Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay Tasting

Name: Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2021
Price: $12

Critic Review

"America's #1 selling Chardonnay for 25 years and counting! It's no wonder Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay is Kendall-Jackson's most popular release. Handcrafted in small vineyard lots throughout the entire winemaking process, the grapes are from California’s cool, coastal growing regions. Beautifully integrated tropical flavors such as pineapple, mango, and papaya, with citrus notes that explode in your mouth. These flavors delicately intertwine with aromas of vanilla and honey to create depth and balance throughout. A hint of toasted oak and butter rounds out the long, lingering finish."

https://internetwines.com/products/kendall-jackson-vintners-reserve-chardonnay-2016

Wine Folly

According to page 96 of the book, chardonnays often have strong notes of of yellow apple, starfruit, pineapple, vanilla, and butter. I got a lot of the sweet, fruity notes as well as a bit of butteriness. The only note listed that I didn't taste or smell was the vanilla.

Personal Review

This wine had a smell of tropical fruit and butter. It tasted sweeter, with notes of mango an pineapple, though it didn't taste as buttery as it smelled. This wine was a nice chardonnay on the sweeter side for $12.

Clean Slate Riesling Tasting

Name: Clean Slate Riesling
Variety: 100% Riesling
Region: Mosel
Country: Germany
Year: 2021
Price: $12

Critic Review

https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/clean-slate-2021-riesling-mosel/

"Off-dry hints of peach and apple are offset by vibrant acidity in this Riesling." - 86/100

-Aleks Zecevic

Wine Folly

According to page 158 of Wine Folly, Rieslings often have notes of lime, green apple, beeswax, jasmine, and petroleum. I didn't get beeswax or jasmine on this wine, but I definitely got lime and green apple. I also got a distinct minerally flavor that might have been petroleum, but I'm not familiar with what that a petroleum flavor tastes like in wine.

Personal Review

Like many other rieslings I've tasted, this wine smelled like lime and green apple. It didn't taste as much like green apple, but it was still limey with an acidic, mineral note added on. This wine was a bit too minerally for my taste and lacked some complexity, but it's still worth trying if you particularly enjoy acidic, mineral notes.

Maynard's Ruby Porto Tasting

Name: Maynard's Fine Ruby Porto
Variety: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cao
Region: Douro Valley
Country: Portugal
Year: Unspecified
Price: $15

Critic Review

"This port has been aged for 3 years in a combination of large wooden vats and stainless steel, so as to preserve the fresh and the fully style of Port while it matures. The final blend is fined and cold treated prior to the bottling, allowing maintaining the stability and brightness in the bottle. Fresh fruit and soft with a rich plummy texture, we tasted and loved this little Ruby port for a terrific bargain, especially for cooking instead of using lower grade, non-Portughese port. It may also be served on its own after-dinner (and after red wine) or it may be served with cheeses or chocolate desserts. Made of the tradtional indigenous grapes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Tinto Cao."

https://www.bottleshop.com/products/10920146/maynard-s-fine-ruby-port

Wine Folly

_This wine had very strong plum flavor, which is one of the 5 flavors listed on page 154 of Wine Folly. Interestingly, that was the only note I found in the wine that matched the book description.

Personal Review

This wine had a full, plummy smell that also gave away the 19.5% alcohol level. The flavor was very fruit-forward and sweet, like a blueberry syrup, with a maple finish. The fruitiness sets this wine very much apart from Maynard's tawny port, which tasted much more strongly of molasses and masked the fruity flavors more. There was also a hint of cedary spice in this port that was also present in Maynard's tawny port. I definitely prefer the tawny port to this one, but this port is still good for its significantly lower price of $15.

 

Richard Böcking Riesling Tasting

Name: Richard Böcking Riesling
Variety: 100% Riesling
Region: Mosel
Country: Germany
Year: 2019
Price: $21

Critic Review

https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/richard-bocking-2019-devon-riesling-mosel/

"Pops of fresh thyme and green melon rind lend an herbaceous freshness to juicy white grapefruit in this bristling dry Riesling. Slim and piercing in its linearity, it's a spine tingling, electric sip with a steely, intensely mineral finish" - 89/100

-Anna Lee C. Ijima

Wine Folly

According to page 158 of Wine Folly, Rieslings often have notes of lime, green apple, beeswax, jasmine, and petroleum. I got a lot of lime, and possibly green apple, but I didn't get the rest of these flavors. There was also a significant minerally component that wasn't listed in the book.   

Personal Review

The smell and flavor of this wine were dominated by mineral and lime notes. The flavor was very tart without much sweetness. I didn't like this wine much, I found the level of tartness a bit unpleasant and there didn't seem to be much else going on in the wine. I would personally recommend skipping this one unless you're a fan of particularly tart wines.

 

 

Cune Rioja Blend Tasting

Name: Cune Rioja
Variety: 60% Garnacha, 30% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: Unspecified
Price: $15

 

Critic Review

"There is a new organic recd, the debut of which is the 2019 Cune Organic, a blend of 60% Garnacha, 30% Tempranillo, and 10% Graciano from external suppliers. That's quite an unusual blend for them, as they tend to use more Tempranillo, and it brings a different combination of freshness and power. I nearly fell off my chair when I put my nose in the glass, as the wine screamed GARNACHA - but traditional Garnacha at its floral and herbal best, with the sweet cherry fruit, red licorice and the chalky tannins from the limestone soil. It's balanced, tasty, and juicy, truly delicious. They have newer released a wine like this or such a young red. Amazing young Garnacha for the by-the-glass market. Bravo!"

- Robert Parker (via the Vintage Cellar)

Wine Folly

 I did not find a page on Garnacha or Graciano, but page 175 says Tempranillo wines are known for their cherry and cedar notes. I definitely tasted cherry, and I also tasted oak, which lines up with the woody notes the book says to expect.

Personal Review

This wine is very fruit-forward, with particularly strong notes of cherry and strawberry, and some oaky, chocolatey notes behind. This wine got significantly better after I had it open for a few days, which I attribute to the fact that I did not initially decant it. This is one of the better red wines I've tried, and it's nicely priced at $15. 

 

HRW Zinfandel Tasting

Name: HRW Zinfandel
Variety: 100% Zinfandel
Region: Napa Valley
Country: United States
Year: 2020
Price: $20

Critic Review

"Medium purple-ruby color. Cedary spice, tea leaves, briar, dark berries and pepper  on the nose. Light to medium-bodied, with a bright fruit-driven palate. On the palate, flavors of cocoa, blackberry jam,, and strawberry. Easy drinking, moderately structures."

- Vintage Cellar

Wine Folly

According to page 189 of Wine Folly, Zinfandel wines are characterized by berry flavors, peach preserves, cinnamon, and sweet tobacco. I got notes that resembled cinnamon and sweet tobacco, but the only fruit note I got was plum. I was surprised to not find any of the fruits listed in the book.

Personal Review

This wine had a very full plum aroma with spicy and metallic undertones. The flavor was a rather dry and had the same plum note from the aroma, but it was blended with a new cedary flavor. I liked this wine, but I thought it could have been closer to the $10-15 range.

Dr. L Riesling Tasting

 

 

Name: Dr. L 2021 Riesling
Variety: 100% Riesling
Region: Mosel
Country: Germany
Year: 2021
Price: $14

Critic Review

https://winelibrary.com/wines/riesling/2021-dr-loosen-l-riesling-130580

"Dr. L 2021 Riesling is a superb value Mosel Qualitätswein under $16. Fragrant with lemon pudding, ripe apple and peach jam aromas, the wine is off-dry, medium-bodied and mouth-filling with apple, peach, tropical fruit, lemon meringue and spring rain minerality on the palate. So good now with spicy pork ribs from the grill or try it with smoked-salmon Bennies."

89/100

Natalie MacLean - Natalie MacLean Wine Reviews and Ratings

Wine Folly

This wine was particularly strong with the lime flavor listed on page 158 of the book. It also had a strong green apple flavor, which is shown on the same page. though it's from Germany, it seems to match up more closely with the flavor profile of a French Riesling, as described on page 159 of the book.  

Personal Review

This wine had a fruit-forward aroma and flavor dominated by green apple and lime. There was a hint of bitterness on the smell that was replaced by a bit of sweetness on the flavor. The wine's color was also remarkably light. I thought it was pretty nice, though I've tasted a Riesling or two that I liked more at around this price range.