Name: Bay Bridge White Zinfandel
Variety: Zinfandel
Region: Central Coast, California
Country: United States of America
Year: No Year
Price: $2.99
ABV: 9.5%
Their review: From tastings.com: "Pale pink hue. Subdued strawberry nose. A soft entry leads a gentle, light-bodied palate with supple acidity. Modest sweetness is balanced by acidity through the finish. Not overly flavorful, but pretty well balanced."
My review: Characteristic of the white zinfandel from Gallo Family, very pink hue with almost no legs. A much more sour smell, reminiscent of strawberries and peaches. I think the sourness as a substitute for sweetness leads me to enjoy this wine more than Gallo Family. It is interesting to compare the two. It is very light-bodied, and the taste doesn't have much more to offer than faint strawberries. Very drinkable.
Name: Gallo Family White Zinfandel
Variety: Zinfandel
Region: Modesto, San Joaquin Valley, California
Country: United States of America
Year: No Year
Price: $1.25/187mL, $5/bottle
ABV: 9%
Their review: "Our White Zinfandel combines crisp refreshment with bring fruit flavors of fresh strawberry and hints of sweet, white peach."
My review: Very pink, approaching red, and almost no legs to speak of which tells me this will likely be a very thin, light wine. Almost sickeningly sweet on the nose - this has been a trend with the lighter wines I've tried tonight. Peaches everywhere. Tons and tons of peaches. Possibly perfumey peaches. Again a carbonated feel to it. The peaches dominate the taste, but it's not nearly as sweet as the smell would lead you to believe. Actually I prefer the taste greatly to the smell. I'm not excited about this wine, but given its sweetness I was expecting far worse.
Name: Gallo Family Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet SauvignonRegion: Modesto, San Joaquin Valley, CaliforniaCountry: United States of AmericaYear: No YearPrice: $1.25/187mL, $5/bottleABV: 13%
Their review: "A full-bodied combination of blackberry and black currant, balanced by a hint of oak for a smooth mouth feel."
My review: A dark, ruby-purple with bold legs. Absolute black fruit on the nose - I would probably best describe it as blackberry, it's pretty enjoyable. If anything it's slightly more fruity than other cab sauvs I've tried. This fruitiness replaces a significant part of what is typically a peppery taste, but the pepper is still pleasantly evident. The mouth feel was describe as "smooth," with the exception of a boozy after kick I agree with this. On second-thought probably a little more alcohol taste than I would prefer. That slightly-more-faint-than-usual pepperyness comes out more in the taste, especially with aeration. Overall it seems like a pretty typical cabernet sauvignon but doesn't disappoint. It's familiar and nice.
Name: Gallo Family Red MoscatoVariety: MoscatoRegion: Not listed - grown in ArgentinaCountry: Argentina, bottled in U.S. Year: No YearPrice: $1.25/187mL, $5/bottleABV: 10%
Their review: "Our lively Red Moscato brings sweet citrus and peach flavors, with a red berry finish."
My review: A deep yet translucent red with faint, lazy legs. I don't know if I've been to critical of wine lately - I don't think I have - but the nose really doesn't appeal to me. The red berry is there, but it's as if it were a red berry that went bad before it even ripened. It's almost a sour berry, and fairly intrusive. It has the same carbonation feel that the pink moscato had, and again is just overly sweet. I honestly don't have much more to say about it. The pink and red moscatos absolutely disappointed me with the excessive sweetness and lack of body.
Name: Gallo Family Pink MoscatoVariety: Pinot NoirRegion: Not listed - grown in ArgentinaCountry: Argentina, bottled in U.S. Year: No YearPrice: $1.25/187mL, $5/bottleABV: 10%
Their review: "Light-bodied and bursting with aromas of fresh citrus and peach, followed by hints of fresh red berries and orange blossoms."
My review: Very light with a pink hue. Slow and sparse legs. Not a very enjoyable smell. Very plain and one-dimensional. Definitely getting the aforementioned peach, accompanied by a faint sweet smell. This smell shows up in the taste as an incredibly over-the-top sweetness that honestly has me doubting I'll finish the glass. It is entirely too sweet. A slight degree of carbonation seems to be prevalent that kind of helps with the sweetness... Though it's possible I'm confusing the carbonation with the alcohol, but such a low ABV leads me to believe otherwise. The body is extremely thin as well. I can't find a single thing in this wine that I like. From reading, it seems to be indicative of a typical pink Moscato - that said I think I can write this off my list of wines I will be purchasing in the future.
Name: Gallo Family Pinot Noir
Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Modesto, San Joaquin Valley, California
Country: United States of America
Year: No Year
Price: $1.25/187mL, $5/bottle
ABV: 12.5%
Their review: "This medium bodied wine provides a smooth and light finish with aromas of cherry and sweet fruit flavors."
My review: Very dark red, tons of skinny legs all around the glass - nearly running into each other. Incredibly buttery on the nose which has me fairly excited. A fair amount of alcohol in the scent, and paired with the butteryness they overshadow the faint hint of black fruit whose potential now seems wasted. The taste is dusty and the butter is now drowned out with a boozy feel that is hard to ignore. Aerating the wine actually does reveal some cherry, but it is short-lived. Overall a fairly dry wine as well, but frankly almost to the point of unpleasantry. The buttery smell failed to deliver and in this instance it seemed the grape couldn't cope with 12.5% ABV. I will give Pinot Noir more chances in the future but the mass-produced nature of this particular wine made it hard to accept.
Name: Gallo Family ChardonnayVariety: ChardonnayRegion: Modesto, San Joaquin Valley, CaliforniaCountry: United States of AmericaYear: No YearPrice: $1.25/187mL, $5/bottleABV: 13%
Their review: "With a pleasing range of unexpected flavors including citrus notes, hints of vanilla, and a dash of oak our medium bodied Chardonnay is a real crowd pleaser."
My review: More golden than pale, and almost no legs running down the side of the glass. Very little sign of alcohol on the nose, but I was happy to pick up a distinct oakyness. Given its low temperature it's hard to pick up other scents, but there is a certain mustiness that may be hiding some fruit. Definitely a fruity taste - I would venture green apple - but again not much else due to the temperature. Upon first taste, it was much sweeter than I would have liked, but one seems to get used to this and subsequent tastes are not hindered by the sweetness. It is certainly nothing special but it doesn't detract from my opinion of Chardonnays.
Name: Rex Goliath Cabernet SauvignonVariety: Cabernet Sauvignon Region: ChileCountry: Grown in Chile, bottled in CaliforniaYear: No YearPrice: $4.29ABV: 13.0%
Their review: "A bold, full-bodied wine with juicy blackberry, sweet plum, and pepper spice flavors."
My review: This is definitely reinforcing cabernet sauvignon as my favorite grape. Pours a beautiful purple with some leftover bubbles on top. Very peppery on the nose, and this turns into more of a spiciness in the taste - I think I'm starting to differentiate between the two. A very pleasant blackberry on the nose that I believe Rex has adequately described as "juicy." I think the body of this wine is pretty much what I look for in similar wines: it's heavy but not burdensome, biting but not piercing, slightly dry with a long finish. Also on the nose and continuing onto the palette is that familiar mustiness that balances out the pepper and spice aspects. This was a really enjoyable wine.
Name: Rex Goliath Free Range Red
Variety: Syrah and Zinfandel
Region: Acampo and Madera
Country: California
Year: No Year
Price: $4.29
ABV: 13.5%
Their review: "Full-bodied with big and juicy red fruit flavors. Free Range Red is slightly sweet with ripe plum and cocoa, and delivers a mild tannin structure for a smooth, delicious finish."
- My review: Darker than the zinfandel I just had. An obvious spicy pepper on the nose, but accentuated a bit further than the zinfandel with what I would consider a dark cherry - likely a result of the syrah. Somewhat tangy and sharp feel to it that adds a whole new layer to their zinfandel. I am finding it very interesting to compare the two wines because the main difference seems to come from the addition of the syrah. It is slightly more dry as well - certainly doesn't have that incredibly boring smooth quality. On second nose and taste, a synthetic aroma comes out reminding me of stale burnt plastic but is probably simply some boozy dark fruit that my inexperience doesn't afford me the ability to identify. This was probably my first repeat wine purchase back in the day, so I have something of a history with this wine - especially for its price it has never disappointed me.
Name: Rex Goliath ZinfandelVariety: Zinfandel Region: Grown in Italy, bottled in CaliforniaCountry: ItalyYear: No YearPrice: $4.29ABV: 13.0%
Their review: "Spicy, concentrated, and jammy."
My review: Not very dark, definitely red with slow, thick legs. What a boring wine. I almost have nothing to say about it but I'll do my best. Almost nothing on the nose - boozy if anything. I have to try pretty hard to get any interesting flavors out of it. There is a definite spicy aspect, but I wouldn't consider the taste anything above a generic dark fruit. On top of the weak flavor and smell, there is no acidity, no boozy kick, just an overly smooth alcoholic grape juice. Yikes.
Name: Bay Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet SauvignonRegion: Livermore ValleyCountry: California, United States of AmericaYear: No YearPrice: $2.99ABV: 12.5%
Their review: No company review; no website. I didn't find any worthwhile reviews on snooth or cellartracker that went into depth as to its smell or taste.
My review: Very dark, more purple than red. Definitely some earthy blackberries on the nose. There is a black pepper smell that even in this inexpensive wine offers what might be considered another layer in the flavor that is consistent with some other higher-priced wines I've tried. This is actually what comes out first in the taste, followed by a smooth dark fruit. The bottle has been open (but corked) for several days, which may contribute to the complete lack of dryness. It's not that it's a very sweet wine, but far more smooth than I was expecting. For such a cheap wine, it's done nothing but reinforce my growing interest in cab sauvs.
