This Chardonnay girl does drink a red wine every now and again!

So tonight for dinner my husband grilled some lamb chops and had asparagus for a veggie. So he pulls out this 2005 Pinot Noir from Sterling Vineyards. We had picked is up in Napa on our honeymoon back in 2007. The grapes came from their Oak Knoll vineyard. I have to say I was very impressed with this wine. It wasn't over bearing with tannins like a cab and it wasn't bitter. To smell this delectable treat it was lite on the nose, the fruit intensity was not over powering at all. The aroma had a nice earthy, red fruitiness to it. It finished with a light body and red fruit. The paring with the lamb chops was perfect, a nice compliment all around. Kudos to Bill for picking out the wine. I always knew he had to be a sommelier deep down inside.

2/14/09 Amalthea Cellars Farm Winery

On Valentines day my husband and I went to the cellar up the street from our house. How convenient right, well it was. It was busy for V day, but that's ok. Amalthea had their regular everyday tastings going on in two rooms. With this tasting you get to try 15 different wines. You started with the whites, also trying some reserves. I was totally into the 2006 reserve Chardonnay. For all you chardonnay fans that reserve had a nice straw color, nice fruit intensity, you could taste the oak, butter and apple accents with a nice medium body to it. Then it was onto the reds. The 2006 Cabernet sauvignon reserve was delightful. It was moderate to smell with spicy, black fruit, woody undertones. It went well with the medium body to it and the taste was nice with oak, dark fruit in it. After that experience it was off to another biulding for a reserved tasting that you paid ten dollars for. It was well work it in my opinion. This time you tasted nine wines. The 2005 Chardonnay reserve was outstanding, by far surpassed the 2006 reserve. Then towards the end of the tasting they pull out a 1985 Cabernet sauvignon reserve! It was an '85 alright. It almost looked brown in color. The smell was intense with woody and earthy feels to it. It tasted old to me, and thats because it was. My husband loved it, me not so much. When I poured the rest of the 1985 cab out I thought my husband was going to have a stroke!!
All in all we had a great time at Amalthea Cellars. You definetly get your moneys worth. By the by, we were told the more they run out of cases of a certain wine they jack up the price. So if yuo go, get some while you can. Until the next wine I try.....TTFN

First time doing this....

So this is my first time. What I mean is ever blogging, having a website, reviewing wine, rating wine etc. I am a novice. It is not however, my first time tasting wine. I have been an avid fan of wine for many years now, about ten to be exact. What I am trying to do is come up with a rating system that's easy to understand.


So I figured what is the easiest way to do this. I searched the Internet, read up on ratings, and found what best suited me. I found this down loadable form on delongwine.com. It talks about color, aroma, taste, finish, balance and food paring. That works for me.

I like going to local vineyards and wineries, trying what they have and talking about the wines and my experiences at these places. I've been to Napa Valley once and have been to several vineyards in New Jersey. I would love to hear about other peoples experiences at local wineries as well.