Evan Hudgins Wine Blog

Name: Kaiken Reserva Malbec Variety: 95% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon Year: 2015 Region: Mendoza Country: Argentina Price: $10 "Fresh fruit aromas evoke strawberries and cherries nicely supplemented by spicy and floral notes. In the palate, this wines reveals an extraordinary freshness and soft tannins." - www.wine.com This is my first Malbec I have tried.  To the nose, it is very similar to other wines I have experienced.  Many fruit aromas with the typical alcohol aromas of full-bodied wines.  To the taste, I detected notes of cherry and berry with more spice than expected.  I found it to be more cherry and dark berry than strawberry.  This is a fuller-bodied wine with very forward tannins and acidity.  I tasted lots of earthy notes with a reasonable amount of spice.  I would recommend this to anyone looking for a full-bodied wine to pair with food.

This last week I traveled back home to Texas to spend the holiday with my family.  My grandfather is a wine drinker so I figured what better way to spend some time with him than a few wine tastings and a wine cheese pairing.  My two previous posts were our wine tastings, which were fun to enjoy with someone who knows more about wine than myself.  When we sat down to do this pairing, my mom decided to join us! The Wines The Seven Deadly Zins 2014 Lodi Old Wine Zinfandel This wine was very strong on the nose and to the taste for a Zinfandel.  My grandfather and I both noticed this, as it was not what we expected.  Although you could smell the alcohol, the wine was very fruity to the taste.  At first, it tasted medium bodied and I anticipated the little spice and kick that would come from a more bodied red wine.  But as all the flavors kicked in, it mellowed out to a lighter, sweeter, and more fruity wine.  Ruffino Riserva Ducale 2013 Chianti Classico For our next wine

Name: Member's Mark Black Point Red Wine Blend Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot and Syrah (I can't find the exact %s) Region: Sutter Home Vineyards, Napa, California Country: USA Year: 2015 Price: $11 "This medium bodied red combines the best attributes of cabernet, zinfandel, merlot and syrah.  Notes of berry, black cherry and oak compliment the intensity." -www.samsclub.com This is my grandfather's favorite wine he regularly purchases since it is so convenient to pick up when shopping. I honestly have not tried many red blends as I typically have a grape I want in mind so I end up grabbing a new varietal wine.  This wine might have changed my, admittedly, lazy practice.  The versatility of this wine was great.  I love big bodied reds with lots of tannins so this definitely fulfilled that preference, but the Zinfandel also gave it a lighter, sweeter body married to the bolder side by the Merlot and Syrah.  I believe this wine would

Name: Ste Genevieve Chardonnay Variety: 100% Chardonnay Region: Texas Country: USA Year: 2016 Price: $8 "Light wine with hints of many different tropical flavors like pineapple and coconut.  A very affordable, local wine you can count on every time." -www.snooth.com This week I was back home in Texas for thanksgiving and had the opportunity to enjoy a few wines with my grandfather.  Ste Genevieve is a large winery in Texas with an array of different wines.  This Chardonnay was very light and fruity, although I did not detect any pineapple or coconut.  Although sweet, it was not as sweet as I expected and held more acidity than I originally anticipated.  This is a great after-dinner light wine I would recommend if hosting anyone.

Name: Italia Roscato Rosso Dolce Variety: Indigenous Italian grapes Croatina, Teroldego, and Lagrein Region: Lombardy Country: Italy Year: 2016 Price: $11 "Northern Italy provides a spectacular backdrop for Roscato, a violet-hued red with aromatic notes of cherry, blackberry and red raspberry. A touch of sweetness and bright acidity underlies the appeal of this charming wine." -www.empirewine.com A very good sweet red wine. On the nose, has very fruity red aromas.  To the taste, very acidic and sweet with the fruit not as pronounced due to the presence of the sweet and acidic sensations. I would definitely recommend for a casual glass of wine if someone was not looking to go with a white wine but still wanted some similar characteristics. A very good and easy wine to drink.

Name: Clos de Argentine Malbec Reserva Variety: 100% Malbec Region: Mendoza Province Country: Argentina Year: 2013 Price: $40 "Smoky, charred aromas of blackberry and blackened spices set up a bold palate with energy to spare. Blackberry and cassis flavors are rich, toasty and chocolaty, while the finish on this full-bodied, ripe Malbec is lengthy and moderately complex." -www.winemag.com Like last week, I had the opportunity to taste a more expensive wine than I normally consume.  Also like last week, the experience was underwhelming.  Like Boyer has said multiple times, some of the best wines are not the most expensive.  I have definitely found this to be the case.  I got the cherry, blackberry aromas but did not detect the chocolate.  This is the smokiest wine I have tasted throughout the course but I did not get the complexity I assumed would be there.  Overall, a good wine but not worth the extra money unless the smoky and cherry sensations are some of your fa