La Sera, Red Ambrosia

Bottle of La Sera
Red Ambrosia

La Sera
Red Ambrosia
Varietal:  Vermentino
Emilia-Romagna, Italy
11.95 USD


Riesling fans will love this one; it is sweet, light & fizzy with fresh strawberry and raspberry flavors. Recommendation: Perfect for concerts in the park, summer BBQs or Oriental cuisine. Serve chilled.  (Westchester wine warehouse)


This wine hit you in the face with its floral and rich fruit aromas.  There were tons of nice ripe strawberry.  It was a very sweet bubbly wine.  In that way it was very similar to moscato but it felt much lighter and and cleaner than most
 moscatos I've had.  Strawberry took center stage in this wine. 

Four Bears Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Bottle of Four Bears
Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Four Bears

Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Varietal:  Cabernet Sauvignon

California, USA

14.95 USD

Ruby in color and displays aromas of lavender, cedar and raspberry fruit.  Flavors of blackberries and raspberries combined with hints of savory spices coat the palate.  The soft tannins and sweet oak balance lead to a long and lingering finish. (Vintage Cellar)

This was a very nice red.  Just on color it looked like it was liquefied raspberry jam.  On the nose it matched its appearance with a strong dark fruit jammy-ness.  It also had an aroma I couldn't really place but to be honest it kinda smelled like someone had just washed their hair with a sweet shampoo and then stuck it in my face.  On the palate, it was again very jammy and full of sweet dark fruit.  I thought of raspberry and blackberry instantly.  It was slightly dry but at the same time a very smooth wine.  It went down very easily with it having that dry component to it.  Also, I couldn't really pick up much if any heat to it at all.  This was a very enjoyable wine for me.

Pietra Santa Sangiovese 2008

Bottle Lable of Pietra Santa
Sangiovese 2008
(Sorry couldn't find the full bottle)

Pietra Santa 
Sangiovese 2008
California, USA
Varietal:  Sangiovese

15.95 USD

Produced exclusively from grapes grown on the estate and showcases winemaker Alessio Carli's talent with the grape.  Growing up in Tuscany, Alession watched his father make Chianti and later hone his skilled at the renowned Badia a Coltibuono.  Our Estate Sangiovese tastes of cranberry and intense Bing cherry with undertones of anise and a lingering finish.  The depth and complexity of this wine has make it an annual best seller and the ultimate companion to great Italian cuisine.  Typical of this varietal our Sangiovese vines have matured and we have been rewarded by increasingly rich fruit. (Vintage Cellar)

With strong notes of oak and rich thick smoke this wine exploded out of the glass.  There were also tones of sweet red fruit smoothing out the nose.  On the palate it had quite a bit of heat to it which detracted from the wine a bit.  It had an interesting bitter cranberry component to it as well as a strangely acidic bite...that may have just been the cranberries talking though.  All in all I enjoyed the smell more than the taste.

Pietra Santa Sacred Stone Red

Bottle of Pietra Santa
Sacred Stone Red

Pietra Santa
Sacred Stone Red
Blend: Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah
California, USA
10.00 USD


Dark ruby in color, with warm, plummy aromas, a hint of raisins and a dash of spice; floral and peppery notes on the nose carry over to the palate with a burst of fragrant pepper and bright red fruit. Full bodied, tart and somewhat tannic, with an intriguing minerality lurking behind the forward fruit and peppery spice. Powerful alcohol (14.8%) leaves a distinct warmth in the finish. Made by a California producer and bearing no regional appellation or vintage, it's described as a "Rhone-style blend," with Syrah, Carignan, Grenache and the less characteristically Rhonish Sangiovese and Zinfandel (wineloverspage.com)


This was a very bold and full bodied wine.  With lots of tannic structure mixing well with the earthy nose and red fruit.  It was not very sweet but had a lot of red fruit components to it and although it wasn't overly kick you in the mouth dry, towards the finish it certainly dried out a lot more for me.  

Four Bears Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Bottle of Four Bears
Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Four Bears
Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Varietal:  Sauvignon Blanc
California, USA
13.00 USD


Rich and complex with aromas of ruby grapefruit, citrus and tropical fruit.  On the palate, the combined flavors of fresh melon fig and lime are balanced perfectly to form a crisp, mouthwatering texture and a lingering finish. (Vintage Cellar)


First impression on the nose was a lot of grassy notes with just a hint of lemon on end.  There was a very pleasant smooth melon present too.  On the palate there was an explosion of tropical fruits.  It was actually really hard to pick out one from another.  There was a tartness of a grapefruit but a smooth melon really held most of the fruit flavors for me.  A hint of acid kept the wine from being overly sweet in my opinion.  It was a very nice addition.  The wine smooth all the way through with only the slightest bit of heat at the end. 

Barrel Oak Chocolate Lab

Bottle and Glass of
Chocolate Lab

Barrel Oak 

Chocolate Lab (no date)

Varietal:  Chambourcin

Virginia, USA

31.00 USD

One of our most popular, the Chocolate Lab is a totally unique port-style Chambourcin infused with essences drawn from cocoa beans added to the wine during secondary fermentation. Lush vanilla and chocolate that finishes perfectly and is not too sweet. Aged in recovered whiskey barrels with 5% residual sugar.  (Barrel Oak Winery)

This was a delicious dessert wine.  It was rich and fully bodied on the nose while not being overly alcoholic on the nose.  There were hints of vanilla, dark chocolate, espresso and cherry on the nose as well.  It was rich and delightfully sweet on the front end and mellowed out a bit to a nice dark chocolate kick on the finish.  There was not a whole lot of heat to it but what little there was was actually very pleasant in my opinion. 

Barrel Oak Merlot 2009

Lable of Barrel Oak
Merlot 2009

Merlot 2009

Varietal:  Merlot

Virginia, USA

29.00 USD

Soft and sensual with balanced acidity.  This fruit-forward Merlot represents ideal wine making condition from vine to bottle.  Barreled in American and Hungarian oak, the finish is reminiscent of espresso and warm croissant.  (Barrel Oak Winery)

I don't really remember a whole lot about this wine standing out to me.  There some red fruits on the nose but nothing overwhelmingly jumped out at me.  It did have a nice silky nose and feel to it but not much else backing that up.