Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc

Here's what I have to say about this tasting: AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! There was so much wine that I don't think we got all of them in the picture, and I definitely didn't write them all down. At some point we decided it was a great idea to go onto the roof, despite the frigid winds. Of note: we had already had a bottle of cab sav before starting the actual tasting. Oops.

Please disregard the lapse in the standard rating system on the previous post. My memory is just not what it used to be.

A. The Seeker Sauvignon Blanc 2012 - more info

Appearance: Light straw, well-hydrated pee

Nose: 3.5

Intensity: 3

Balance: 2.2

Complexity: 2

Finish: 3

Comments: Finish is worse than taste, good summer wine, but flat. Acidity of asparagus with lemon cuts through the sweetness well, good with toasted bread.

B. Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc 2012 - more info

Appearance: Same, but more color

Nose: 2.1

Intensity: 1.5

Balance: 3.2

Complexity: 2

Finish: 2.2

Comments: A bit of honey, refreshing, mellow, good sangria base, good wine for people who don't like wine, mason jar wine, super drinkable.

Chris likes it.

C. Line 39 Sauvignon Blanc 2012 - more info

Appearance: Clear, stronger legs

Nose: 3.2 - Pear, poison ivy

Intensity: 3.2

Balance: 3 - Firm, formal

Complexity: 3.5

Finish: 2.3 - Quick and dirty

Comments: Not as sweet as expected, may go well with fish.

D. Ponga Sauvignon Blanc 2011 - more info

Appearance: Legs come slow

Nose: 2.9

Intensity: 2

Balance: 4

Complexity: 2.75

Finish: 1.8

Comments: Acidic, innocuous, Juicy Juice

E. Stark Raving Cab NV - more info

Appearance: Super dark, purple, turbid

Nose: 3.9 - This is a smelly wine

Intensity: 4

Balance: 2.8

Complexity: 3.2

Finish: 2.3 - Leaves with just the smoke

Comments: Sweet, with smokey undertones, would go well with cake. "I like burnt shit."

Annie and Chris would drink the shit out of it. Ian, Brian, and Jen liked it as well.

F. Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 - more info

Appearance: Dark, looks like cannons, burgundy

Nose: 3

Intensity: 2.7

Balance: 2 - Fruit forward, smoke after

Complexity: 2.7

Finish: 3.5 - Surprisingly mellow

Comments: Astringent, but complex.

Brian liked it.

G. Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 - more info

Appearance: Sepia, dark

Nose: 2.9

Intensity: 2.5

Balance: 2.35

Complexity: 3

Finish: 3.5

Comments: Caramel note, cloying, Werther's Original, cinnamon, good after dinner, can stand well on its own.

Jen's favorite.

H. Bota Box Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 - more info

Appearance: Standard red, doesn't disappear, looks sustainably packaged

Nose: 3

Intensity: 3.7

Balance: 3

Complexity: 2.9 - Jammy, coffee

Finish: 3

Comments: Coffee smell, not enough Jazz Berry, mild and inoffensive. 

Wine continued beyond this point, but seeing as how illegible my handwriting became by that last one (I didn't post some of the comments simply because I could not read them), it's probably good that I stopped taking notes.

Under $10

Our tour of the world wines has been completed. We've sampled from pretty much every main region we could think of. So what's next on our list? Would that be the end of Tannin Team?

Of course not! Because the holidays are always a tight time for cash, we decided to wrap up our tasting year with a celebration featuring bottles with list prices under $10 at our area wine stores. That's not to say they might not be a little pricier wherever you are, but they're guaranteed to be on the less expensive side.

A. Barefoot Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon - more info
Appearance: Dark, beet juice, "Outstanding!"
Nose: 2.5
Aroma: 3.8
Balance: 4
Complexity: 2.2
Finish: 2.5 - "It's long, but I don't like it."
Comments: "Church wine." "I was gonna go with college, but that works, too."
Haley and Jen liked it.

B. Montebuena Rioja 2010 - more info
Appearance: More cherry-colored, legs look alright.
Nose: 1
Aroma: 2
Balance: 3
Complexity: 2.1
Finish: 2.3 - longer, but bitter, like grapefruit
Comments: Definitely wine, guaranteed. "It'll do." "This wine needs to eat a sandwich [because it needs more body]." Dry. "This is the kind of wine where I really don't like it, but I keep drinking it, because it's so interesting, whatever it's doing to my mouth."

C. Big House Cardinal Zin 2011 - more info
Appearance: Light, too light for a zinfandel
Nose: 2
Aroma: 2 - peppery flowers
Balance: 3.3 - sweet
Complexity: 2
Finish: 3 - short, but sweet
Comments: "And there was a great smacking of lips." Juicy, would be good for sangria, off-dry, the opposite of a flouride treatment.

D. DFJ Vinhos Alta Corte Caladoc Tinta Roriz 2009 - more info
Appearance: Darker, fatter/slower legs
Nose: 4
Aroma: 3.9 - like a country store at Christmas time
Balance: 1.5
Complexity: 1.5 - metal, blood, and NPR
Finish: 1 - not short, but very bitter
Comments: Tastes like "Car Talk."

E. Mirassou Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2010 - more info
Appearance: Straw, coliform failure
Nose: 3
Aroma: 3 - "I dunno..."
Balance: 1.5
Complexity: 1.5
Finish: 2
Comments: "This is not sauvignon blanc." "It tastes like balloons." Sweeter than it should be. Kind of like a chardonnay.

F. Naylor Vidal Perfection 2009 - more info
Appearance: Medium straw
Nose: 2
Aroma: 3.3
Balance: 4 - but a bit sweet
Complexity: 2.5
Finish: 3 - short, but not unpleasant
Comments: Smells less offensive. "This wine is a slut." "Well, her name is NAYLOR..."
Our favorite white.

G. She Flirts Chardonnay 2008 - more info
Appearance: Dehydrated, vibrant, pineapple juice
Nose: 2.5
Aroma: 3.5
Balance: 2.7
Complexity: 2.7
Finish: 2.1
Comments: Not mislabeled. "Why does that make me think of a cow?" "Keep drinking until you find the complexity." "I'd rather Naylor."


Now that we've looked at different regions and gotten an idea of the qualities of various wines, we're going to look a little deeper and focus on varietals. Each tasting will feature one red and one white, just for variety. Our hopes are to discover more subtleties between vintages and vineyards, and maybe discovering that we don't actually hate moscato. Following the varietal features, we'll take a look at blends, organic wines, and do a sangria contest. What fun!

South Africa

I actually did a bit of research on South African wines before this party. And by "research," I mean I read one chapter about it from the book Educating Peter, by Lettie Teague. It was useful, but did not give me very high hopes, as Pinotage, the "only truly South African grape," was described as tasting reminiscent of animal pelt.

Even though the book didn't have much good to say about Pinotage or Chenin Blanc (and made me worry that these varieties will soon be extinct), we did enjoy the unique taste of those wines. And look, we have a picture this time! They're even in order of drinking.

A. Mulderbosch Sauvingnon Blanc 2010 - more info
Appearance: White, pale
Nose: 4
Intensity: 3.3
Balance: 4
Complexity: 2
Finish: 2
Comments: Semi-dull, has a bite, fresh, minerals, tart finish. "Better than I thought, but I don't love it." "I can feel it more than I can taste it."
Michelle's favorite white


B. Indaba Chardonnay 2010 - more info
Appearance: More hay, less straw
Nose: 2.5
Intensity: 1.7
Balance: 3
Complexity: 3.4
Finish: 4.1
Comments: Finish is better than the sip.


C. Indaba Chenin Blanc 2011 - more info
Appearance: Pale, good legs, transparent
Nose: 4
Intensity: 1.3
Balance: 3
Complexity: 3
Finish: 2.6
Comments: Unassuming, apples and leather, gets better the more you drink it, biggest taste at mid-palate, could go well with red meats.


D. Kanu Chenin Blanc 2009 - more info
Appearance: fizzy, cloudy
Nose: 5 - "Oh!!"
Intensity: 2.6
Balance: 3.7
Complexity: 3.2
Finish: 3.1
Comments: Like champagne, more bold, it rises, has a lot of texture, wavy finish.
Andy's favorite, MV and Jen's favorite white, Michelle's other favorite white.


E. Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards Theta Syrah 2003 - more info
Appearance: Deep, chocolatey, opaque, leggy, dark
Nose: 5 - Chocolate, wood
Intensity: 4
Balance: 3
Complexity: 5
Finish: 3.8 - Dry
Comments: Smokey, beefy, earthy. "It's kinda like dirt... I like it." "Candlewax, campfires, and apples."
The only red Michelle has ever liked.


F. Goats in Village Shiraz Pinotage 2008 - more info (This link doesn't offer price, but it does have the story, which you will need to read to understand the comments.)
Appearance: Translucent, dark, angry, "I see a lot of AIDS, but not many goats."
Nose: 4 - Smokey
Intensity: 3.5
Balance: 5
Complexity: 4.2 - Bursts
Finish: 4 - Tasty but subtle
Comments: It has AIDS and goats. Highest entertainment value per dollar. Likely good with chocolate or steak.
Dan and Haley's favorite. Jen's second favorite red. 

G. Barista Pinotage 2009 - more info

Appearance: Similar to the last one, cherry, not as viscous
Nose: 5 - Spicy and grassy
Intensity: 2.7
Balance: 4
Complexity: 5 - "What is that?"
Finish: 5 - "Long and luscious"
Comments: Grassy, coffee, mocha, cherry, meadow, open field, snakes and butterflies, staccato, sensuous.
Kerri's favorite. Jen's favorite red.



H. Graham Beck The Game Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 - more info
Appearance: Purple, confident and sexy (in a Scottish accent)
Nose: 3.6 - Molasses, honey
Intensity: 2.4
Balance: 4
Complexity: 2.95
Finish: 4.2
Comments: Hippie wine, berry, vaguely smokey, chewy, round.

Australia/New Zealand

Today's ACTUAL foray into the realm of wine led us to Australia and New Zealand (the last post was a catch-up from the previous tasting). We went with whites first. Today, MV taught us that you can see the amount of tannin in a wine by looking at the vertical streams in the glass after you swirl it. Who knew?! Here's some other interesting stuff about tannin.

EDIT: The lines are actually created by the alcohol-- more lines = more alcohol = drier wine.

A. Mohua Sauvignon Blanc 2010 - more info
Appearance: blonde, clear, straw-colored
Nose: 4
Intensity: 1
Balance: 3.5
Complexity: 3
Finish: 4
Comments: Tart, crisp. Would go well with sharp cheese, fish, or crab.
Jen's favorite white

B. Yellowtail Moscato - more info
Appearance: "Miller High Life," slightly bubbly, more golden
Nose: 2.5
Intensity: 1
Balance: 4.257
Complexity: 1.7
Finish: 3
Comments: "Golden Delicious" apple-dapple, "sugar in a glass," "it's good, man."

C. Starborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010 - more info
Appearance: blonde
Nose: 4.5
Intensity: 1
Balance: 3
Complexity: 3
Finish: 3
Comments: smells more alcoholic, like grass, doesn't follow through-- it smells better than it tastes. Good with cheeses and creams. More sour than tart, but better as you drink it. Good with onion rings!

D. Royal Bitch Reserve Merlot 2008 - more info
IT'S A TRAP! This wine is actually from Chile, but we rated it anyway.
Appearance: intense, formidable, deep red, garnet
Nose: 5
Intensity: 3
Balance: 3.8
Complexity: 3.14
Finish: 4
Comments: pair with something heavy, "warm and fuzzy," more with-dessert wine.
Bryan's favorite

E. Robert Oatley Tempranillo 2009 - more info
Appearance: really dark, cherry
Nose: 4.2
Intensity: 3.5
Balance: 4.5
Complexity: 3.5
Finish: 3
Comments: "more for a winter's day than a summer evening," "it's strong, but it's not long."
Jen's favorite red

E. Layer Cake Shiraz Vintage 2009 - more info
Appearance: deep, almost purple/black, cranberry
Nose: 4.2
Intensity: 4
Balance: 4.8
Complexity: 4
Finish: 4
Comments: spicy, strong, smoky, savory, steak wine (or lamb), dark fruit. "I feel like I should be a vampire."
Dan, Haley, and Pete's favorite