Sagelands Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Everybody loves cabernet. I've tried maybe three different cabernets in my entire life, and personally I really don't see what all the fuss is all about. Granted I've never had a Napa Cab, I think that's reasonable. What I hate about Napa Cabernets is that it's hard to find a decent one in the $10-$20 range. So, instead of dropping $30 in pretty pennies for a "Robbie Mondavi" or a Decoy, I went for a decently priced cabernet from Washington State: the 2007 Sagelands Cabernet Sauvignon.

For those of you getting the idea I'm purchasing the wine myself, I just want to say that the wines I try are the wines that my parents bring home to try and see how they are- and once again, with their supervision, I get to try them (and spit them out.) The misleading introduction is just the cuddling and the necking before the real deal.

This, my friends, is a garnet

On to the wine! (I say, in my Medieval King voice)

So I poured out a glass of the cabernet, thinking to myself, "Awesome! I'll finally understand what people mean by rich and bold when describing cabernets."

This cabernet had a nice color, nothing spectacular. It was garnet-esque, which I think was pretty (I like garnets.) I've included a picture of a garnet so that all of you might start liking garnets as well.

I sniffed the glass. At first I got black-currant, which is a huge part of the cabernet flavor profile. After aerating it though, I caught onto something green. A green scent, that is. I'd always heard about people smelling things like bell peppers or herbs in wine, but I had never experienced it myself until now. I wasn't used to it, so I spent about fifteen minutes trying to tell what it could be. Eventually I couldn't even notice the black-currant, I was fixated on that elusive green smell. I came up with three possibilities on what it was: it was either asparagus, broccoli, or artichokes (or a combination of the three.) I'm not going to lie, it really pissed me off that I couldn't tell what it was for sure, because that damn smell was so familiar. But it makes sense, the wine is called Sagelands, so it was bound to be herby or vegetal.

Eventually, I took a mouthful of the cabernet and swished it around my mouth. I could taste the black-currant, and a little black cherry (maybe,) at first. Throughout the mid-palate, the fruit flavors diminished and I got the vegetables, the herbs, and I guess sage (but I think that was my mind convincing myself that I'd get a hint of sage in there.)

Its body was full, the acidity wasn't overbearing, and the texture seemed bland. Is that what constitutes rich and bold? I think not! (I say again, in my Medieval King voice.) I think it's just that Washington State is trying to do something else with their cabernets, as opposed to the Kings of the Cab in Napa Valley.

What I've learned from this wine is that, yes, fermented grape juice can taste like veggies, and that I've got to try a Napa Cabernet sometime in order to understand what everybody loves about them. Am I disappointed? Come on guys, don't be silly- Of course I am!

Banfi Chianti Classico 2009

Last night I tried my first-ever Chianti Classico, a wine that I absolutely should know more about. Chiantis are a type of wine that sell quite often at my parents' shop, and whenever somebody asks me about them I feel I have to get my mom, Lucia, to help me out with the recommendation. To tell you the truth, out of the twelve or so Chiantis we carry, I usually end up selling the 2008 Renzo Masi Chianti Riserva, just because I can say it scored 90 points with Wine Spectator. Needless to say, I've got a lot of learning to do about Chianti.

So, the 2009 Banfi Chianti Classico, in my opinion, is a pretty good wine. We sell it for $15.99 at the shop, which I think might be a $2 stretch for what I think it should go for. Of course, somebody who's palate appeals to this particular Chianti, would definitely be getting a great deal on it.

This Chianti has some nice features to it. It has a lovely deep violet color, something I wouldn't have expected from such a young wine (to note, Chiantis are meant to be had young, anyways.) The wine's aromas were mild, but very pleasant. But don't misunderstand me by when I say mild, I caught strong whiff of the Chianti as soon as I opened the bottle, it's just that the scents themselves aren't overwhelming.

The scents I'm talking about are violets, blueberry or strawberry jam, and just a tiny hint of... orange peels. Typically orange peels are a quality found in New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, but I don't know why, I'm 100% sure I got the slightest hint of it in the nose. After breathing for just fifteen minutes in the glass, the wine opened up another scent, at first I couldn't tell what it was, but after muting the TV and shutting my eyes shut (which is scientifically proven to make you smell better) I imagined myself in a big, wine-filled, wooden barrel. I guess that's the oak.

When I finally got around to tasting it, right off the bat I got the sugary aspect of the blueberry/strawberry jam on the tip of my tongue. The mid-palate left much to be desired, regarding the evolution of the flavor. What was nice, was the light-to-medium body with its weightless texture. It had just the right amount of acidity, at least for the mid-palate taste, but the acidity in the finish didn't really do it for me (when the wine breathed ten minutes more, it was much more enjoyable.)

Overall, for my first Chianti, I can't say I'm not impressed with what the blend can do between the $10-$20 range. Would I pay $15.99 plus tax for this wine? Probably not. But if I was looking for something simple that won't overpower the meal I'm having, then yeah, I guess this wine gets the job done.

So! Episode 3 had a lot less fooling around, and I can't say I'm happy about that. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Ben Jammin, who pointed out my overuse of parentheses. Thank Ben Jammin for the less entertaining episode, but also thank Ben Jammin for the more practical episode.

That said, please check out my series of video blogs that I'm using to help out my customers at the shop in Tuckahoe, the second video blog is coming out sometime before Sunday, so stop by the link on the top of my page to check it out sometime by then if you're interested! Thanks again for the viewership, and thanks all for the encouragement!

Argiano Brunello 2006 & Falesco Montiano 2007

I tried another two great wines just a few hours ago, both of which I'm very excited to talk about tonight! My dinner started with my father telling me that he had seen my blog, and I got the feeling that he really vibed with the fact that I'm exploring the world of wine. Because of this, he was much more willing to educate me a little more about the wines we were having tonight.

We started our meal with a 2006 Argiano Brunello Di Montalcino, a wine that my mother told me retails for over 100 golden dabloons (I make up a lot of words for dollars, so keep that in mind.) Upon hearing the price, I sort of prepared myself for something of an experience in tasting the Brunello. Looking back on it though, I wish I didn't know the value of the wine. As you'll find out throughout my wine-blogging, I really don't want to know about the price tags associated with particular wines, at least when I'm the one drinking them (it's different when I'm working at the store, because I have to be able to communicate good values to customers.)

Anyways, let's get to the Brunello. For those of you that don't know, Brunellos are made out of the Sangiovese grape, and are produced in Tuscany. If my memory serves me correctly, Montalcino is located south of Florence (don't quote me, because I could be wrong about that, and wine connoisseurs can really make you feel stupid when you make a mistake, trust me, I'd know.)

Upon pouring the wine into my glass and getting my tasty Gruyere Swiss cheese sliced, I quickly noticed the color of the wine. My mom told me she saw an orange aspect in there, but my eyes didn't buy that. She was thinking about Barolo. This Brunello was a little see-through, and at the stem of the glass I could picture a tiny little round ruby, so I told my parents and my brother that I thought it was ruby colored... to this they said I was wrong (BUT I KNOW WHAT I SAW!)

On the bouquet (am I using this word correctly?) I got the characteristic plums right away, and while aerating the wine I got this barnyard dimension that really grew on me throughout the glass.The scent got me thinking about my aunt's farm in Italy, where she has oxen on one side, and a tall wall of hay on the other. This wine really brought me back there. When I finally starting tasting the wine, what I mostly picked up was the plums, and to tell you the truth, I was disappointed. I really want to say something different about it, but that's what I got. What I did find interesting though was that typically, you have to look through the terroir to get the the fruit. This time, I found I had to go through the plums to get that wet-hay like taste that I recognized in the nose. And since I'm talking about a Brunello, I guess I'm supposed to tell you that it was "medium-to-full-bodied", because no one that has ever reviewed a Brunello has failed to mention that aspect (seriously guys, we get it already.) On a final note for the Brunello, my dad did tell me that it would benefit with a little more age. If that was the case though, why did we have it tonight?

We got through that first bottle fairly quickly. There were four of us at the table, after all. Later on, the penne were served. As usual, my father interrupts me from my pasta (whilst forking the penne), to send me downstairs to fetch another bottle. This time, he sent me to find a 2007 Falesco Montiano. This wine comes from Lazio, a central region in Italy in which all I can tell you is that the historical city of Rome is located there (I've been around and about in Lazio before, so I guess I can tell you what it looks like, the weather, and the hotspots to check out in Rome, but I'll leave that to Wikipedia if you're interested.)

The grape varietal(s) were not labeled on the bottle, so I can honestly say I was in the dark when trying this wine... Until my dad told me it was merlot-based. So much for that sense of mystery and exploration. I began to pour the wine for my family, looking at the color and texture of the wine in every glass. At this point, my parents were arguing the nature of IGT wines, so I avoided that conversation (since I have no idea what that means), and focused all my attention on the body of the wine in the glass. It was much darker than the Brunello, less red, and more purple. I was pretty sure those are the signs of a tannic wine. My mom later told me they were, so I gave myself a pat on the back.

On the nose, I could tell this wine was very true to its terroir, it was a classic Old World (or Old School) wine. I was getting wet tobacco, some oak, and an extremely faint note of vanilla. It was pretty interesting, I had a lot of fun breaking it down. In order to convince my skeptical family that there was vanilla in there, I took a bottle of vanilla extract out of our pantry and made them smell the extract, and then taste the wine. I'm proud to say that my tactic worked. Vanilla was definitely in there, and its combination with the tobacco gave it a very rich and elegant scent and flavor. Later on my dad noted "wet horsehair", to which I said "YES". This wine smelt like wet horsehair, and it was awesome.

I had a hard time getting any fruit when tasting it, but eventually, by the end of the glass, I could get some raspberry in there. It was full-bodied and tannic, but I really enjoyed the balance in the mid-palate. When I swirled the wine around in my mouth, I could tell it was going somewhere in there, and that's what a good structured wine does to you. It also helped that since it was Merlot based, its softness made the wine very pleasant to dissect.

Wow. I really went on for a while tonight. If you made it through to the end, I commend you. If you think you learned anything, awesome! If you're an experienced wine drinker and think I'm a hack, let me know what I missed. I'd really appreciate the help.

As always, stay tuned for another review very soon, and thanks again for the viewership, I really, really appreciate the patronage!

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir 2009

Welcome to the second ever Wine Noob post! For those of you still wondering, I'm the Wine Noob. On that note,  let's start these reviews with a real home-run of a wine.

A few weeks ago, I had the extreme fortune and pleasure of trying one of the New World's very best wines. A wine so good that I actually wrote an essay about it in my Composition class. My professor was very fond of my details and insight into the wine, but unfortunately, he gave me a B- on the paper. But enough foreplay, this wine is Wine Spectator's #1 rated wine of 2011, the 2009 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir.

It was Sunday dinner at the Bruno household, and we had finished our bottle of Barolo by the second course (as we usually do). We followed up our big Italian Red with a half bottle of the Kosta Browne. As soon as I poured it into my glass, I could tell I was in for something big. What struck me was its pure black-violet color, and the way its silky form hugged the inside of the glass. This wine was sexy, and it was a perfect 11. After calming myself down, it was time to make my move. Naturally I was nervous, the Kosta Browne was the most beautiful wine I had ever seen- but I knew she was mine for the taking. As Dennis from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia would say, she couldn't say no.

That very first sip left me speechless. I've said it before, but I've been around. I've tasted a good number of wines for an 18 year old, but I haven't been left speechless from drinking something since my first carton of chocolate milk (and my first Jack & Coke.)

It was smooth, velvety, and beautifully structured (like Michelangelo's David.) My palate was caught completely off guard. I've never had a wine so comfortably velvety that I can still vividly remember that slightly (and by slightly, I mean fully) arousing sensation of that first sip. What I really loved about it in particular was that it wasn't flavor driven. If you extracted the flavor of this wine and put it into water, it would taste like worn, stained leather shoes (my dog would go crazy for that.) What made this wine magnificent was its structure and texture. Trying to get that elegant note of wood and cherry through all of the dirt and leather masks was fun, but the texture is what made it all worth while. It was like having liquid lingerie flow through my mouth. And at the end of the day, isn't that what it's really all about?

How The Wine Noob Came to Be

Hello, everybody, and welcome to the very first post on The Wine Noob blog!

Let's start off with some background information. I'm 18 years old, and I've been tasting wines with my family for my entire life. My parents are both from Italy, and I've been raised with a very wine-friendly culture since the day I was born. I remember when I was just 8 years old, on one of our Sunday lunches after church when I had my first sip of wine. My memory isn't perfect, but I remember hating it. My father, despite being aware that I didn't take to it very well, continued making me taste wines (just a sip, don't get the wrong idea) every Sunday. For this, I'm very thankful.

This past August, my parents opened up a wine and spirits store in Tuckahoe, NY. It was my last summer before starting college, and my father wanted me and my older brother to be very involved with the business, so I had to miss seeing and saying goodbye to all of my friends before they all went off to college. I resented the store for a little while because of that, there's no doubt about it, but in retrospect I think it was for the best. Between hours of school and work, I realized that I've had this passion for the wonderful world of wine fused into my biological makeup. To be honest, I've actually cut class a few times so that I could come into work a little bit earlier (and stop giving me that look, I haven't regretted doing that for one second)

One day, when business was slow, I started reading Kevin Zraly's The Ultimate Wine Companion, where I first heard about Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary is one of the most recognized names in the wine world, right up there with Robert Parker. Gary is most known for his video blogs (WineLibrary TV), and for his two great books, Crush It and The Thank You Economy. From his video blogs and his books, Gary has inspired me to start my own blog. You may think I'm just copying him, and in a way I am, but I think what I'm doing is going to be pretty different from what Gary did, despite our countless similarities, (we're both huge Jet fans!)

(You can learn more about Gary at http://garyvaynerchuk.com/, and follow him at @garyvee on Twitter, I'll mention  him every once in a while,  so I suggest you check him out, you won't be disappointed)

So let's wrap this up. I am just 18 years old, so in the grand scheme of things I know very little about wine. I know a thing or two, but I'm not satisfied with that. There's much more to wine than being able to notice a note of smoky leather in the nose of a red Burgundy. What I'll be doing is reviewing and critiquing a few wines every week, and hopefully down the road, I'll be able to come back to some of these early wines and see what I notice with more experience in the art of drinking wine. Without further ado, my first critique will be coming out next week.

Stay tuned, and thanks for being patient and reading through my lengthy introduction!

(Just to note, I am underage, but I spit out my wine when I taste it, and it is all done in a family environment, so its 100% legal)