Wine Reviews

Celene Amethyste Brut Blanc de Noirs NV Review – A Great Price

In my studies for WSET Diploma, I knew I had to get my hands of a Blanc de Noirs style of wine to try.

This style of sparkling is white wine made from black grapes (hence the term “white of black”) and, in my shopping experience at least, is slightly harder to come by over the more popular (and highly prized) Blanc de Blanc style.

So not only was it a treat finding Celene's Amethyste Brut, it was also a treat to try a Cremant from Bordeaux made from Cabernet Franc and Merlot. But the real kicker was that this bottle was also on sale for about $12, which made it an absolute steal!

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Kavaklidere Prestige Bogazkere 2018 Review – Light Turkish Red

When we had a layover in Istanbul, with no connecting flight after returning stateside, we knew we had to do a little duty-free shopping.

Thankfully, Turkey has a lot of unique and indigenous grapes that we could pick up in duty-free, and Kavaklidere's Bogazkere was one such bottle. As this was a new-to-us grape, it certainly did not last very long in our cellar. We opened it up to enjoy with a steak and added it to our ever-growing grape list.

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Fidelitas Merlot 2018 Review – A Solid Red from Washington

When attending a conference in eastern Washington, I was fortunate enough to be able to sample many wineries near Tri-Cities at events before, during, and after the convention.

One such winery was Fidelitas, whose high-end Cabs and Merlots (plus other varietals) are shining examples of the quality of what the region produces.

I, sadly, did not pick up any bottles during my visit to this winery, but after the conference had ended one of the hosts snuck me a couple of bottles leftover from one of the evening parties. Not being one to say no to excellent wine for free, and this is how I ended up with a Fidelitas Merlot 2018 in my suitcase for the trip home.

Naturally, I had to open it shortly after returning.

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Chateau Picque Caillou Pessac-Leognan 2020 Review – Acidic French White

I have a love/hate relationship with Sauvignon Blanc (and blends) from France. On average I really enjoy the grape, but to get the intensity and complexity I generally prefer out of French wines it almost always feels like you have to start out at $40/bottle (if not more) to get to a quality point that other locales can provide for half the price.

This is not exclusive to Sauvignon Blanc. In all honesty, it is simply France knowing how to get the most for their wines abroad. But that being said, it seems especially true with all the Sauvignon Blancs we've tried.

The Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blend from Chateau Picque Caillou from Pessac-Leognan was not much different. While this one was much more complex for its price point than we originally expected, we also weren't quite sure about the sell price in the USA.

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Anthony Road Cabernet Franc and Lemberger 2016 Review

I can't remember the last time we opened a light red. So it took us a minute to get used to Anthony Road's Cabernet Franc and Lemberger blend.

As it turns out, while we generally prefer fuller-bodied reds in just about every situation possible, this one really hit all the right notes for us with these two classic red grapes from the Finger Lakes!

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Jean-Baptiste Adam Brute Rose NV – Traditional Method Rose

When I decided to sign up for WSET Diploma, I knew I'd have to go sparkling heavy when in the D4 module.

As I have the least experience with all things bubbles, this meant finding new styles of wines to try outright (although not necessarily new grapes per our quest).

So early on in this module, I decided to go for Jean-Baptiste Adam Brute Rose- a Cremant d'Alsace made in the traditional method with a little bit of skin contact from my favorite region in France!

It was every bit what I hoped for.

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Tenuta di Collalbrigo Prosecco Superiore DOCG NV – Sippable Bubbles

As far as bubbles are concerned, I've never really been that fond of Prosecco.  The cheaper bottles I've had access to have been rather simple, and more often than not are used as a base for mimosas more than anything.

So when I saw Tenuta di Collalbrigo Prosecco DOCG in the store, I knew I had to pick it up to help study for my WSET D4 sparkling wine exam.

If any bottle can help convert me to Prosecco, it has to be one from a DOCG region, right? As it turns out, it did!

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Boundary Breaks #356 Dry Bubbly 2019 Review – Bubbles and Petrol

Whenever we visit Boundary Breaks, one of our favorite Finger Lakes wineries, we always love to see what new bottle of Riesling they have available.

In a recent trip, we stumbled upon their #356 Dry Bubbly bottle which was made via CO2 injection of an otherwise still wine (so not via the Champagne method like we're used to drinking).

It was a hit for us, we bought a bottle to enjoy at home, and popped it open for this review!

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Dolce 2012 Review – A Sweet Late Harvest California Wine

Before I started to learn about wine, I was always enamored by the concept of dessert wine. Emphasis should be made on the word concept, if only because I could rarely afford to try any of the expensive bottles.

Dolce was one such dessert wine whose marketing spoke to me as a casual wine shopper. An epic name, liquid gold color, and dessert wine flavors? I wanted it.

So when I found a bottle on sale in a local liquor store, I had to pick it up to try right away.

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Kristinus Oliver 1930 2018 Review – A Unique Hungarian Wine

Whenever we want to seek out a new grape for our quest here at The Grape Pursuit, we always find no shortage of options coming out of Eastern Europe.

The Hungarian white wine grape, Irsai Oliver, is one such grape we found in the reasonably priced Kristinus Oliver 1930 sold in a local store. Naturally, we had to pick it up and gave this new grape a try.

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