I'm a relative newbie when it comes to wine, but I'm quickly learning! The following are mini-reviews of some of the wines I have tasted. I give each wine one of five ratings, ranging from Excellent to Absolute Swill. I'm not picky at all when it comes to red versus white, domestic versus foreign, what wine goes with what food, etc., because I believe these things are largely irrelavent. Good wine is good wine, and any wine will adulterate the taste of any food to a degree that one might as well argue the subtleties of using a sledgehammer. Well, on to some wine reviews!
Bolla Valpolicella Classico 1993 : (Italy) A wonderfully smooth and oakey red with just enough fruitiness to amuse.
Bolla Merlot 1993 : (Italy) An altogether pleasant Merlot.
Foundation Burton & Guestier "1725" Bordeaux 1992 : (France) I'm not sure exactly what a Bordeaux is supposed to taste like, but I really enjoyed this wine. It's exceptionally well rounded, quite fruity and definitely amusing.
Chateau Graysac Medoc Merlot 1992 : (France) Definitely the best Merlot I've tried so far, as well as the most expensive.
Laurel Glen Vineyard "Reds" 1994 : (California) A nice pleasent red table wine. Very simple, not excessively fruity or sweet. Good stuff.
Laurel Glen Vineyard Terra Rosa North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 1993 : (California) Very pleasent (and inexpensive too!) Reasonbably complex and has a definite edge too it.
Chateau Pottelle Chardonnay 1994 : (California, Napa Valley) I like this stuff almost as much as Negro. It's about as complex, but not as overpoweringly fruity. Recommended.
Ca' del Solo Il Pescatore 1994 : (California) Very pleasent white table wine. There are a pretty wide range of grapes listed, but I think it's the Chardonnay and Riesling that make it work. Not overly fruity or sweet, but with lots of fruitiness.
Beringer Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 1993 : (California) Pleasent.
Lindeman's Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon 1993 : (Australia) Quite pleasent cab, although a bit long on tanins and needs more of an oakey note. This will be better with another year of storage.
Pierre Sparr Pinot Blanc d'Alsace 1989 : (France) Pleasent
Monsieur Touton Sauvignon [Blanc] 1990 : (France) Bordeaux Mmmm.
Paolo Toscano Chianti 1992 : (Italy) I'm not a big fan of Chianti, but I rather liked this wine. It has a pleasent, fruity, but slightly acidic nose. The taste is not too oakey, smooth, with hints of licorice and citrus, but marred by a light acidic aftertaste.
Robert Mondavi Moscato d'Oro 1995 : (California) Napa Valley. This is a really nice dessert wine you can only get directly from the Mondavi winery. Nice and sweet, but not overpowering, with lots of fruit.
Il Grigo da San Felice Chianti Classico Riserva 1987 : (Italy). Rather tanniny for a Chianti, but I like a wine with bite. The bottle may be "slightly corked", if that is possible. It's really missing a nose, which is surprising.
Chateau Le Fornas Bernadotte Haut Medoc 1976 : (France) This was just a bit past its prime, or it would have made it into the Excellent catagory. Very subtle flavor and nose. Incredibly smooth with little tannin and a surprising amount of unsuspected alcohol.
Georges Dubaeuf Viognier 1995 : (France) Viognier varietal white wine. Interesting. Not a very subtle wine and somewhat long on tannin. It could definitely benefit from some storage. It has gotten good reviews, although I am not sure exactly why.
Caliterra Merlot 1996, Valle Central : (Chile) This is the result of a partnership between Mondavi and Chadwick. Unlike other Mondavi partnerships, this one seems to produce really good wine, of which this is an example. Excellent Nose, very fruity with citrus. Hardly any tannin and a mildly fruity taste. No aftertaste at all, and, surprisingly, no citrus overtones despite the nose.
McGuigan Brother's "Black Label" (Red Table Wine): (Australia) Quite enjoyable wine. Surprisingly weak, but sweet nose. Very deep, rich taste, almost chocolatey. Perhaps a bit too sweet. No tannin noticable.
Barton&Guestier Blanc de Blancs Bordeaux 1995: (France) Nice and Tanniny. Good stuff.
Barton&Guestier Merlot 1995: (France) Little nose, slight fruitiness, tannins dominant, some bite and a wee bit of an aftertaste. Still, quite nice
Berringer Gamay Beaujolais 1995: (California) A really light wine with a pleasant sweet, but not oversweet quality. Well balanced if a bit watery.
David Bruce Vintner's Select Petite Syrah 1992 : (California) Petite Syrah is supposedly the up and coming grape for California and other, colder regions of the country. This red is reasonably pleasent, with a tartness that isn't there in, say, a Cab. I will probably try this again.
Edmunds St. John El Nino Blanco 1994 : (California) A reasonable white table wine.
London Winery Late Harvest Vidal 1994: (Ontario) This is a super sweet, super rich syrupy dessert wine. Definitely, it needs to be drunk with something, but it isn't clear what could be richer than this stuff.
Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvignon (Robert Mondavi) 1994 : (California) Rather flat cab with virtually no tannin. It's not that it is bad per se, but it just doesn't have any character at all. With luck, these non-napa Mondavi wines will improve.
Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 1992 : (Chile) Kind of forgetable, I'm afraid. A bit too tanniny, even after all this time. SC seems to much better with varietals.
Santa Carolina Merlot 1994: (Chile) This is certainly drinkable, but it isn't anywhere near as good as the '93.
Beaujolais-Villages Jadot 1995 : (France) The nose and taste are just too lightweight for me. There is just not a whole lot there. Of course, it is a Beaujolais, so it might be considerably better after a few years. However, since there is barely any of that tannin bite I like now, I doubt it will develop.
Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon 1986 : (Chile) A bit past its prime, and rather dull. Balanced, but with non of the complexity you would expect.
Edmund's St. John Mourvedre "L'Enfant Terrible" 1994 : (California) Well, it's not completely "Terrible", but this red has a tartness and an edge that I find somewhat unpleasent. To be fair, the vintners do say that you'll either love it or hate it.
Charles Favre Fendant de la Dame de Sion 1990: (France)