Saturday, April 15, 2006

Maniña Carmenere - 2004

**Unfortunately, no picture can be found of this wine at the time...we'll try to take one of our own and post it soon!**

Wow, did we stumble upon a winner or what? As you might or might not know, the Wine Gal & Wine Guy's wine of choice is Carmenere (I can't believe this is the first time we have reviewed this type of wine....it's our favorite....we also like Carmen Carmenere, Casa Silva Carmenere, and one other...can't think of the name right now). Well we saw one at Trader Joe's in Indianapolis and decided to give it a shot. It was the best $6 we ever spent on wine. The Maniña Carmenere is definitely our favorite type of Carmenere that we have come across yet. All of the Carmeneres we have tasted are from Chile, and from what we've read, we believe that is the only country that produces this wonderfully delicious wine.

We regret to inform you that we did not take tasting notes right away, and we drank this about 2 weeks ago so the exact flavors are not on the tip of our tongues, so to speak! However, we did find a similar review of this wine on the web, so some of the information below has been "borrowed" from that review. We apologize for the incomplete review. Next time we find this wine we'll update the post. But for now, here goes...

Date tasted: Sometime in early April 2006
Winery name & location: Maniña Vineyards, Maipo Valley, Chile
Grape/blend: Carmenere
Vintage: 2004
Taste: full-bodied, herbaceous, spice, hints of fruit, quite smooth.
Thoughts/info from wine label: The wine label reads, "This Carmenere is full bodied with generous fruit flavors and an intriguing spice, found only in Carmenere." While we didn't notice as much of the fruit flavors, the bottle is right on when it describes the "intriguing spice". It's a spice that will keep you coming back for more!

The alcohol content of this wine is 13.5%.

Bottom line: go out and buy this wine NOW. It will not disappoint.

Below is our rating for this wine:

Wine Gal's Five Grape Tasting Scale: OOOOO
Wine Guy's Five Grape Tasting Scale: OOOO 1/2
Five grapes and four and a half grapes, respectively...the closest we've come to "the perfect wine".

Link to winery's website: No website

Friday, April 14, 2006

Bogle Vineyards Petite Sirah - 2004


To quote the Wine Guy: "This wine is my birth into loving dry reds."

Mmmmm is all Wine Gal can say about this one. I was in the mood for something smooth & rich and this wine did not disappoint. Both the Wine Gal & Wine Guy are fairly inexperienced with the Petite Sirah grape, but I think it might be one of Wine Gal's new faves! :) Definitely recommend this one for just sipping on a lazy night, or it would also pair nicely with hearty foods such as steak, Italian, or other rich & flavorful dishes.

The wine was only about $7 or $8 at Trader Joe's...when the Wine Guy and I were in Indianapolis volunteering for the Final Four Tournament we decided to stop in and grab some different wines, and we're glad this is one that we chose! Read on to learn more about this full-bodied dry red.


Date tasted: 4/14/2006
Winery name & location: Bogle Vineyards, Clarksburg & Lodi, California
Grape/blend: Petite Sirah
Vintage: 2004
Color: deep purple, almost a rich magenta
Taste: full-bodied, jammy flavors, berry flavors, and hints of richness like dark chocolate. The richness lingers in your mouth on the finish.
Aroma: very rich & intense - dark chocolate, leathery, toasty
Thoughts/info from wine label: The wine label does not tell anything about this wine except its alcohol content (13.5%). The winery's website, however, lists this information about the wine: "Trademark inky and jammy tones fill the mouth with ripe fruit and berries. The voluptuous finish lingers with toasty oak and lush fruit. The firm tannins make this a wine that can develop for years to come, but you won’t want to wait that long to enjoy it!"

This wine was consumed on its own - we did not pair it with any food. It was definitely a tasty treat and a great way to wind down for the evening. Wine Guy was focused on a project while drinking this wine, so he apologizes for not having as much to say about it. Wine Gal, however, will be raving about this one for some time. It's definitely one of her (my) new favorites! :)

Below is our rating for this wine:

Wine Gal's Five Grape Tasting Scale: OOOO
Wine Guy's Five Grape Tasting Scale: OOOO
Four grapes from both of us!! Looks like a winner!!!

Link to winery's website: www.boglewines.com