Hob Nob: Pinot Noir 2008

In my opinion, Hob Nob is the perfect name for a wine, so when I saw it, I wondered if it also had a similarly perfect taste.

Description:
Pinot Noir 2008 (France - Vin de Pays d'Oc)

Price:
About $12 at Party Time Spirits in Richmond, KY [which you should definitely visit; the guys there are really friendly and they have an amazing selection of beer and wine]

From HobNobWines.com:
When I look at the way this wine is represented on the Hob Nob website, I'm not all that surprised that I found I didn't like it.

"Mood: Polished
Orientation: Soy sauce, prime rib, sausage and dried cranberries
Character: As elegant as a bouquet of violets
Social Mastery: Favorite chapter is "Cooking"
Book: The DaVinci Code
Music: John Mayer"

Smell:
Nothing special stood out to me about the smell.  It smelled like any red wine I've smelled before, and by that I mean, "pretty general."

Taste:
The taste was very odd.  In fact, at first sip I couldn't say much, I only handed my glass to my fiancée with a weird, scrunched look on my face.  As he pointed out, this wine is all in the aftertaste. Unfortunately, I can't remember too very much about the specifics of it, but it wasn't the best.  I've heard, however, that the pinot noir can create a complex taste, so perhaps that's why I wasn't so impressed.  I'm complex enough on my own, thanks.

Pairings:
Not Goldschläger.

Rating: 2.5/5

Despite the fact that this wine isn't great, it still allowed for an entire night's worth of "hobnobbing," and really, isn't that what truly matters?

The Infamous Goose

I was in search of a white wine in Liquor Mart when I laid my eyes upon The Infamous Goose.  Who could honestly pass by something like that?

Description:
Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (New Zealand)

Price:
Looking back at the receipt the bottle cost $10.99, but I remember it priced on the shelf as $12.99.

Label:
"The Infamous Goose aka "The Moa" roamed the South Island of New Zealand well before us humans found this piece of paradise.  That Infamous Goose is now extinct... or is it?  Who or what is the Goose?  Rumors abound.  Legends are told.  One though is true... this wine.

Sauvignon Blanc: Grown and Made in Marlborough, New Zealand.  Tastes of fresh limey, juicy, grapefruity... well fruits.  Lovely and Dry.  Cool.  Drink."

Taste:
It's definitely light and fruity just like the label says.  I can pick out the lime in the taste and the grapefruit in more of the aftertaste, but I don't know if I would have known that without being told.  Then again, I'm not exactly practiced at distinguishing specific flavors.

Overall, I think it's a great white wine.  It's very light and not hard to drink warm or cool.

Pairings:
Oddly enough, McDonald's chicken nuggets with barbecue sauce!  I kid you not.

Rating: 5/5

Edit:
I sat down with the rest of the bottle the next day, and the taste had changed a bit for me.  This time around, the grapefruit was overwhelmingly the main flavor.

Bully Hill Vineyards: Sweet Walter Red

I knew when I saw the label of Sweet Walter in that Liquor Barn I had to buy it even though I had already bought a bottle of wine earlier in the day.  The price ($10.99) didn't hurt this decision, of course.

I kept the bottle in my refrigerator for a few days and then popped it open as I began to write a religion paper (blood of Christ, right?). I have to say, I'm quite pleased with the taste of Mr. Walter.

From BullyHill.com:
"This “grapey” red wine is rich and smooth. Great for after dinner sipping and conversation."

On their scale from dry to sweet, it sits right against sweet.

Bully Hill is located in New York.

Smell:
I could tell from the smell that it was very sweet.  The aroma actually reminded me of Taylor Port.  The only difference is that Sweet Walter did not bite the nose quite as much as Taylor Port, probably because the alcohol content is lower (11%).  Still, though, there was a pleasant burn as I sniffed it in.

Taste:
Wow, the taste!!

It tastes almost exactly like straight-up grape juice.  My hunch about the sweetness was also correct; Sweet Walter is in fact probably the sweetest wine I've ever tried (granted, that's not exactly the largest span of wines).

The best part about Sweet Walter is its smoothness.  Sold as a dessert wine, it does not act like one (again, my reference is Taylor Port).  Instead of overwhelming "syrup-yness," it flows like...well...grape juice!  The alcohol content gives a pleasant tingling sensation as well.

As it warms to room temperature, it leaves a greater presence of after-taste (grape juice with a generalized red wine kick) in my mouth, and when drinking it at this temperature, I can also taste more of the "wine" aspect of it.

Rating: 5/5

I love this wine!