July Wine Roundup: Top 10 from my Last Tasting

This tasting included 18 wines from California and Italy.  We toggled between a selection of Proseccos from Mionetto and a selection of California wines.  Here’s the top 10 list:

Italy

Sparkling

Mionette Prosecco Luxury Cartizze – a very nice dry sparkling wine with notes of apple, pear, flowers and baked bread.  It had a bit of sweetness to it, but was a nice expression.

Mionette Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene Millesimato – this had green apple, tropical fruit and some citrus.  Another nice expression of Prosecco with a bit of nuttiness.

Mionette Prosecco Cuvee Luxury Valdobbiadene Superiore — this was elegant and creamy with apple, pear and floral notes.  This was my personal favorite of the proseccos.

California

Rose

Cornerstone Cellars Corallina Rose 2013 — for someone who is not typically in love with roses, this was my kind of rose.  It had vivid notes of strawberry and raspberry, but avoided what I call the “jolly rancher” syndrome.  It had great minerality, dryness and fruit.  Another delightful wine.

White 

J Pinot Gris 2013 – this is the wine that saved an otherwise crappy birthday due to a work crisis that started my day at 5 a.m.  Full of pear, orange blossom and citrus with a great minerality.  One glass of this (and my sweet family) made my day much better.

Zenato Lugana di San Benedetto DOC 2012 – stone fruit, citrus, tropical fruit and herbal notes.  This was a great summer refresher.

Oberon Sauvignon Blanc 2013 – this was hands down the favorite white wine of the bunch.  Full of tropical fruits, citrus, orange blossom and minerality, this was a fantastic expression of Sauvignon Blanc.  Yum!

Red

Byron Pinot Noir 2012 – cherry cola, black cherry, cinnamon and mocha with a nice earthiness made this a Pinot Noir that merited a (quick) second sip.  I enjoyed the Burgundian style.

Edmeades Mendocino County Zinfandel 2012 – blackberry, black pepper, vanilla, chocolate, cherry and I think I even got graham cracker.  I liked the richness of this wine and the different layers I uncovered as I sipped.

Stepping Stone Cabernet Franc 2011 – meaty, green pepper, tobacco, basil, spice and blackberry with a great sense of balance.  This wine can be enjoyed with food, without food, with friends… but once you take a sip, you may want to keep it all for yourself.  I want to age this bottle and see the magic that happens.