Alex Bruckner's Wine Blog

Name: Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvignon Price: $7 Year: No Year Region: Acampo, CA Shop Review: Robert Mondavi founded Woodbrigde Winery to craft fine wines for everyday enjoyment. Our Cabernet Sauvignon if fruit-flavored displaying aromas and flavors of blackberry and dark cherry with hints of toast and spice. Wine Folly:  The world’s most popular red wine grape is a natural cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux, France. Cabernet Sauvignon is loved for its high concentration and age worthiness My Review: This was a smooth, refreshing Cab, while still being full and dry. It had a neutral, almost jammy smell. I noticed strawberry, raspberry, and whipped cream flavors, with some notes of blackberry as well. It wasn't one of my favorites, but I really enjoyed it.

 Name: Josh Cellars Zinfandel Price: $12 Region: Lodi Year: 2022 Shop Review: Our Zinfandel is smoky and complex with notes of blackberries, clove, and vanilla. My Review: Zinfandel is my favorite varietal so I may be a bit biased, but I loved this wine. It was dark and rich with a full body. I noticed the vanilla more when I took small sips and I got more of the blackberry when I held it in my mouth for a minute. I loved how rich and juicy it was without being overpoweringly sweet and still having that sort of dryness unique to reds. Wine Folly:  Zinfandel wine is a bold, fruit forward red that’s loved for its jammy fruit and smoky, exotic spice notes. It’s also made into a sweet rosé called White Zinfandel.

 Name: Josh Cellars Pinot Grigio Year: 2023 Price: $12 Region: California Shop Review: Our California Pinot Grigio is fresh and crisp, brightening any occasion with flavors of melon and citrus and a hint of juicy pear. My Review: I was a bit disappointed by this wine. It wasn't bad- it had a nice, smooth buttery taste and sensation with a floral touch I hadn't expected. I was hoping for more fruity, citrusy, or "crisp" flavors, but they were very faint. I could taste the melon and pear flavors the shop review talked about but they were very subtle. All in all, this wine was a bit boring, for lack of a better word. Wine Folly:  Pinot Gris (aka Pinot Grigio) is a pinkish grape mutation of Pinot Noir.  It’s famously known for zesty white wines, but can also create fuller bodied white wines and even be used for rosé. Look to Northern Italy, Alsace, Oregon, and Germany for benchmark examples.

 Name: Barefoot Rose Price: $7 Year: No year on bottle Region: California My review: I didn't expect to like this wine but I actually liked it a lot. It was definitely a sweet Rose as opposed to a dry one(it's from California, makes sense). There were strong strawberry flavors, almost like a strawberry shortcake. There were aslo some kiwi notes, which made it taste like a Capri-sun which I thought was kind of funny. It had a light to medium body, and it kind of reminded me of a Riesling mixed with jelly beans. Shop Review: Barefoot Rose is a refreshing wine with aromas of raspberries and juicy watermelon. Flavors of cherries and sweet citrus complement the smooth, crisp finish Wine Folly:  The primary flavors of rosé wine are red fruit, flowers, citrus, and melon, with a pleasant crunchy green flavor on the finish similar to celery or rhubarb. Of course, depending on the type of grape the rosé wine is made with will greatly vary the flavor.

 Name: Cotes du Rhone Price: $10 Region: Cotes du Rhone Year: 2021 Varieties: 65% Grenache, 35% Syrah Shop Review: *There wasn't one on the bottle and a Google search was no help finding one. Wine Folly:  Grenache (aka Garnacha) produces rich, flavorful red wines and deep, ruby-tinted rosé. The French have championed this grape in the Southern Rhône Valley but it’s original home is Spain! Syrah:  A rich, powerful, and sometimes meaty red wine that originated in the Rhône Valley of France. Syrah is the most planted grape of Australia, where they call it  Shiraz . My Review: I have mixed feelings about this wine. On the one hand, it didn't smell particularly good, it was very hot, and the tannins were a little strong for my liking. However, it had nice olive and licorice notes, a very bright flavor, and was pleasantly smooth in the mouth before swallowing. Overall, I didn't hate it and would drink it if it were given to me and I could pair it with something that would ...

 Our second wine dinner consisted of a Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc- Viognier blend with chicken tikka masala, a Yosemite Road Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon with hamburgers, and a Josh Cellars Merlot with brownies. The first pairing was a Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier blend with chicken tikka masala.       Name: Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc+Viognier     Price: $15     Region: Napa, California     Year: 2022 Shop Review: Our distinctive white blend marries the crisp, honeyed citrus fruit of Chenin Blanc(80%) with the plush body, soft floral and juicy peach notes of Viognier(20%) for a lush, versatile and delicious wine. Enjoy a glass on its own of try it alongside your favorite seafood or spicy dish. Wine Folly: It’s hard not to love Chenin Blanc’s diversity; sparkling sensations, crisp dry whites, oaked full-bodied delights, and sweet treasures with aging potential.  (Viognier): A rich, oily white wine that originates in the Northern R...