Tasting- Risata Moscato d'Asti

 

Name: Risata Moscato d'Asti

Variety: Muscat/Moscato Bianco di Canelli

Region: Asti, Piedmont

Country: Italy 

Year: 21

Price: $6

Winery Review: "Dense with lemon-scented fruit, this is fresh and vibrant. There's a spike of ginger and licorice in the finish." Wine & Spirits 88

Wine Folly: Muscat Blanc pg 138- Very sweet with notes of orange blossom, Meyer lemon, mandarin orange, ripe pear, and honeysuckle. It is recommended to be chilled and paired with almond cake. Moscato d'Asti pg 140- the sweetest and less alcoholic than other Moscatos. It has notes of Meyer lemon, mandarin orange, rose petal, vanilla bean, and honeysuckle. 

Personal Review: This wine smelled like white floral, butter, vanilla, and perhaps butterscotch. I thought it was very watery-tasting and not complex at all. It was very light, very sweet, lightly carbonated, and not acidic at all. It tasted like sweet water with white floral, likely honeysuckle. I could also taste honey and strawberry. I could taste no lemon or any other citrus in this like the reviews said. I had a strawberry cupcake with this white, which elevated the wine and made it taste less like sugar water. 

Tasting- Maggio Estates Chardonnay 2020

Name: Maggio Estates Chardonnay 2020

Variety: Chardonnay 

Region: Lodi, California 

Country: USA

Year: 2020

Price: $9.95

Winery Review: "The inaugural vintage of this bright and crisp expression, part of a new tier of wines from Oak Ridge Estates, aged sur lie for ten months in 85% French oak and 15% American oak; it was made with grapes sourced from two vineyards in the Mokelumne River AVA that experience cooling fog, influencing the wine's stunning character. Its briskness is immediately apparent, as are clean notes of lemon bar and toasted pecan. Pineapple, honeysuckle, and gardenia are as fragrant as they are flavorful." Tasting Panel 93

Wine Folly: Chardonnay pg 96- Mention medium body, low sweetness, and medium acidicity. Notes of yellow apple, starfruit, pineapple, vanilla, butter. The book also mentions chilling it, which we did. 

Personal Review: Smelled slightly of Kalamata olives, which was very herbal, earthy, and strongly like burned toast. I didn't taste olive very much. It had a medium body with acidity and a buttery aftertaste. Front flavors of peach. Had an herbal flavor in the back. I ate it with no food but would have tasted good with chicken. I let it let it oxidize overnight, which was great and helped take out some of the sharper flavors the next day. I assume the herbal musky flavor I tasted might be from the oak it was in. 

 

Tasting- Vignerons de Plaimont "Les Cépages Préservés" Saint-Mont Blanc 2019

Name: 2019 Vignerons de Plaimont "Les Cépages Préservés" Saint-Mont Blanc

Variety: Gros Manseng, Petit Courbu, Arrufiac

Region: Saint Mont

Country: France

Year: 2019

Price: $19.95

Winery Review: "A jewel of a wine (Gros Manseng with Petit Courbu and Arrufiac), so particular and distinctive, showing no ambition other than singing its origin. Aromas of apple and notes of vibrant peach, mirabelle plum, dried herbs and a suave enhancement of lees. Elegant and quite delicious with a finesse and fine spine of acidity. (Panel Tasting) *Top White Wines of 2022*" Decanter 95 pts (11/2022)

Wine Folly: These grape varieties and this commune are rare so there is no information in this book.

Personal Review: This wine was very good and had one of the most unique flavors I have experienced so far. It was dry in the middle, vaguely sweet and carbonated at the front, and had a sweet lingering finish. It smells sweet like apples and pears. I could taste notes of lemon, apples, and apricots. It was fresh and crisp. Perhaps due to the rare grape varieties, it had an undertone that I have never tasted before. The closest would be mineral or herbal. Since it was white, we chilled it which I believe was a good idea. We had two snacks with the wine- Brookside Acai Dark Chocolate and pork loin cured meat. The chocolate was horrendous and brought out the bitterness of the wine. The pork loin was wonderful and complimented but did not enhance the wine.  

Tasting- Landkastel Riesling 2022

Name: Landkastel/Landshut Riesling 

Variety: Riesling 

Region: Mosel

Country: Germany 

Year: 2022

Price: $6.99

Winery Review: "It’s easy to spot a Riesling lover because they’ll likely tell you multiple times (and I love them for that). That being said, there are certainly divided camps when it comes to riesling: Whether you prefer them bone dry or sweet. Landing basically smack dab in the middle of this spectrum, you’ll find the medium-sweet crowd-pleaser that is Landshut Riesling.

This Riesling is the ultimate “get you a wine that can do both,” because while it’s got a punch of honeysuckle sweetness, it also packs in a refreshing bit of bracing acidity and is still light on the palate. If you (or your friend) are a member of the Dry Rieslings Only camp, I have a feeling this perky, easy-drinking bottle just might have you questioning your allegiances." - Mackenzie Filson  // 87 Point Silver Rating - Awarded by Beverage Testing Institute 

Wine Folly: Riesling pg 158: This book recommends pairing it with spicy Indian or Asian cuisine and chilling it, both of which I ended up doing. It says that Rieslings typically have notes of lime, green apple, beeswax, jasmine, and petroleum. I tasted the green apple and maybe beeswax. German Riesling pg 159: Germany makes it acidic, aromatic, and intense with mineral, wet slate, and apricot notes. I detected all of these flavors, but only in the short finishing notes. It certainly was acidic with a very urine-like aroma. 

Personal Review: This wine has to be the most complicated wine I have tried so far. First, a review for this wine did not exist under the bottle's name. Instead of Landkastel, the title was replaced with Landshut. It was confusing but I was able to find a review. Second, the aroma was strange, almost like light acidic cat pee. Third, the first taste was an explosion in my mouth. I didn't think I initially would like it due to its slightly urine-like taste. But the second taste was much better. I didn't detect any of the cat pee, only a nice medium-bodied fruit flavor. It has an acidic beginning, peaking in the middle, and the aftertaste is mild fruit and a neutral flavor, likely beeswax. The aftertaste also has notes of apricot and green apple. We chilled this wine, which was a good idea. Additionally, I had this with slightly spicy Chinese food. I don't think the wine took away or added anything to the food and vice versa. I think that since the wine was already balanced the food just made it flat. 

Tasting- Antonio Maccieri Rosso Dolce Lambrusco

Name: Antonio Maccieri Rosso Dolce Lambrusco

Variety: Lambrusco Salamino 50%, Lambrusco Grasparossa 50%

Region: Emilia 

Country: Italy 

Year: 2017

Price: $6

Winery Review: "Rich ruby red with a nose of intense, fruity blackberry and raspberry. On the palate, the wine is round, silky, aromatic and full of notes of red fruits. A blend of Lambrusco Salamino and Lambrusco Grasparossa." - Vintage Cellar 

Wine Folly: (epub version pg 286) Lambrusco- a sweet, light, acidic wine. It has notes of strawberry, blueberry, rhubarb, hibiscus, and potting soil. I would agree that it was sweet and not heavy on the tongue. It was quite acidic, but that did not subtract from the sweetness. The wine definitely had fruit notes, such as strawberry and blueberry. However, I didn't notice any rhubarb or potting soil. This is likely because I am not sure what either of those taste like. The aroma was most similar to fruit and hibiscus. 

Personal Review: 

This wine was wonderful. It was enjoyable, but not a go-to. It smelled sweet like fruit, and also tasted just as sweet. I would say it tasted like strawberries, blueberries, and maybe raspberries or apples. This is in line with the wine review. I was able to pick out the berry flavor, and I agree that it is aromatic and smells of red fruits. The bottle said it was a "soft red wine" but it turned out to be similar to a sparkling red wine. It was immediately acidic upon consumption, but it was pleasant. It added to the sweetness. There wasn't a lot of depth to this wine, just a genuinely good simple wine. I did not have this with any food but I think that was for the best. 

Tasting- Old Westminster Solera Batch No. 4

Name: Old Westminster Solera Batch No. 4

Variety: Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Chambourcin, Marquette

Region: Westminster, Maryland 

Country: United States

Year: 2021

Price: $30

Winery Review: "A 'kitchen-sink blend' in the style of sweet sherry from a solera dating from 2011, delivering dried fruit, nuts, and butterscotch on the palate. Sweet. Drink now." - James Suckling, 90

Wine Folly: (epub version pg 384) Solera is a process of aging Sherry, so I will be looking at the notes of Sherry. I agree with the level of sweetness, as it is a dessert wine. I would say it was more full-bodied than Wine Folly ranks it, as it "filled" my mouth more than most other wines. I didn't get any notes of jackfruit or saline, but I could taste the acidity of lemon. The nutty flavor of Brazil nut and almond also came through quite nicely. I think that, as the book suggests, we should chill it slightly before drinking it, as it was room temperature when we opened it. It was incredibly hard to find any information on this wine, so I cannot narrow down what kind of Sherry this wine is. 

Personal Review: It was incredibly sweet, which is probably why it was so enjoyable. It smelled acidic and vaguely spoiled. As mentioned before, it was quite full-bodied and not dry at all. There were no notes of tannin. It was sweet from start to finish. Mostly tasted of fruit, particularly of cherries and other berries, perhaps even chocolate. I have to agree with the review's notes of fruit, and I can taste the butterscotch, however I would not have identified these flavors as nutty or like butterscotch. Unfortunately, I drank this with Indian food. This wine enhanced the spiciness of the food despite it not even being spicy, so it might be best to avoid spicy food. Additionally, it was not chilled, but I believe it would be best if it were chilled.