Tasting - La Galope

Name: La Galope

Variety: Rose (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)

Country of Origin: France

Region of Origin: Gascony

Vintage Year: 2023

Price: $16

Wine Critic review: "Orange color, nose almost smells like a Chardonnay with butter and petrol notes, as well as wet stone; not a lot of fruit on the nose. Palate is similar... absence of citrus flavors but a presence of petrol and mineral notes as well as some light bubbles. Full bodied in nature. Finish is short. Interesting and drinkable but not amazing" (Review).

Wine folly book: pg. 88, 131 - Carbetnet sauvignon, with black cherry, black currant, cedar, baking spicies, graphite. Merlot including cherry, plum, chocolate, dried herbs, and vanilla. I noticed vanilla and black cherry the most. 

My review: I really enjoyed this wine. I believe that Rose is my favorite type of wine, so I may be a little biased. The black cherry taste was delicious yet not too overpowering, and the vanilla aftertaste was smooth. Overall, this wine would go well with almost any meal and is a delicious snack alone or accompanied with anything. 

Tasting - 19 Crimes

Name: 19 Crimes Cali Red

Variety: Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Merlot

Country: USA

Region: California

Vintage: 2020

Price: $14

Wine Critic's review: "Snoop Dogg 19 Crimes Cali Red tastes like a nicely balanced red blend, with notes of black cherry, vanilla and candied raspberry. I found the taste to include 2 flavors that occurred in succession. First, black cherry with a slight hint of vanilla. Second, a transition to a lighter, candied raspberry. This one two punch occurred very consistently and I thoroughly it. A simple complexity, if there is such a thing! At first sip, you might notice some lightly-sweet black cherry but it soon transitions to a long-finishing candied raspberry flavor. Snoop Dogg 19 Crimes Cali Red had a juicy mouthfeel with noticeable and well-integrated tannins."

(Jon Rogers - Honestwinereviews)

Wine folly book: pg. 131,189 - References to dark chocolate, blueberry, herbs, plum, vanilla, and cherry. It definitely had hints of chocolate from the smell and it had a nice vanilla aftertaste. Blueberry was very evident. 

My review: This was one of my favorite wines I've tried thus far. The vanilla aftertaste was very enjoyable and made me want to drink more. The overall blueberry flavor was delicious and not too overbearing, which is good because I dislike a wine that's too bold or bitter.