More Red than Black - Mirassou Pinot Noir 2008

I picked this up because it was $8. Cheap, and it was a varietal I haven't tried before. When I went to check out, I realized ClubBev gave me a $2 discount on this wine - what a nice surprise. After this wine and another marked down wine I found, I realize that the "correct" value of the wine should be the discounted price. That's the moral of the story for today's review, folks.

Pinot Noir, 2008
Mirassou Winery, California. $6
Consumed: July 8, 2008
Nose: Extremely sweet. Raspberry. Palette: Slight fruit (raspberry from the aroma), goes into strong tannins, tannins fade slowly to a bitter-ish aftertaste. There's some acidity in the middle, but it is largely overshadowed by the tannins. No improvement after opening up ~40 min.

I'm not sure if it's very clear from the pictures, but the wine itself had a very gorgeous ruby color, much lighter than most colors of red wine. The aroma was very nice. Very simple aroma, but fruity and sweet, lighter fruit than other varietals of red wine - it made me think that this would be a very tasty wine. Sadly, I was wrong. The tannins were way too strong and there was something about the wine that made me started to make me feel slightly nauseous as I was halfway down the bottle... kinda how I feel when I chug large amounts of beer quickly.

Final Verdict: Don't get this one. There are better reds to be had for the same price. Liked the aroma, taste was subpar, too simple in aroma and taste. You pay for what you get. Darn you, $6 wine. I need to find a good Pinot Noir.

On the Cheap - Meridian Chardonnay 2007

The window's open and it smells like a nice summer day outside with a refreshing breeze flowing through my window, so I'll keep this one quick so I can go outside and have fun!
This is the first time that I've had two different varietals from the same vineyard, but I was quite impressed by Meridian's Pinot Grigio. I had this right after the Rombauer, so it tasted like rubbing alcohol upon the first sip, BUT! I realized I was just imagining things after two more sips or so, haha. Do note that this one was served at room temperature, like I usually do with all my wines.

Chardonnay, 2007
Meridian Vineyards, California. $7
Consumed: June 29, 2009
Nose: Apples, general citrus, very sweet smelling. Palette: Simple. Pretty acidic and apple-y, has a quite a bit of bite, with it fading away into a very general citrus on the finish.

Very characteristic apple on the palette. The acidity was actually quite refreshing on this one, but it has quite a bit of bite (which should all but disappear if chilled). Everything else was pretty average - nothing spectacular but not bad either.

Final Verdict: Want a solid Chardonnay on the cheap? Get this. Chilling recommended. Alright Chris and Dodge, I give. I admit that whites should be chilled, it's just that I feel the true nature of the wine will be hidden if I did that though. Anyways, this is an average Chardonnay and what I believe to be solid for this price range.

As Easy as Apple Pie - Rombauer Chardonnay 2007

As promised, here's the review of the $28 Rombauer Chardonnay. No, I didn't pay for it (I wouldn't have bought it if it were up to me...), but my friend Chris bought it for his birthday! He was willing to share the bottle with me and let me review it for my blog. Thanks bro. :] He strongly disagrees with my practice of drinking white wine at room temperature so he chilled this one before drinking. I usually like to keep whites at room temperature to get a feel for what they taste like without the effect of temperature, despite the fact that they'd probably taste better chilled. Anyways, on to the good stuff:

Chardonnay, 2007
Rombauer Vineyards, California. $28
Consumed: June 29, 2007
Nose: Apple, hints of longan (a tropical fruit from South China/South East Asia); a very prominent fruity aroma that reminds me of smelling pure apple juice. Palette: Fruitiness (exactly like the aroma), transitions into tannins, tannins disappear quickly, leaving a short-lived, slightly buttery aftertaste. Very smooth, simple, extremely easy to drink.

The only other chardonnay I've had was the Yellowtail chardonnay, and that didn't leave a good impression on me. I've heard that Yellowtail's stuff was bottom of the barrel, so I wasn't surprised. However, this Rombauer was the complete opposite, in my opinion - extremely easy to drink, much more expensive. There's a bit of a catch to this contrast though: the Rombauer was cooled, the Yellowtail was not. Since I drink my white wine at room temperature, a few of my roommates have been telling me that this is the wrong way to go about it. Upon further research on the internet, I've concluded that the coldness simply hides imperfections in the wine, and thus cheaper wines taste better. I'm sure if I chilled the Yellowtail, it would have not been so terrible for me.
The crisp apple is characteristic of chardonnays. The tannins weren't too harsh and they faded quickly anyways. What I didn't like about this wine was that for close to thirty bucks, it was simple. A bit too simple - no depth, no shifting flavors, very straightforward. Chris said it was "high quality simplicity", where the subtleness of the quality really shines. He also said that it had the perfect amount of fruitiness without going overboard, making it delicious and drinkable. He liked this more than I did, but he's been drinking whites for a long time. Maybe I just need more experience with Chardonnays?

Final Verdict: Fruity, extremely easy to drink. Stay away from this one though, it's too pricey for what it's worth... unless you're trying to impress. While quite nice to drink, it's too boring - I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit disappointed by it. I'd pay $15-18 for this wine, nothing more. I'm sure there are white wines out there that are equally easy to drink, but without the price tag.