Wine Tasting Featuring Constellation Wines

Westwood CC, Vienna, VA
Tasted Saturday, October 6, 2012 by grayfont with 658 views

Introduction

This is the annual "mid level" Constellation tasting at Westwood. They do a higher-end tasting every December.

Flight 1 - Whites (4 Notes)

Flight 2 - Reds (9 Notes)

  • 2010 Robert Mondavi Winery Pinot Noir 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

    pink all the way through, this has a sweet strawberry nose, with an occasional tinge of pencil eraser. this is a very pleasant surprise on the palate - creamy strawberry pinot with a hint of pepper on the finish. A big surprise to me.

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  • 2008 Estancia Pinot Noir Reserve Stonewall Vineyard 80 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    faint in color like a burgundy. unfortunately the wine is sour and offputting. Asked the distributor if this was an off bottle, but he insisted it was showing properly. Not a good fit for my palate.

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  • 2009 Ruffino Modus Toscana IGT

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    striking rich bordeaux-like nose. in the mouth this is hard and not giving much up at this point. structure is there, with a little bit of earth & barnyard; huge potential but just not ready yet. I'm buying in - a gamble that could pay off big at a nice low price point.

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  • 2011 Diseño Malbec 86 Points

    Argentina, Mendoza

    soft and atypical. noteworthy for the fact that it's a malbec from Argentina which is NOT herbaceous or green in any way. This wine is inoffensive, easy, and maybe even fun. For a $9 bottle, you could do a lot worse.

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  • 2008 Ravenswood Zinfandel Dickerson 87 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    more red than purple in color. This has a brilliant black cherry nose. it would be a great sneak attack if served blind, as the nose gives no indication of the massive zin body/mouthfeel that this gives. very prominent tannins, and the alcohol is a little too obvious, but this was still well enjoyed.

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  • 2009 Estancia Meritage Reserve 88 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    oaky cabernet nose - you would pick this for 100% cab rather than a blend. deep purple in color with a sweet front palate. This one is teetering on the edge of "over the top" for its sweetness & oak. Not a bad QPR if you are OK with the style, but some will be turned off. Would be a controversial one at an off-line.

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  • 2008 Simi Cabernet Sauvignon Landslide Alexander Valley 88 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

    red/purple in color. deep dusty nose. dry & high in acidity, this is an assault on the back of the mouth. not my favorite style but there's nothing wrong with it and, again, some will like it.

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  • 2008 Franciscan Estate Magnificat 86 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    rich full purple color. dumb nose, overall a bit green. just not my style at all.

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  • 2010 Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    I like this producer's house style, though I'd say this vintage is a subdued/restrained version of that house style. soft oak nose with palate to match. not as sweet as usual. the restraint allows some nuance to show through. served blind, you might think this wine had a lot more bottle age on it than it does. I think it's in the window already.

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Flight 3 - Dessert (1 Note)

Closing

Overall, I'd say this tasting was a little disappointing, but of course we're looking forward to the Holiday Tasting in December for the higher end wines.

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