Castillo di Amorosa

Fantasia
Napa Valley, California
2010

An Italian style soft sparkling wine and lower in alcohol.  It should be served chilled, it can go well with light meals and dessert - but it's probably at it's best as a dessert wine.  The light carbonation of the wine makes it very refreshing and great on hot, summer days.

Colin:  Tasting the wine alone did nothing for me.  However, paired with a sweet dessert, it was a good combination of sweet and tart fruit.  The sparkling aspect is nice, but I could not imagine having this wine with anything but a pleasant dessert.
Rating:  6 out of 10 glasses

Rachel:  I love the sparkling aspect to this rose.  I think it allows the sweet and tanginess of the wine to come through.  Most roses are too sweet, but this one has a tart side to it as well.  I think Castillo did a great job at finding a balance in this wine.
Rating:  7.5 out of 10 glasses

Aerate:  No - this wine is sparkling, so you don't want to lose that carbonation.

Where can I find it?
This is another Castillo di Amorosa exclusive wines (and concludes all the wines from our Napa Trip).  You can sadly only by it either at the castle or order it online.  It costs $28.00 and is available online here.

Pourtal: Stewart, Kopke, and Lioco

Stewart

Caberet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, California
2007

Colin: It's almost perfectly balanced between oaky and fruity.  This is definitely in my top cabernets.

Rating:  9 out of 10 glasses

Rachel:  This cabernet is delightful.  It entices all of your taste buds.  It has sweet and sour notes, along with a super smooth and lasting finish.  This is one for your entire palette.

Rating:  9 out of 10 glasses

Where can I find it?  You can get this wine on Stewart Cellars' website.

Cost:  Directly from Stewart Cellars is $62.00  You can also shop around - we found it at allstarwine.com for $47.99

Kopke
Tawny Port
Portugal
10 years old

This wine would qualify for a 15 year Tawny Porto category, if one existed - but alas, there is not a category.  If you do purchase this port, know that you are getting more aging for your money - and with dessert wines, the longer it is aged, the better it typically is.  It is a rich, honey red color and is very sweet.

Colin:  This tawny port is warm, rich, and delicious.  Not too sweet, which is kind of nice, but I wish the flavor was a little deeper.

Rating:  8.5 out of 10 glasses

Rachel: Ports are a little too sweet for me.  They have this bold sweetness, which this one stands up to.  And they tend not to be too fruity.  But, that being said, this port was easy on the palette and good dessert wine.
Rating:  7.5 out of 10 glasses

Where can I find it?  It's on sale at Vine & Table, but they cannot ship to all states.

Cost: $21.99 for a 375mL bottle.  And $41.99 for the 750mL bottle.

Lioco: "Charles Heintz"
Late Harvest Chardonnay
Sonoma Coast, California
2006

Rich, golden dessert wine.  Full of fruit flavors, and strangely, hints of oak and vanilla.  We say strangely, because this wine was not, in fact, aged in oak barrels like most Chardonnays.

Colin:  There's a nice apricot and pear combination in this Late Harvest.  I don't know if this is as good as the Raymond's Vineyards Late Harvest.  It is a little more acidic than that dessert wine, but this is still ultimately delicious.

Rating: 7 out of 10 glasses

Rachel:  This Late Harvest is very sweet and fruity, but it does have a bit of a sharpness to it.  It's still really nice, regardless.  I think Late Harvest Chardonnays tend to be my favorite, thus far, out of the dessert wines.

Rating:  8 out of 10 glasses

Where can I find it?  That's a good question too.  Lioco's website has it labeled under their "wine list," but if you click in the link, it says the product isn't found.  They have plenty of other Chardonnay's available, including through their website.


We hope you all enjoyed getting a small taste of what Pourtal has to offer.  We will be back to our regular style of reviews starting next week. 

Raymond Vineyards

"Eloquence"
Late Harvest Chardonnay
Dessert Wine
California
2006

General information:  58% from Napa, 42% from Monterey County.  Dessert wines are always very sweet, and they change dramatically in taste when paired with a sweet dessert.  Raymond's Late Harvest Chardonnay doesn't come out often.  The conditions have to be perfect for the grapes to get what is called a "noble rot."  You can read more about this process here.  I know it doesn't sound that appetizing, but it's perfectly safe (not to mention delicious).

Colin:  I was not well versed in these kinds of wines before Napa.  However, after tasting a few, this is one of my favorites (I like Ports better).  Like a dried apricot, this is very sweet.  It's smooth and warming.  I think that Raymond triumphs with this dessert wine - I am not a big fan of other Raymond varieties, but this had me sold.
Rating:  10 out of 10 glasses

Rachel:  Dessert wines can be brilliant - or they can be too sweet.  Raymond's is perfect.  IT has some hints of apple and a very light alcohol taste.  It pairs beautifully with any sweet treat.  Also, we had this bottle in the fridge for three months - opened, drinking a little at a time.  And Raymond's employees told us the truth - it really does hold up well, even after being opened.  Great purchase!
Rating: 10 out of 10 glasses

Aerate:  Colin - No // Rachel - Don't you dare!

Where can I find it?
We got it directly at the vineyard, and haven't seen it in stores since -- luckily, they sell it online!  See Raymond's Eloquence page to purchase.

Cost:  $15.00