Lucero Syrah 2008

Wine Facts for Lucero Syrah

Grape Varietal: Syrah

Vintage: 2008

Country: Chile

Region: Casablanca Valley

Producer: Kingston Family Vineyards

Price: $24.99

Place of Purchase: Vintage Wines, Harrisonburg, VA

Additional facts: Here's a quote from the maker as to how they make the syrah so smooth:

"One thing that I have learned about Syrah at Kingston Vineyard is that it does not like to be treated roughly. Although Syrah has the reputation as a sturdy grape that likes to be roughed up a bit, my experience suggests otherwise. My best results have been when I treat it gently—in fact, when I treat it like Pinot Noir. So each of the last two years we have been treating the Syrah more gently—fewer punch-downs and pump-overs, not quite so many stems in the fermentor, less new oak and a bit longer in barrel. We are trying to come up with a wine that is more about complexity and flavor than sheer power. I think we’ve made some strides in that direction with the 2008 Lucero, which although it likes some aeration upon first opening, is chock full of blackberry fruit and spice and is surprisingly fleshy and soft on the palate. It is still not for the timid, and it pairs well with hearty food and company."

Characteristics of Lucero Syrah

Appearance: deep maroon

Bouquet: rich, fruity, swift to the nose, plum and jammy notes

Adam's Overall Thoughts:

Incredibly smooth wine for one so rich and dark. It was perfect with a ribeye steak, as well as homemade pizza. The Syrah begins softly on the tongue, growing deeper and richer as it traverses towards the back of the throat. There's a fruit-forwardness to the wine, too. Sipping on it by itself is ok, but it works best paired with food.

Cathy's Overall Thoughts:
This wine impressed because of its smoothness. It is dark, rich, and heady and I certainly expect a big, dry red bite to ruin the overall impression. No bite! Yay! I do agree that it works bets with foods, but I found that deeper foods would be my preference. The pizza was slightly spicy and this wine didn't work as well with the spicy notes as it did the deeper heartiness of the ribeye. It's a fine wine and incredibly interesting for a syrah.

On my scale, it's a 8.89.

We paired with: steak, baked potatoes, and green beans//also with homemade pizza

We recommend this with: food (especially steak)

Cheers!

Villa d'Rosso Toscano 2008

Wine Facts for Villa d' Rosso Toscano
Grape Varietal:  Sangiovese
Vintage: 2008
Country: Italy
Region: Tuscany, near the town of Montepulciano
Producer: Villa d'
Price: $8.99
Place of Purchase: Vintage Wines, Harrisonburg, VA

Additional facts:
This wine is further classified as Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT), which means that the wine has been sorted into the second of four classifications of wine designated by the Italian government. Created to recognize the unusually high quality of the class of wines known as Super Tuscans, IGT wines are labeled with the locality of their creation, but do not meet the requirements of the stricter DOC or DOCG designations, which are generally intended to protect traditional wine formulations such as Chianti or Barolo. As a side note, I've always loved classifications since I read Huxley's Brave New World, so go classifications!!  :)

Characteristics of Villa d' Rosso Toscano
Appearance: fading purplish-reddish color; very thin, low viscosity
Bouquet: a tingling sweetness hits the nose, but there's flowery overtones as well

Adam's Overall Thoughts:
This wine goes done very smoothly, but leaves a touch of bitterness behind, as if it's asking you to try once more with a wink-wink promise that it won't finish bitterly again. It paired beautifully with the sausage and is best enjoyed with something hearty. 

Cathy's Overall Thoughts:
Full of spice, especially after it sits on the tongue for awhile. It's very robust, sometimes overwhelming the food, but it's a fine, deep red wine for an evening drink. A slight hint of bitters near the end of a sip but a deep current jam-like overall taste. It's a pretty sassy wine.
On my scale, it's a 8.28.

We paired with: pasta with sausage and veggies

We recommend this: hearty meals

Cheers!

Christobal 1492 (2008)

Wine Facts for Christobal 1492
Grape Varietal: Malbec
Vintage: 2008
Country: Argentina
Region: Mendoza
Producer: La Santa Maria
Price: $11.99
Place of Purchase: Vintage Wines, Harrisonburg, VA

Additional facts: I quite liked how detailed this wine label was! I'm not a winemaker or producer or bottler (or have any actual job connected to wine), but I love studying about it. Yes, I can make wine dorky.  :)  Anyway, this label shared the following information: Within the La Santa Maria vineyard in Argentina, this wine came from Lot 1A-2A and was handmade in cases of 15 kg during the 4th week of March. Pretty awesome! If I ever visit this winery, I'll know exactly where to go, and (dorky) me thinks it's kind of cool to know that info!

The label also described that the wine undergoes cold pre-maceration for one week (different from just placing the grapes straight into maceration barrels and starting the juicing process immediately) and then is fermented between 72-degrees and 75-degrees Fahrenheit. Hey, if the fermentation temperature of Malbecs is ever asked on Jeopardy, you'll be glad I'm a dork!



Characteristics of Cristobal 1492
Appearance:very deep plum
Bouquet: not overly spicy, but it has hints of strawberry and deeper red fruits; very intoxicating

Adam's Overall Thoughts:
This would be a very nice sipping red. The slight spiciness lightly jumps on and off the tongue, quite carefree. It was a good dinner wine; the fish we had had a very clean taste, allowing the wine to be a bit bolder than it would have been had we paired it with a red meat, though I think it would be better paired with such. A great, full wine.

Cathy's Overall Thoughts:
I enjoyed this wine immensely; it had a rich jammyness to it that made me want to keep savoring it; there was a deep, succulent spice (almost straight down the center of my throat) as I swallowed, but it dissolved into pleasurable fruityness rather quickly. Quite lovely!
On my scale, it's a 9.39.

We paired with: ocean perch and veggies

We recommend this: with red meat and maybe a crackling fireplace

Cheers!