Welcome back everyone!
This is the fourth lesson in wine snobbery right ahead of spring break, which is saweeeet, so it is the perfect week to open up the sweet bottles I've got. This time we got a little something from California and something from Europe as well. Now lets see what we got!
2012 Rodney Strong A True Gentleman's Port
Variety of Grapes: Zinfandel Blend
region: Sonoma County
Country: United States
Vintage: 2012
Price: $34.95
Review from napavalleywineacademy.com: "A truly expressive wine, A true Gentleman's Port expresses notes of dried cherry and fig, slightly burnt caramel, vinilla and hazelnut, finishing with a prominent spice note. A great choice with cheeses and dried fruits."
Flavor Notes from Wine Folly: "Flavors commonly associated with port wines are black plum, dried cherry, chocolate, raisin, and cinnamon. It is also recommended that it is paired with Stilton cheese." - pg 153-154
Personal Review: The nose on this fella is overflowing with strong spices. Cinnamon, allspice, and chocolate are all pungent features just to the smell. It also smells very sweet and hot, which makes sense for a more alcoholic port wine. The mouth feel was what hit me first, it is very viscus from the alcohol and sugar, but is balanced quite nicely by the spices noted in the smell and the very strong flavors of dates, raisins, and prunes. Something to note is while it is viscus, it does not have the same syrup consistency that cheaper port wines have and feels lighter likely because it is more balanced. While it is strong overall, it is very well balanced and would be perfect with any cheese board, or rather, enjoyed on its own. It is sweet and heavy enough to carry its own, but to heavy to be paired with any real meal besides charcuterie. If you love sweet things, you'll love this!
Richard Bocking 2019 Bocking Riesling
Variety of Grapes: Riesling
region: Mosel
Country: Germany
Vintage: 2019
Price: $17.95
Review from vivino.com: "Pale yellow in colour, this wine has a good nose, light on the palate showing notes of citrus, green apples, tart and zesty lime. High acidity balanced by the high residula sugar."
Flavor Notes/Pairing from Wine Folly: "Off-dry Riesling wines make a great pairing to spicy Indian and Asian cuisines and do excellently alongside duck, pork, bacon, shrimp, and crab. Rieslings often present flavors like lime, green apple, beeswax, jasmine, and petroleum" - pg 158-159
Personal Review: The aroma is quite light and not at all harsh. It does not present any chemical scents, but does give off a cooling smell. The flavors are quite consistent with the Wine Folly common flavors, but has quite a strong honey and lime flavors that overpower the smaller taste of green apple. While the lime comes forward the most initially, it finishes with the more mellow honey that coats the mouth. The wine is sweet, but not overpoweringly so and has a refreshing, but small hint of dryness on the front that dissipates quickly. Overall, a refreshing white wine that I would classify almost as a desert wine, but could certainly be paired with a fish that is paired with citrus flavors.
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