Doural 2009

Bottle of Doural Tinto

Doural
Red Tinto 2009
Douro, Portugal 
Touriga Franca
8.95 USD

The Portuguese tinto(red) blend exhibits a deep red color with violet hues.  The nose is vibrant and fruity.  The palate offers notes of spice, cherry and dark berry supported by good structure.  Pairs well with red game meat, cheese and fish. (description courtesy of the Vintage Cellar)

This past weekend we (Derek, Marie and I) ventured to the Vintage Cellar for a delightful tasting.  My favorite of the bunch was the Doural.  It had a strong presence of red fruit and oak when smelling it.  It smelled smooth, rich and thick.  It had what I think was some kind of cherry taste to it and it was the smoothest wine I'd had in a while.  There was no hint of alcohol in either the taste or smell.  It was delight to taste and if it weren't for beer I had bought the day before I would have gotten a bottle.  Maybe next time.

Ines De Monclus 2010

Bottle of Ines de Monclus 2010

Ines Red
de Monclus 2010
Somontano, Spain
A blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon + Moristel
14.00 USD

The Somontano region of Spain—with which most Americans are unfamiliar—was named based on Latin for “under the mountain.” This describes the region perfectly. Lying at the foothills of the Pyrenees, the majestic mountains provide a shelter which lends itself to the growing of superb grapes. The Ines de Monclus red blend hails from this idyllic region; the basic grape is Tempranillo which is tempered by both Cabernet Sauvignon and Moristel. With a cherry color that has an intense violet shade, the wine is striking in the glass. Berries and truffles abound on the nose, urging you to partake in the wine. These tantalizing aromas continue on the palate, providing a suave and balanced mouth feel. The total result is an outstanding wine that will pair nicely with tapas or any hearty meat dish. (description by barclayswine.com)

This past Friday the second installment of Wine Friday's ensued.  The first wine we had was a revisiting of the Spinelli...it wasn't as good as the first time.  The second, was this Ines de Monclus Red.  The first sniffs brought a slight alcohol scent with an Oaky vanilla and fruit.  Strawberry is what came to mind.  This wine had a slight puckering affect to it with a mild burn at the end.  Unfortunately, other than those two sensations all I could really get was some sort of slight fruit taste but not a whole lot else.  Marie and I were not fans.

Spinelli 2008

Bottle of Spinelli 2008

Spinelli
Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2008
Atessa, Italy
Montepulciano Grape
4.00 USD

Medium ruby red colour; warm, fruity, dark berry, plum, leather and herb aromas and flavours; dry, medium bodied with crisp acidity and moderate tannic structure.

Serving Suggestion: 

Tomato based pasta dishes, Italian sausage or medium cheeses. (Discription from winealign.com)

The third wine of our first ever Friday wine night Derek chose this bottle of Spinelli.  It was quite a difference from our first two but a good one to end the meal with.  It had a noticeable alcohol smell to it with some sort of sweet smoky oak smell.  After about an hour of drinking it I started to smell what I thought was a molasses and cherry.  It tasted semi-sweet with a dry cranberry undertone.  It had a slight burn in it from the alcohol and it stayed with me after each sip in the beginning but after about an hour of it being open it smoothed out and develop a chocolate taste and seemed to thicken up.  

La Ardilla 2010

Bottle of La Ardilla (the squirrel)

La Ardilla 2010
Valencia, Spain
Moscato Grapes
10.00 USD

You will be amazed as this light, elegant and fruity wine has just the right amount of fizz and sweetness to be the perfect aperitif on a warm afternoon. Delicious! (Reviewed By: Schneider's of Capitol Hill)

To continue from Post #1, the second wine tasted that night was the bottle of La Ardilla and was picked by the lovely Marie Williams.  Known for having a notorious sweet tooth, this Moscato was a no brainner for Marie...plus it had a squirrel on the bottle, it was love at first sight.  It was also served with the cheese and bread appetizers.  Smelling it was like shoving candy up your nose, with a hint of some kind of flower and honey.  It tasted as Marie so eloquently put it as "like Welch's grape juice" with a slight bubbly crispness to it.  But to be honest I would have been perfectly happy simply smelling it all night.  I wasn't able to taste much of a difference in the wine after eating either the cheese or bread. 

Ruffino: Orvieto Classico 2010

Ruffino Orvieto Classico 2010

Ruffino
Orvieto Classico 2010
Orvieto, Italy
A blend of Grechetto and Trebbiano Grapes
10.00 USD

Brilliant straw yellow. The bouquet is very plesant and fragrant, characterized by neat sensations of citrus ftuits and golden apples, on a flowery background that reminds fresh hints of meadow flowers and a persistent vegetal note of sage.

At the palate firstly stands out an excellent freshness, well balanced by a pleasant roundness, featured by notes of meadow flowers and golden apples. The aftertaste is long and fragrant, with hits of fresh almond. (wine maker's notes from wine.com)

Last Friday evening my best friend (Derek), girlfriend (Marie), and I began our evening with a beer tasting at the Vintage Cellar.  We bought a couple bottles of wine afterwards to celebrate our new tradition of "Wine Fridays."  We began with this bottle of Orvieto Classico, accompained with an Australian cheddar, a French loaf, and olive oil.  I couldn't really discern a particular smell from the wine but I was struck by strong citrus and fruit flavors when I tasted it.  Unfortunately I still can't specify any particular fruits but apparently, according to wine.com, I was supposed to be tasting some golden apples.  Chalk it up to inexperience, I guess.  However I did note that the wine was very crisp at the beginning but smoothed out toward the middle and end.  When tasted with the cheddar and bread I found the wine to be more crisp than before.