - La Vieille Ferme White 2015

• La Vieille Ferme White 2015
• Grenache blanc, ugni blanc, vermentino, and bourboulenc
• Rhone Valley
• France
• 2015
• $7.75
• Their Website - Beautiful pale-yellow colour, shiny green undertones. The bouquet is delicate white-flesh fruit, citrus fruit and spring flowers, fresh with an attractive aromatic intensity. The mouth is full of freshness, rich with mineral acidity, the final is aromatic and mouth-watering. This 2016 wine is expressive and has a lot of balance.

My Tasting Notes

Color: very clear pale straw color, mostly dull and transparent

Nose: The nose reminds me of a beautiful day during spring, its fresh with white flowers and green pears with some hints of citrus, apple, and apricot along with limestone minerality.

Palate:

• Body: 3
• Acidity: 3
• Alcohol: 3

This wine has great balance and is fresh, lush, and smooth at the same time. The malolactic fermentation smoothens out the acidity nicely so that it feels lightly rich but also fresh. The wine tastes of fresh green pears, apples, and citrus with good minerality and a slightly buttery texture. You can almost taste and smell the limestone terroir. The finish is medium and develops some apricot flavors along with pear, citrus, and apple. This wine is perfectly balanced and simple, but delicious and easily approachable. Would definitely recommend for such a cheap price.