Wine & Cheese Pairing 2

You can never go wrong with an impromptu wine and cheese party amongst friends!

Pairing #1

Name: Santa Julia

Variety: Pinot Grigio

Country:  Mendoza, Argentina

Year: 2014

Price: $10

Bottles Finished: 1

Wine review: Santa Julia is pioneering Pinot Grigio in Argentina, where it flourishes with full sunshine and cool evenings. This Pinot Grigio has a delightful ripe fruit aromas of pears, apple, melon and some tropical notes of tropical fruit like pineapple and banana. It has good balance, nice acidity and a long, fresh finish.

My review: Tropical nose of mango and pineapple and slight honey in a medium bouquet. Too acidic and sharp on the palate immediately upon opening. Slightly soapy with no finish. The 12.5% alcohol doesn't balance the acidity, there is simply heat and acidity, but as the wine aerated more, hints of stone arose.

Cheese Pairing: Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese

Cheese Notes: Soaked in buffalo milk, causing the cheese to taste very watered down, slightly salty, and with a hint of almond

Pairing Notes: Wow! This brought a better balance to the wine, causing a loss of heat and bringing about a heavy mineral stone flavor! The nuttiness of the cheese is subdued, causing each to mellow out. Adding a buttercrisp cracker brings more oaky flavors among wheat.

Pairing #2

Name: Hermanos

Variety: Malbec Tannat

Country:  Salta, Argentina

Year: 2012

Price: $15

Bottles Finished: 1

Wine review: Robert Parker - 88 Points
Roasted black cherry, blackberry, vanilla, red licorice, black raspberry, Kalamanta olives, cedar and coffee grounds lead to a massive mid-palate with a complex potpourri of dark fruits and earthiness. Tannins are well-integrated, acidity moderate and a finish medium long and balanced.

My review: A fantastic wine! It opens quickly and adds complexity the longer it opens. Beginning with a jammy nose when locked, the wine begins to open with a slightly dusty bouquet of blackberry, briars, leather, and plum. Light heat on the palate that gives a prickly sensation. Earthy, plum, and hints of strawberry and raspberry with a velvety finish.

Cheese Pairing: Stella Parmesan Cheese aged 10 months

Cheese Notes: bold, sharp, dry, not creamy, walnut aroma, with a slight nuance of the round sweetness of honey

Pairing Notes: A very interesting and complex pairing, one that is hard to pinpoint right away. Blueberry, surprisingly, shines through, but without any of the sweetness. The pairing loses the heat of the wine and grows a grassy flavor. Adding a sesame cracker finds a strong nuttiness flavor, or adding a harvest wheat cracker finds more vegetal flavors of green bell pepper, asparagus, and grassy notes.

Pairing #3

Name: Tilia

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Country:  Mendoza, Argentina

Year: 2013

Price: $11

Bottles Finished: 1

Wine review: The nose is full of ripe black fruits with subtle notes of clove, black pepper, and sweet tobacco. On the palate, flavors of black raspberries and cassis yield to more subtle notes of cedar, vanilla, and sweet spice. The fine-grained tannins lend structure to the wine, which has a soft, lingering finish.

My review: The nose was hot in the nostrils, with aromas of blackberry, slight coffee, red currant, and vegetal peppers. Dry on the palate with the tingle of heat and almost puckering. Highly tannic so most of the flavors were masked. This needed to open up longer.

Cheese Pairing: Gruyere 

Cheese Notes: Stone and nutty aroma, on the creamier side for gruyere, with softer grittiness

Pairing Notes: The pairing brought a soft sensation of a fruit punch, bringing about cherries, blueberries, and lighter berries. Adding a sesame cracker brings a mouthful of blueberry! Quite in your face! Or adding a buttercrisp cracker brings sweetness to the blueberry flavor blast, allowing more of a blueberry cobbler profile to proliferate.