I’m aware that saying I was busy is a bad excuse when it comes to anything. But it’s my blog, so I can pretty much get away with it 🙂
This week I’m combining the latest two weekly wine posts, mainly because there were a few wines we tried in the last weeks, but also because many of them were not new to us. But even so. I am going to describe some of them here. So without further ado … here we go.
Weekly wine #7
On valentine’s day, my wife and I had our 5th anniversary. I know, I know, what a cliché. Deal with it. Because neither one of us particularly likes crowds of loud people in restaurants, staying at home on the couch, chatting away and drinking one of our favourite wines was on the program.
Rolf Willy’s Sauvignon Blanc, Number I
As I mentioned before, only the finest wines of a certain vintage at Willy’s are entitled to the Number I label. And even though the sauvignon blanc was (it’s been sold out by now) the cheapest of the bunch, it still packs an impressive punch.
The first sniff smelled of sweetness and freshness. But after a several swirls in the glass there were so many smells present I honestly couldn’t pick one. It was almost overwhelming for the beginners nose of mine. Although towards the end of my intensive smelling attempts, if I had to pick one aroma, it would be that of a grapefruit! (I know, it surprised me as well :))
The taste continued where the smell left off. It felt light in the mouth, a bit acidic at first but somehow the complete picture was very well composed. All the components played nicely with each other. Even the aftertaste left a smooth fruity taste on the tongue. And if I focused hard enough I could taste out the alcohol, but that was a secondary characteristic, if at all.
It is well deserving of its Number I label.
Verdict: 4,5/5
Rolf Willy’s Sauvignon Blanc, Green Label
In keeping with the weekly theme of dry whites we enjoyed yet another Sauvignon Blanc from the cellar of Rolf Willy. The green label differs little form the Number One. It is cheaper, but doesn’t lose any of its pizazz. Also the label design is friggin’ sick!
Considering the wine itself, you could almost copy and paste the notes from the Number I. The smell is a bit restrained though, at least at the beginning. After a while you can smell the fruit quite distinctly. Which one? I have no clue. It smelled like summer to me. 🙂
It tasted very fresh and was a perfect companion to our fish dinner. Towards the end it did taste a bit more sour than the number one. But still all in all a fantastic wine! It is Sabrina’s favourite Willy wine and she was devastated when they didn’t have it in stock anymore when we were there last Saturday. But no worries, the new vintage will soon be available. And we will go get a few cases!
Verdict: 4,5/5
Weekly wine #8
Via al Castello, Barolo, 2012
If you follow me on Instagram, you have probably seen, that we went wine shopping this weekend. Saturday was spent trying the established vintages at the Rolf Willy winery. I’ve noticed that my taste has been shifting in the recent years towards the barrique end of the spectrum. So mostly our purchase consisted of a few rieslings and most of the rest were different dry reds from the fantastic wooden barrels. In the evening we cracked open the Rioja from week #2. And enjoyed ourselves in some good company.
But now to the barolo we opened on Sunday. I think we bought it at Edeka (German supermarket with a decent wine selection) for about 13 EUR. And it was worth it, for sure!
We drank it at room temperature and we opened it about 15 minutes before we poured it. The smell was rather fruity, borderline sweet. It reminded me of blackcurrant. But the taste was quite heavy. Acidic at first and quickly after that the tannins took over and pulled the flavours together into a knot. The taste lingered for some time and at the very back of the throat practically it developed a sweetish fruit aftertaste.
I don’t think this particular wine is an easy wine to drink. It is probably not for everyone. But it is a very well rounded one. Definitely a good addition to a relaxing Sunday evening.
Verdict: 3,5/5
P.S. If you like wine, or you are just starting to discover wine, you should check out Vivino. The source of inspiration when it comes to wine. Also, be sure to follow my profile there as well! 😉