Wine and Cheese 4/17

 

Cabernet sauvignon paired with rustic red cheddar 

This was a savory, salty, and slightly nutty cheese, with a crumbly texture. This cabernet sauvignon was burst with black cherry aromas with a hint of fresh pencil scent. It was a full body wine with a spicy cedar flavor with medium tannins. This wine has a smoky oak taste with a hint of vanilla. Overall the pairing was not great since bold wine and the flavorful cheese overwhelmed each other. The tannins completed the saltiness of the cheese but overall the flavors, in the wine and cheese, were just too much going on at once.

The next pairing was a dry rose with monterey jack. Compared to our last cheese this cheese was tougher and a bit creamer, and had a mild buttery flavor. It is pictured above, the white cubes near the blackberries. The rose was fantastic, and had the aromas of a sweet white, but the complexities of a red. It was a dry rose with mild tannins, light body, and fruity, floral, strawberry aromas. The tannins cut through the mild cheese flavors making the cheese seem flavorless. The wine definitely overpowered the cheese, making this pairing unsuccessful. On the bright side, though, the tannins complemented the creaminess of the cheese well.

This pairing was havarti dill cheese paired with sauvignon blanc. This was a creamy cheese with dill herbs to add some earthly flavors to the cheese. On its one the cheese was delicious and is the sliced pieces of cheese in the picture above. The Sauvignon blanc was light bodied and refreshing. This wine has a tad of tropical and pear flavors and has a pineapple aroma. The herbal flavors are very evident as this is a dry wine, and it paired very nicely with the light cheese.  The acids of the wine cut through the creaminess of the cheese and the herbal flavors of the wine perfectly complemented the dill in the cheese. Overall it was a great pairing and my favorites in the line up!

Tasting- Santa Julia

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Name: Santa Julia 

Variety: Torrontes

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina 

Year 2021

Price: $8

According to the back of the label this is a dry, flora, and aromatic wine with a spicy and refreshing finish.

Overall, I loved this wine. It was light bodied, crisp, and had mild to medium acids. I really liked how the tangerine taste provided the acid component of the wine. I also really enjoyed the peach aroma with floral notes that the wine had to offer. This was a very refreshing wine that I would definitely get again.

According to page 177 of Wine Folly this is a dry wine. The floral notes I smelled were the rose petal scents of the variety, and the acids are from the meyer lemon and citrus zest of the grape. The back of this wine’s label says the wine has a spicy and refreshing finish, and while I didn't get the spicy part, I definitely got the refreshing finish!

I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting- Crane Lake

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Name: Crane Lake

Variety: Petite Sirah

Region: California

Country US

Year: 2018

Price: $7

According to Winery Notes "Prepare to be overwhelmed, there's nothing "petite" about this wine from the inky dark color to the bouquet loaded with tons of blackberry fruit and a hint of exotic spice; it fills your mouth with jammy fruit balanced by velvety soft tannins."

Overall this wine was good! It was a full bodied, dry, red wine with medium tannins, mild acids, and black and blueberry flavor with a hint of chocolate. I definitely agree with the review that this wine has a loaded bouquet with jammy fruit balanced by the tannins. However, I did not taste the spice.

This wine has blackberry and plum aromas. According to Wine Folly, page 147, Petite Sirah are known for their “rich black fruity flavors and bold tannins”, which is what I loved about this wine. Despite the bold tannins the wine was not overbearing. I really enjoyed the rich blueberry and plum flavors without it being too sweet. I would buy this wine again

I did not try this wine with food. 

Tasting- Alamos Malbec

 

Name- Alamos Malbec

Variety- Malbec

Region- Mendoza 

Country- Argentina 

Year- 2020

Price- $8 

According to Totalwine.com “The nose offers bright black cherry aromas with light floral notes and a touch of toast. The mouthfeel is full and rich, with ripe, concentrated cassis and black raspberry fruit flavors interwoven with a touch of chocolate and sweet spice from light oak aging”

This wine was bursting with plum aroma. Upon tasting it was not very sweet, but had chocolate and herbal notes. It was a full bodied wine with medium tannins and some sweetness. I definitely agree with the review that mouthfeel is full and rich. According to page 125 of Wine Folly, Malbec has sweet tobacco flavors which I definitely tasted, as well as blackberry flavors, which were not as noticeable in this wine. 

Overall this was a good wine! I really enjoyed the plum and cocoa flavors. With it was full bodied the wine did not have a long finish which made the wine seem lighter. I also enjoyed the medium tannins which added to the complexity of the wine without making it too rich. I would purchase this wine again. I did not try this wine with food.

Tasting- Bay Bridge Merlot

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Name-Bay Bridge Vineyards 

Variety- Merlot  

Region- California 

Country- US 

Year- non-vintage

Price- $3

According to Zach Anderson on vivino.com this merlot is ”Big oak on the nose. Light fruit flavor that gives way to vanilla and quickly disappears. It is fine, especially at this price. You get fruit and oak, it just has a less impressive finish.” 

Overall this wine was fine. Like Zach said it is definitely filled with oaky aromas and has a fruity flavor. I also smelled a mild cherry scent as well as a chocolate, cherry taste. According to page 131 of Wine Folly, Merlots generally have a dried herb taste, which was definitely prominent in this wine. This was a full bodied wine filled with tannins and had a sharp, almost acidic, taste that overpowered the fruity chocolate flavors. For $3 I definitely don't regret buying this wine, but I don't think I would get it again. While Wine Folly page 131 states that Merlots generally are not sweet, any fruity or sweet flavors were drowned out by the high tannins and acids. This made the wine rather unpleasant and the cherry flavors of the wine were diminished and hardly detectable. Overall, this was not a great wine. I did not try this wine with food.