Parallus White Wine Blend

Grape Varietal: White wine blend

Vintage: 2014

Country: United States

Region: California

Price and Place of Purchase: part of Tasting Room case received

Appearance: just the palest yellow; nearly clear

Bouquet: strong hint of the (steel?) barrels and the fruitiness

Cathy's Overall Thoughts:This was okay for a white wine. It didn't seem to taste like much, which meant it was very drinkable (perhaps too drinkable...). But I liked it and it gave a clear finish, with perhaps a bit of sharpness on the aftertaste. The sharpness kind of reminded me of chardonnay, but not in the negative way.

Overall, I give this a 7/10 on my scale.

We paired with: sausage, boursin cheese, and crackers

We recommend this with: a pleasant evening and relaxing...not much to do.

Cheers!

Cannonau Di Sardegna

Grape Varietal:  Cannonau, which is the Sardinian name for Grenache

Vintage: 2012

Country: Sardinia

Region: Denominazione Di Origine Controllata

Producer: Antonio Sanguineti

Price and Place of Purchase: part of Tasting Room case received

Appearance: Gorgeous purple-burgandy

Bouquet: Clean, crisp grapes; has a hint of the seaside and adventure within the bouquet

Cathy's Overall Thoughts: This was a fantastic wine. Soft, smooth, supple on the tongue. Worked well with many different foods, but Adam especially adored it with chocolate. It was just a lovely sipping wine, and I would highly recommend it!

Overall, I give this a 9.9/10 on my scale.

We paired with:a variety of foods

We recommend this with: anything  :)

Cheers!

Durigutti Reserva Malbec

We're going to try to keep better tabs on our wines in 2016....so I thought I'd start by noting down our Wine of the Night tonight.  :)

Grape Varietal: Malbec

Vintage: 2011

Country: Argentina

Region: Mendoza

Producer: Durigutti (Reserva)

Price and Place of Purchase: gift from a friend

Appearance:Deep ruby-red that mellows to a bright burgundy color toward the edges of a glass

Bouquet:A muted hint of a vinegary fruitiness. It wasn't hugely pleasant at first, but it isn't bad. It just didn't make me want to revel in the bouquet.

Cathy's Overall Thoughts: I wasn't a big fan, but I enjoyed it. At first, without any food, it felt a bit overwhelmingly sour. It did change, though, with some food. I think the spiciness of some queso balanced out the sourness and allowed me to enjoy the bold fruitiness. In general, I love Malbecs, but I wasn't a huge fan of this Malbec. It tasted more like a Merlot, which isn't meant to be cruel about that vintage, but just different than I was used to. It was enjoyable to drink and I appreciated the gift.

Overall, I give this a 7.5/10 on my scale.

We paired with: "Sherlock: The Abominable Bride" (i.e. we drank it by itself) until we added in some chips and queso.

We recommend this with: food--something bold and with a strength to balance the body of this wine.

Cheers!