The Desert Wine Guy - 2015 Coastline, Pinot Grigio

2015 Coastline Pinot Grigio

   The other day I decided to pop on over to one of the big alcohol warehouse type stores near my home. As luck would have it, I had just walked into the store when I noticed a Shopping Cart to my right with a sign on it which read "clearance". In this cart were numerous bottles of wine. Now I am sure you know that I just had to check it out, after all, I am The Desert Wine Guy, so I did just that. Today's review wine on one of those wines I picked out of that cart and is the 2015 Coastline Pinot Grigio. The wine normally retails for around $12 but I was perhaps fortunate enough (time will tell) to buy it for $4.99. The wine comes in at 12.0% Alcohol and is also happily Cork sealed. A little research turned up that this label is owned by Adler Fels Winery (https://adlerfels.com/) although their page for some reason makes no mention of this particular label. Surprisingly there is very limited information in general concerning this wine available on-line for some reason. Now.......prior to moving on I have an admission to make here guys and here it is. I don't believe that I have ever had this varietal before. This is particularly embarrassing because it just so happens, Pinot Grigio is the second most popular white wine in America. I know huh, like I said, embarrassing. With all this said, let's go ahead and together learn just a bit about the Pinot Grigio varietal.

Pinot Grigio Flavor Profile(s)

   The varietal of Pinot Grigio originated in France (Burgundy) where it is known as Pinot Gris and unlike other white grapes, Pinot Grigios skin color has a greyish blue hue, but can also sometimes vary from brownish pink to black and even white in appearance. There are typically three different types of geographic presentation styles for the Pinot Grigio varietal and here they are. The first one is a wine which presents large notes of dryness & minerality "Old World" style. This style of the varietal usually comes from Italy, Austria and even Romania, Slovenia and Hungary. The varietal from these areas usually lacks any real fruit notes whatsoever and they are very simple in their expression of the grape. The second is a wine which exhibits both dry & fruity notes or "New World" style. These expressions of the grape usually exhibit the oily or buttery type notes typical of Malolactic Fermentation and are similar to an oaked Chardonnay. Notes of ripe tropical fruit such as melon, Mango, Apple & Lemon can be exhibited as well. The areas of the world making this expression of the grape just to name a few are California, Argentina, New Zealand & Chile. The third expression of the grape is one which presents a wine which is typically sweet & fruity (Pinot Gris). This expression is usually limited to the country of France. Okay now it is time to get into this particular wine and see what I think of it.

Hanging Pinot Grigio Grapes In The Vineyard

    Upon opening the bottle a pretty serious tropical Bouquet came rushing out of the glass and to my nose. Tropical notes of Peach and Pear as well as Lemon & Mango came to me in a wonderfully nice wave of mostly ripe juicy fruit. Bringing the wine now out to the pool, I was very excited to taste it.
   On the Palette now I will tell you that I drank this wine at near room temperature and the wine exposed all that it had, which was indeed quite a bit. The first note that this wine threw at me was that of Lemon. The Lemon was not super tart yet did indeed make it's presence known. I must tell you that this Lemon note is the dominating Palate note and spreads it's greatness across the entire Palette. Now, before anyone dismisses this wine as being astringent, I want to beg you not to do so as this Lemon note does not have a massive "sharpness" to it and therefore is not overbearing, it also is accommodating enough to leave room for all the other notes the wine effectively presents. There was nice Pear on the Palette as well that was not to over the top in its sweetness, a nice semi-ripe Pear that almost exposed itself in equal amount in comparison to the Lemon yet not quite. I have to say that this is a good thing as you will see when you drink the wine......you will drink the wine won't you? One of the other notes that I thoroughly enjoyed was that of semi crisp minerality that was spread evenly at all stages of the Palette as well. Once again not an overdone acidity or minerality by any means but both simply presented at a nice & enjoyable level as well as at a level which compliments the other notes and allows these notes to still be able to fully express themselves. Did I talk about the "oily" sense on the Palette yet? Well I must do that but prior to me talking about it I would like to caution you not to immediately discount this wine as the note is adequately held in check.

Beautiful Pinot Grigio

There is an "oily" (Malo-Lactic conversion) type note that comes across the Tongue that you might experience in a oaked Chardonnay. Again I must tell you that this is not overpowering and you will have to pay some attention while tasting the wine as you will not want to miss it because I think you will enjoy it. There is also a Honeydew Melon that comes across the Palate rather nicely but also does not dominate over the other notes of the wine. For what should be a simple wine based solely upon it's retail price, I am impressed. I am not done here guys as there is also a freshly cut Green Apple note that adds it's two cents to the wine in the forms of semi sweet note as well as adds a semi brightness and liveliness onto the Palate. Rounding off the Palate presentation is a Honeysuckle note to the wine as well that will make you stand up and take notice of it.

Seared scallops garnished in a salsa verde sauce

 
   So....$4.99 huh? What is the real deal with this wine Desert Wine Guy? The real deal is that this is a rather nice although a bit sweet, wine. This is certainly one of the "New world" expressions of the varietal with all the tropical fruit and bit of sweetness they can most certainly poses. Hot weather definitely dominated these grapes for certain but I thoroughly enjoyed it. This wine fits right into the family of a perfect pool or picnic white without any doubts. Whether you paid $4.99 as I did or the $12 it normally retails for, you win as you will be picking up a very satisfying wine for a bargain. Guys, I am sensing a serious baked chicken going with this wine or perhaps a nice Pasta sauce with Spaghetti. On the fish side I am sensing some Trout or Shark, both cooked without Lemon but with some Garlic, Butter and Black Pepper. Perhaps however, you would prefer some Seared Scallops? I would recommend enjoying this wine slightly chilled as that will take care of the lemony note that some who shy from that sort of thing might prefer. On The Desert Wine Guy rating schedule I am giving this wine 91 points.





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The Desert Wine Guy - 2017 Joel Gott - Sauvignon Blanc

  Today's wine review is of the 2017 Joel Gott - Sauvignon Blanc. As with most white wines today, the closure for this wine is unfortunately secured with a Screw Cap. I got the wine at Costco while doing some shopping a few weeks ago, they always seem to have something from Joel Gott to choose from among their many other wines. This wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc and sat in 100% Stainless Steel as well. The wine comes in at an Alcohol percentage of 13.9% and the grapes for this wine are from five different Appellations in California as Joel Gott is a wine broker who buys grapes from whatever locations or Vineyards he desires
  While I usually spend some time on the label of the wines I review, today I will simply say that all of Joel's wine labels are the same which is not to say they are bad. His wine labels do strike me as both classy and sophisticated and creates a sense of there being something spectacular in the bottle.
  Let's see how the wine looked in my glass. This wine simply sparkled in the glass as it appeared almost clear but did appear to show decent hints of Gold streaks to it. To me it appeared like some wine in a reality TV show that "The Women of Whatever County" would be drinking. These are the wines you see the rich & famous drinking when they are at a Restaurant relaxing and there is a white wine on the table and you are like "oh my goodness, what are they drinking?" Folks, they could be drinking this wine.
  Next up is of course here is the Bouquet. Some medium bodied Gooseberry escapes from the glass followed by an also medium bodied and ripe Yellow Peach as well as some ripe Nectarine as well. These two notes are amazingly effective yet soft and about equal in presentation. There is also an undeniable nose of Melon that makes me begin to think that this might be a fairly tropical & fruity wine. A Red Apple presents itself here on the end of the Nose and all in all, I really like this Bouquet.
  So, moving to the Palette now I will straight out tell you that I think this wine is a good bit different from the 2016 expression that I reviewed but remains as of yet, unposted. There is a bit of a difference however as the 2016 is more of a slightly cooler weather expression of the varietal and this I do believe is a warmer weather expression of the varietal as its Nose at least, is more on the tropical side. First up on the Palette is Gooseberry. This Gooseberry is not overpowering as I think I said the 2016 was. This note is indeed a bit more controlled here in this wine yet still slightly forward on the Palate and I think this is perhaps because of the White Peach note which I will talk about now that assists it. This White Peach brings with it some and adds sweetness to the wine but it is not an overdone sweetness. Yes, this White Peach assists the wine in it's tropical weather fruitiness but it does not equate to the wine being a "sugar bomb" by any stretch of the imagination. This White Peach also thankfully
adds a medium bit of Minerality to it yet does not overdue it to the point where you can say this is an overdone wine in reference to that note. Moving forward I have to tell you about a Pear note that is on the Mid-Palette. The Pear is almost hidden so you must take the time to search it out but without it the wine would be missing a certain something for sure. Now, when you do find it, the note is more then worth the search and you will forever add the note to your list of Palate notes. So I said that we had some Melon on the nose didn't we? The Melon translates super nicely onto the Palate and really shines here as well as supports that White Peach in the tropical fruit department. So.....how about some Honeysuckle, would you like that in a tropical Sauvignon Blanc? Well, if you want it, it is in here for sure. This Honeysuckle brings with it a tropical fruit note but with just a hint of softness. Aside from this note there is an ever so slight bit of Butteryness as well yet it can't subdue that Minerality which the wine possesses and that I mentioned earlier. I feel as if I must comment a second here on the "butteryness" note This note can really make or break a Chardonnay for many people (including me) so I feel the need to say that is almost more felt then actually tasted yet it does it's job well as manages to make it's presence known and also has a super positive impact on the wine and your Palate for sure. How about Acidity there DWG? Yes, there is some nice Acidity exposed on the palate and it makes for a note which causes a break of sorts from the tropical fruit and leads the Palate for a second, in a different direction. The Acidity is I feel another much needed as I enjoyed that break and thought it was well timed as well as well presented. I also believe it added a certain sense of complexity to the wine.

  Wow, I'm done with this review and sadly the wine is almost done as well. I truly liked this wine as I really personally am partial to the hot weather expression of the grape especially while I am at the Pool or even in the Winter when I am thinking about the Pool. Now, please do not get me wrong here because I can certainly see and understand the need for both the hot weather expression and the cooler weather expression of this varietal as they are both correct yet can have some wonderful differences to them. Like me, there are people who prefer, or favor, one expression over the other. Whatever expression you like, you are correct on loving the Varietal itself. 
    So I have now completed this review and I totally liked this wine but I have a question, how come other reviewers rated it three (3) points lower then I did? I mean I don't really care too much as I understand that wine itself is very subjective but I am curious. For some reason it just seems to bug me though. I think that a lot of people forget that there are standards that a wine varietal is supposed to be judged by. Now, sometimes reviewers will base their score solely on how much they actually enjoyed a particular wine and not really on just how well the wine holds to such varietal standards as well, I don't know. Now where your preferences lie is up to you but in my opinion this wine is following along with varietal standards fairly well and I enjoyed it.
Okay, okay, I guess I got a little carried away here but at least you can rest assured that I do keep it real for you guys. If you also love a warm weather expression of the varietal then you must not miss this wine guys. Looking at the "growing season" notes from the winery I see that it indeed was a "warm spring" followed by a "late summer heat wave", this information just reinforces my feelings about the wine. Closing out this review I must tell you that for someone to choose Vineyards here and there and make a wine such as this, I am really impressed indeed and shows great talent. Without any further waiting, I will give you my rating on this wine. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I give this wine 93 solid points.



                                                                                                                   The Desert Wine Guy

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The Black Stallion Winery, My Experience & A Favorite Wine

   Today I want to talk about the Black Stallion Winery (https://www.blackstallionwinery.com/) which is located in Napa, CA. I want to talk about the customer service experience Mrs. Desert Wine Girl and I had at the winery. I also want to talk about a particular wine. The very first time I came across a wine from the Black Stallion Winery was at a really nice restaurant that Mrs Desert Wine Girl and I were invited to so that I could do a review, this was in late 2015. At this restaurant it was suggested by my Waiter that the 2011 Black Stallion Cabernet Sauvignon would be a great wine to accompany my dinner. Let me tell you that the Waiter was indeed correct and the wine really rocked as it complimented the food incredibly well. The very next day I went out and purchased a couple of bottles of the wine as I had simply fallen in love with it the night before. I also of course, did a review (https://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-desert-wine-guy-2011-black-stallion.html) on the wine in which I rated it 93 points.

   Back in April of this year Mrs. Desert Wine Girl as well as the girls of Mirror Image Vineyard and myself took a trip to the Napa Valley to visit some family as well as the wineries. One of the wineries that was mandatory to stop at was of course, the Black Stallion Winery. Allow me to now give you a brief rundown of the experience that Mrs Desert Wine Girl and I had at the winery. First of all the winery is simply beautiful. Walking into the winery, it was bright and laid out really nicely. The winery was clean, spacious, bright and smelled wonderfully of great wine. The winery luckily was also not busy at all probably because it was the middle of a weekday. We walked in and wandered around for a while and I thought it was nice to also see the Vineyards form the Tasting Room. I almost immediately noticed as we walked to the Tasting Bar, a very prominently displayed gift set which the winery calls the "Triple Crown". The gift set consisted of the 2017 Limited Release, Sauvignon Blanc, the 2015 Limited release - Cabernet Sauvignon & the 2016 Limited release - Pinot Grigio. I thought buying this gift set was simply a no brainer, of course I did also taste each of the wines and remember being really impressed by them. Aside from the wines there were two people of note that I need to mention here in this article. The first individual is the person who poured our wines and that is Jorge Chavez. When we approached the Tasting Bar aside from me being in awe at the Triple Crown gift set we also met Jorge as he was the person performing my tasting. Jorge was just absolutely awesome and spent so much time with us, engaging us in conversation about the wine industry in general as well as of course the Black Stallion wines, the winery itself and the Indelicato Family. Jorge was super interesting as well and very down to earth.

   Now we get into the main reason why I wrote this article and that is because of the second person that I need to talk about. Not only is Jorge a perfect example of great Customer Service but so is their person in charge of Direct Sales & Wine Club Rep, Mrs. Celeste Cooper. Celeste was on one hand very professional in our communications and on the other she also came across as super cheerful and as someone who truly loved her job and dealing with people. Let me tell you how I came into contact with Celeste. One of the wines that I was poured that day at the winery and which really impressed the heck out of me is the 2016 Black Stallion - Limited Release, unfiltered Chardonnay. I did a review on this wine https://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-desert-wine-guy-2016-black-stallion.html) and it scored 96 points on The Desert Wine Guy rating scale. The wine is in fact the highest rated white wine that I have ever reviewed. The only mistake that I made at the winery which turned out to be a big problem was that I only purchased one bottle of the wine and this leads me to a problem. The problem on my end cropped up after the review. That problem was I loved the wine and I wanted more. Well I did what anyone would do and got on their website but I could not find the wine, in fact I couldn't find it anywhere including at my local big box Liquor stores. Go ahead and search for yourselves. Check their the Black Stallion website and try to find the wine to purchase, keep searching because you will not find it.

The wine is unfortunately available at the winery only, or perhaps from their wine club(s), that I am not sure about. I still needed more of this wine though. Being The Desert Wine Guy I decided that I had to do something. I managed to find Celeste's name somewhere on their website and I contacted her to see if there was a way that I could get a few bottles of the wine shipped to me at my home. Celeste was suprprisengly more then happy to accommodate me and I very happily ended up purchasing three bottles of the wine from her. I have to once again say thank you so very much to Jorge and Celeste for making it a pleasure to do business with the Black Stallion Winery.
   In closing I must tell you that the Napa Valley has a lot of wineries to visit and a lot of wines to choose from as well. For some reason a lot of those wineries have the attitude that the wine consumer should be grateful that the winery actually let them in to have the honor of sampling their wines. Now to me that is a great way to have me not come back to that winery. A business (in this case a winery) should actually have the opposite mindset as the customer should be embraced and thanked for spending their time and their money at that business. The Black Stallion Winery is not one of the wineries that  treat you as if you owe them, they treat you like you are indeed a valued and appreciated customer. I highly recommend that if you are headed to the Napa Valley that you make a stop at the winery and of course buy a few bottles of their wines. Should you however not be headed to Napa anytime soon you need to get on their website and buy some incredible wine from them or find their wines at your local retail store, you will not regret it.

  One last thing before I finish this article. As far as the actual delivery of the wine goes, keep in mind that the wine is due to arrive tomorrow but I am constantly getting updates on the whole delivery process from their chosen carrier, FedEx. All around, the Indelicato Family is a top notch winery to do business with and I highly recommend their wines as well. This may be kind of weird but on The desert Wine Guy rating scale I give the Black Stallion Winery itself 100 points.

P.S. - I received the wine today and I have done a video on the unboxing and the wine which I will be working on getting posted soon. Take a look at the picture I included and look at how they placed special insulation around the wine, also included freeze packs to ensure your wines are well protected from the heat that they may encounter during shipment. All in all I am thoroughly impressed with the Black Stallion Winery and will be buying more wine from them in the near future.

                                                                                                                  The Desert Wine Guy

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