We were very excited when we saw a deal through “Spreebird’ for a 12-person, in-home wine tasting from PRP Wines.  Our wine associate brought six bottles for our group to try and everybody had a great time.  Our thoughts about the wines are listed below.  In general this is a great experience and a good excuse to get some friends together – realize they only sell wines by the case but it can be nice to have a professional there to walk you through the tasting.

Chevalier de Bayard
Teri: This was a light semi sweet red wine with lots of strawberry on the nose and taste. It contained an overall light body and flavor similar to a rose. This would be a great glass to enjoy in the evening, outside on a warm day, or after dinner. 88 points

Aaron:  This was a super sweet wine – far too sugary for my palate however my sister Autumn loved it.  The smell was heavily influenced by notes of strawberry and white sugar and the taste had no bite but frankly needed some.  The flavor was light, almost more juice than wine, and I equated it to grenadine.  I did note some apricot and other light fruit flavors after a few sips which was interesting for a red wine and earned some extra points, though I certainly would not seek this wine out.  82 Points

Deerwood Cellars Pinot Noir 2009
Teri: I was first impressed with the color and nice legs on this wine. There was lots of plum on the nose and the taste, very complex but I couldn’t quite separate the flavors. This wine had medium tannins but tastes very young. The flavors are very tight. It could use some decanting to bring out more flavors and give this bottle more life. 85 points

Aaron:  I was reasonably impressed with the bright and sharp smell on this pinot.  Similarly, the heavier-than-expected tannins almost confused my taste buds into thinking this was a heavier wine.  The flavor was relatively flat and “tight” (as Teri correctly identified) with strawberry and red cherry.  There was more bite than expected but the flavor was slightly lacking for me.  83 Points

Deerwood Mendocino County Zinfandel 2008
Teri: This wine also tasted very tight out of the bottle. Other than some flavors of dark cherry there was also an overall lingering oak taste that lasted throughout the entire taste. Also very oaky on the nose. I have liked a good amount of zinfandels in the past but I could pass on this one. 85 points

Aaron:   I was excited for this Zin because, let’s face it, I love Zins.  I found this to be mild and medium bodied with some black cherries on the nose and tongue.  There was a slightly jammy flavor which was pleasant and though there was a slight bitterness at first, this dissipated after sitting for a few minutes.  I greatly enjoyed the blueberry and vanilla flavors as well as the pleasant finish.  Overall, this was a very drinkable wine and probably the best of the group.  89 Points

Romanet Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Teri: I have always been a fan of un-oaked wines, leaving more fruit in the flavors. This wine had a great fruit forward flavors of cherry and raspberry but it quickly disappears. Nice medium legs but I would have loved a much longer finish to truly enjoy all of the nice flavors in this wine. 89 points

Aaron: The smell of this cab was extremely fruity and reminded me of many pinots.  The flavor was so smooth I actually wanted some bite to force me to drink more slowly and enjoy the taste.  The wine was pleasant though the smell was too sharp and bitter.  Fortunately, this was not predicative of the flavor at all.  The taste was light and fruity and went down very gently but dissipated quickly.  It wasn’t bad but in my opinion needed some extra tannins because it was just too easy to drink.  87 Points

Finca Las Zazarenas Malbec – Argentina 2009
Teri: Sadly this was my least favorite of the tastings. Slight bitter taste paired with a heavy body with strong legs. My taste buds kept searching for a flavor but it never quite landed on one. 81 points

Aaron: The smell of this Argentinian wine was overpoweringly spicy.  There were certainly some fruits on the bouquet but they were hard to find.  The tannins were notable but the finish was surprisingly smooth.  I wish the flavor had more fruit to it and felt smoke was the overpowering sensation.  In my opinion this wine needs some more complexity and left me wanting something else.  85 Points

Golden Grape Black Shiraz 2010
Teri: I consider this Shiraz a middle of the road bottle, nothing too special but not too poor. It has a light nose with the classic spice you can smell and taste from the shiraz varietals. I also tasted some darker fruits but they weren’t quite clear, maybe a slight plum is the closest I could classify it with. 83 points 

Aaron:  The last wine we tried had a light but potent smell and wasn’t very appealing.  The flavor started with a burst of fruit which was fantastic but was quickly replaced with more earthy tones.  Our wine rep cited a tobacco flavor and I could agree with that analysis, but don’t tend to embrace it.  Overall I needed some more fruitiness.  84 Points