Wine Reviews Archives - Page 9 of 24 -

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

When we traveled to Mexico City in early 2022, we were not terribly excited at the wine options we had at the bars.

But before we left, we went to a high-end wine shop and found some of the highest rated bottles we could find and bought them to enjoy at home later on. Casa Madero's Gran Reserva Shiraz 2017 was one such bottle, and while we think this one could still use a few more years, it was a lovely bottle to pair with a roast all the same.

Most of the Portuguese red wines we tried in the country were intense to say the least. Think high alcohol, high tannin, and pretty in-your-face flavor intensity too.

Whenever we had “light” wines, by Portugal standards at least, we were told to pair them with steak- signaling they are still on the pretty intense side all things considered.

So while we think that Taboadella 1255 Alfrocheira Reserva does fall under the lens of a “light” Portuguese red, you'll do well to keep in mind it really is anything but light in the grand scheme of things.

When we visited wineries in the Douro Valley of Portugal, we knew we would be trying some still wines alongside the fortified wines the region is famous for. There has been a big push in recent years to increase the quality of these wines, so we were excited to see what producers would put out.

While we had some generally good wines, there were only a few bottles we absolutely had to bring home with us.

Quinta do Vallado's Sousao was one such bottle, as this blending grape rarely is seen outside of fortified wines and/or in percentages high enough to be noticeable characteristically. So not only was this single varietal bottle a rare find, it was also simply delicious.

When it comes to young Greek red wines, one of the things we often struggle with is that they can be rather intense due to the country's incredibly hot climate.

As such, whenever we have a Greek red, we often defer to the thought that they simply need time. A lot of time.

Naturally, while we want to age our own wines at home, finding aged wines in the store can be tricky at the best of times (and even more so for wines from countries that aren't distributed as well near us, like Greece). So when we found Monemvasia Winery's Laloudi with a 2007 vintage Agiorgitiko at a reasonable price, we picked it up right away.

Out of all of the wineries near Tri-Cities, Washington, I visited during my trip to eastern Washington, none was more surprising than Bartholomew.

This unassuming winemaker is located in a small complex with several other wineries (not in the heart of the vineyards of Red Mountain AVA nearby), makes a large spread of wines well beyond the typical Bordeaux and Rhone styles you normally see in the state, are all rather delicious, and clock in at a respectable price point, too!

Naturally, during my visit I had to sample my way through every bottle that was available and enjoyed all of them.

One bottle I was not able to sample was the Graciano as they were running low on inventory. I went on faith that it would be just as good as the others I tried (also thanks to a recommendation from a friend, Valerie & Valise, who sampled the last of it before I arrived, too), and bought a bottle to take home.

It was simply delicious.

Jean-Baptiste Adam Brute Rose NV – Traditional Method Rose

Tenuta di Collalbrigo Prosecco Superiore DOCG NV – Sippable Bubbles

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

Dolce 2012 Review – A Sweet Late Harvest California Wine

Kristinus Oliver 1930 2018 Review – A Unique Hungarian Wine

Casa Madero Gran Reserva Shiraz 2017 Review – Intense Mexican Red

Taboadella 1255 Alfrocheiro Reserva 2019 Review

Quinta do Vallado Sousao 2018 Review – A Stellar Douro Red

Monemvasia Winery Laloudi Red 2007 Review – Aged Agiorgitiko

Bartholomew Graciano 2018 Review – A Surprising Washington Red