Alex Bruckner's Wine Blog

 Name: Lavite Lucente Toscana Year: 2017 Region: Tuscany Price: $32 Wine Folly:  Italy’s most planted wine variety and the pride of the Tuscan regional wine, Chianti. Sangiovese is a sensitive grape that takes on different stylistic expressions based on where it grows. Shop Review: Lucente is born of rigorous selection of grapevines with the same care reserved to Luce.It carries within all the soul of Tenuta Luce and the deepest respect of the environment surrounding it. My Review: This was a nicely dry wine while in the mouth with very strong tannins after swallowing, some of the strongest I've ever tasted. It smelled sightly like vinegar, but definitely didn't taste like it. There were strong notes blackberry and black pepper, with some ever so slight cherry notes.

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.