Tasting: William Fevre La Mision

Name: William Fevre La Mision
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Maipo Valley
Country: Chile
Year: 2016
Price: $9.95/ 750 mL

Critic Review: This La Misión Chardonnay is very fruity and highlights notes of pear, white peach, and a hint of smoke which is very characteristic of some vines from the Maipo Valley. It is very fresh and round in the mouth and has developed aromas of toasted bread and butter.

My Review: I'm getting something vegetable from this, but I can't quite place it. I get hints of pear and some of the smoke. To me this is dry and could use food, but I didn't dislike it.

Tasting: Mont Pellier

Name: Mont Pellier

Variety: Viognier

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2015

Price: $15/ 750 mL

Critic Review: 

With abundant aromas of honey-suckle, stone fruit, apricot and tropical fruit, our Viognier finishes crisp and clean with hints of vanilla and fruit that is pleasantly balanced.

My Review: I get a lot of apple, some bright/ stone fruit and citrus from this. It is very refreshing but I feel like it could use food.

Tasting: Paranoia Red Wine Blend

Name: Paranoia Red Wine Blend

Variety: Red Blend

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2016

Price: $9.99/ 750 mL

Critic Review:
Bold flavors of black cherry, boysenberry jam, mild oakiness, cedar. Medium body, cassis black cherry integrated oak tannins and flavors, black pepper, faint echo of black tea on the finish.

My Review: To me, this wine is smooth and buttery with hints of vegetables on the nose and at the end. It isn't begging me for food but food would be good with it. I feel like a simple meat and potatoes meal would be great. I did enjoy this with a soft pretzel with yellow mustard. It didn't necessarily match but it didn't clash. I wouldn't avoid it in the future. I think the buttery notes go well with the breadyness of the pretzel and the mustard balances it out like it does with the pretzel.

Tasting: Dark Horse Chardonnay

Name: Dark Horse Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2017

Price: $6.99/ 750 mL (on sale)

Critic Review:

Displaying rich flavors of baked apple and pear, layered with toasted oak, this Chardonnay exhibits notes of caramel and brown spice with a smooth, lingering finish.

My Review: I wanted another smooth, creamy, and buttery chardonnay and luckily I got one. I could smell the butter, some apples, and a hint of caramel with a simple swirl. The first sip greeted me with some apple notes, a ton of butter, and a nice creamy finish. The caramel flavor came out more with later sips, and by the end the caramel was super prevalent with the creamy finish. After reading the label and reviews, I'm picking up on what must be the "toasted oak" flavor. It is perfect without food.

Tasting: Bellini Chianti

Name: Bellini Chianti

Variety: Chianti

Region: Tuscany

Country: Italy

Year: 2016

Price: $6.99/ 375 mL

Critic Review: Winery Direct

This is a high quality Chianti at an everyday price. This small, family owned producer packs plenty of flavor in this one-- dried cherry, plum, and a hint of vanilla. A medium-bodied, well structured wine with superb balance and subtle woodsy notes in the bouquet.

My Review:

This one smells and tastes like dark fruit. I feel like other than that, it has a very distinct "wine" taste. To me, this is a dry wine with a medium body that begs for food. I had this one with grilled chicken, roasted broccoli, and couscous. It was very good, the Italian seasoning seemed to work well with the wine, and the roasted garlic couscous allowed the wine to shine without overpowering it. The meal satisfied the strong desire for food this wine had but I think it would be better with some pasta and a creamy red sauce.

Tasting: Crazy Legs Hoppy Red Blend

Name: Crazy Legs Hoppy Red Blend

Variety: Red Blend

Region: King City, California

Country: USA

Year: No year

Price: $3.99/ 375mL

Critic Review: Winery Direct

Let's get CRAZY...well we already did for you! Plum and cherry are accompanied by hops that are infused into this revolutionary Red Blend. That's right we said HOPS! This is no ordinary Red Blend. Packed full of flavor and perfectly packable for you to take on your next crazy adventure!

My Review:

This is another canned wine, and one that I'm actually really into. You can smell the hops right away, along with some dark fruits. It's a little sweet, which provides a good balance to the hops. When I drink it, I get the hops and dark fruit, but also a strong sense of jasmine, like the tea. There's also some honeysuckle in there. My mom and I chilled it some because of the hops, but as it warmed up in the glass the jasmine aromas and flavors came out more. We did not have it with food, and I don't think it really needs it. I really like this and would for sure drink it again, especially at the price it is at. I think this would be another good one for the beach, like the Oceans Away I reviewed. Is there a can correlation?

Tasting: Prototype Chardonnay

Name: Prototype Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: USA
Year: 2017
Price: $6.99/ 750 mL

Critic Review:  Winery Direct
A rich Chardonnay that is full of honey, butter and melon on the palate. Notes of vanilla, caramel and white flowers add layers of complexity to create a perfect balance of flavor.

My Review: I know what they mean by buttery now. This wine is so smooth and easy to drink. Somehow this is my first "oakey" chardonnay, and I love it. It was creamy and smooth and clearly buttery. There was an element that I had trouble describing but I'm relating to melons after reading what Total Wine had out to accompany the wine. I could also sense some of the honey and caramel, but they did not make the wine too sweet. I would wager to say the wine is relatively balanced, because nothing stood out to me as being too much. The wine is rich and easy to drink without food, which is how I enjoyed it. It was great slightly chilled and in double walled wine tumblers in a hot tub.