7/1/2022 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Loved this summer grapefruit taste. Great value!

6/5/2022 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Spring Evening... Front Porch... This Rose... Wonderful!

5/11/2022 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Medium purple color. Great aromas when opening and as you pour a glass. Cherry, dark fruit like plum, some herbal aromas as well. This continues in the taste, and chocolate mocha is added to the blend of tastes. Moderate tannins that change over to moderate acidity in the taste.

5/4/2022 - Mike&Julia wrote:

Deep garnet color. Almost opaque. Aromas of black liquorice, maybe strawberries. Smooth balanced front with medium acidity and tannins that evolves to an enjoyable, acidic finish. Very good taste and enjoyable wine.

4/21/2022 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Great aromas as the bottle was opened. Deep garnet color. Opaque when held to a light. Aromas of dark cherries, and cloves. Pleasant smooth fruity taste at the start, well- balanced light tannins and acidity that crescendos--no, molto crescendos to a long acidic finish. Enjoyable finish! Great wine that had some time to rest and evolve from 2014 to 2022.

2/22/2022 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Pale yellow color. Aromas of muskmelon and subtle pineapple. Light body, tangy lingering acidity, with very smooth, light taste. Was a good accompaniment to salmon, brussel sprouts, and a baked potato. Also a good after dinner drink on its own.

2/19/2022 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Medium ruby color. Aromas of red berries -- cherries. Also, cedar or tobacco. Sweet aromas. Balanced mild to medium acidity and tannins.

2/18/2022 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Medium purple color. Aromas of plum. Perhaps dark berries, but not sweet berry aromas. Well- balanced low acidity and tannins. Very smooth. Enjoyed with chili. Dry with a touch of sweetness. Good memory of a beautiful location and as a vacation purchase.

2/13/2022 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Light ruby color. Balanced--light acidity, light tannins. Good flavor. Enjoyed with chili. Great taste to price value. This is a value wine we'd go to again along with it's relative, Legendary Pinot Noir.

2/12/2022 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Light, fruity, and semi-sweet. Refreshing.

2/11/2022 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Light ruby color. Raspberry aromas with some earthy-- perhaps gravel. Smooth, medium light body. Fruity with mild acidity and tannins. Enjoyable. We'd get this again.

11/28/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Bouquet of strawberries when opened. Good semidry taste. Flavorful. Mild acidity. Smooth

11/20/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Deep purple color. 14.5% abv. Notable legs. Aromas plums and dark berries, black pepper and black liquorice. Fruit with low to moderate tannins and acidity. Good balance. Smooth taste that evolves to a long balanced finish that allows the peppery flavor to show itself.

M: 13+22+22+33=90
J: 12+22+22+31=87

11/17/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Deep ruby color. Cherry and plum aromas. Touch of cocoa comes out in the taste. Mild acidity with medium length finish. Light to medium body.

M: 13+21+22+32=88
J: 12+22+22+31= 87

11/14/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Medium gold color. Aromas of lemon, mango, pear and apple. Fermented in stainless steel. Mild acidity, fruit forward smooth taste.

M: 13+21+23+31= 88
J: 12+23+22+31= 88

11/12/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Medium Gold color. 13.5 abv. Aromas of flowers, vanilla, pineapple, and tropical fruits along with piecrust or pastry. Mild acidic and buttery smooth taste. Tropical fruit is evident in the taste. Long mild acidic and buttery finish.

M: 13+23+22+32=90
J: 14+22+22+32=90

11/6/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Color is medium to dark purple. Earthy aromas--perhaps leather. Also aromas of dark red berries. Balanced moderate acidity and tannins. Long finish. Very smooth tannins. This is an easy to drink wine.

M: 13+21+23+31=89
J: 13+22+22+33=90

11/6/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Dark ruby color with moderate tannins and acidity as well as a long balanced finish. We really enjoyed this wine and it tastes as a much more expensive wine considering its great price.

14+22+23+33=92
14+24+24+33=95

11/2/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Medium ruby color. 13% abv. Blackberry, cherry, and vanila aromas with a bit of spice added to that mix in the taste. Light to medium body. Silky tannins and a long acidic finish.

M: 13+22+21+32=88
J: 13+23+21+31=88

10/29/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Dusty aromas with tobacco and graphite. Medium bodied well-balanced wine with moderate tannins and acidity along with a touch of spice. Long and balanced finish. Delightful light tannins hang on with thd acidity and last and last.

M: 14+22+24+34=94
J: 13_22_22_32=89

10/26/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Medium gold color. Lemon aromas with vanila and butterscotch. Medium acidity and medium body. Moderate length acidic finish. Simple finish.

M: 14+22+21+32=89
J: 14+23+23+32=92

10/20/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Grapes from Washington state and wine made in Wisconsin. Pale ruby color. Aromas of raspberry and vanila. Bergundian style wine with a dry, earthy, smooth taste. Mild tannins with balanced acidity. Short finish simple wine. Good taste. Very drinkable.

M: 11+22+23+32=88
J: 13+23+24+32=92

10/10/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Dark ruby color with aromas of raspberry jam and dark fruit such as blackberries or plum. Moderate tannins and acidity with a long fruity and acidic finish. Pleasing smooth taste with a slight alcohol burn.

M: 13+23+23+32=91
J: 14+22+22+31=89

10/8/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Light gold color with aromas of apple or pear. Slightly tangy dry wine with smooth moderate acidity. Moderately long acidic finish. Light body. We enjoyed with salad and vinaigrette dressing along with grilled salmon and corn on the cob.

M: 13+23+23+33=93
J: 13+22+23+32=90

10/8/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Dark Garnet color with blackberry and spice aromas. Moderate and balanced tannins and acidity from start to finish. Some red fruit and pepper in the taste. Medium to full body. This 2015 still had a bit of an alcohol burn.

M: 14+22+22+32=90
J: 13+22+23+32=90

10/6/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

40% Prairie Star, 51% St. Pepin, 9% Louise Swenson
Pale straw color with aromas of melons and a hit of floral and lemon. Very smooth semi-sweet (or semi-dry) wine. Lasting moderate acidity--not too strong. Good balance. Very fresh taste. This is a good salad wine. We experimented with 3 dressings: Raspberry balsamic vinaigrette, Door County Cherry Vinaigrette, and a honey French. The dressing was a good match for the two vinaigrettes and we found the honey French overpowered it.
M= 14+23+23=32=92
J= 14+23+23=32=92

10/3/2021 - Mike&Julia wrote:

47% Cab, 44% Merlow, 9% Shiraz. South African organic wine.
Medium ruby color. Blackberry and vanilla aromas. Racy acidity and intense tannins to match. Intense flavor. Long, simple finish that is both puckering and mouthwatering. Quite a bit of alcohol burn for this 4-year-old wine. The intensity of this wine was tamed with sharp cheese. We chose a cave-aged, chipotle-gouda. A good wine, but overall, this wine is a little too intense for our taste.

M=14+22+21+30=87
J=13+22+21+31=87

10/1/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Medium garnet color. Aromas of dark cherries with baking spices. Also, light floral aromas--spring flowers--violets. Moderate tannins and acidity. Taste of tart cherries. Taste is bold and with a bit of an edge. Medium body with a long finish.

M=13+22+23+32=90
J=13+21+23+32=89

9/11/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Medium Ruby color. Plum and smoke aromas. Moderate tannins
Low acidity on the front
Medium finish.

8/28/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Pale to Medium Gold color with some yellow tinge. 13%abv. Aromas of grapefruit, melon--honeydew as well as some cut grass and wood. Musky. Very smooth front with a crescendo of acidity to a long mouthwatering finish. Some honey--perhaps honeydew--as well as pear in the taste. Fun bottle to read as you drink. We loved the creativity.
M=13+23+23+32=91
J=13+23+22+31=89

8/20/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Medium ruby color. 12% abv. Aromas of red raspberries or strawberries as well as floral. Dry fruity front. Mild to light-medium acidity balanced with mild tannins. Balanced and smooth Light body. A long fruity finish with light acid and mouthwatering.
M=13+23+23+31= 90
J= 14+21+23+32= 90

9/28/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Columbia Valley Washington 12.5% abv
Medium straw color with aromas of Granny Smith apples and tart citrus such as lemons and limes. Also a light tough of petroleum that evoked memories of walking through a truck stop off an interstate highway when on vacation. Very subtle and pleasing to the scent-memory recall. Tastes have the same tart apples and citrus. This is an off-dry wine, but leaning towards dry, not sweet. Moderate acidity with light to medium body. Long tart finish with the acidity giving way to the fruit. We tasted with sweet apple slices (honeycrisp) and an abergele and onion cheese.
M=12+22+23+33=90
J= 13_23+23+32=90

8/6/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Light to medium gold color. Long flowing legs. 13%abv Citrus aromas with peach and tropical flowers. Dry taste. Moderate acidity that crescendos and crescendos to the climax, than rapidly decreases to a long light acidic finish. Medium body wine that leaves your mouth watering for another sip.

M: 14+24+23+32=93
J: 13+23+23+32=91

8/3/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Pale garnet color with long quickly descending legs. Red berry aromas: cherries, raspberries, strawberries, perhaps cranberries. Also some garden flower aroms. Fruity on the front of this dry wine. Moderate acidity that increaes to a tangy climax beginning the finish that then decreases quickly before lingering with mild acidity for a long finish. Low to no noticible tannins which works well as the mouthwatering and interesting acidity is the star of this wine. Light-bodied. Very interesting taste with that complex and long finish.

M: 14+24+24+32=94
J: 14+23+23+34=94

A bargain wine recommended to us, and we recommend as well.

7/30/2021 - Mike&Julia Does not like this wine:

Medium straw color. Very fruity pleasant aromas--pineapple. Light acidic on the front that grows a little, but just as quickly disppears for a short simple finish. Slight acidic lingering end, but very slight. Very fruity taste to this simple light wine.

M: 10+20+20+25=75
J: 13+22+22+31=88

J like this wine, especially for the low price. It is an easy-drinker and has a pleasant fruity taste.

M says this is sort of like drinking a "flat" wine cooler. Not detestable, but certainly not the character he'd hope to find in a Chardonnay.

7/29/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Grapes for this wine are sourced from the Sierra Foothills region in California. Medium Ruby Color. 13.9% Cinnamon and Blackberries on the nose. Cinnamon and perhaps other baking spices are the primary aroma--almost overshadowing the rich aromas of dark berries that are also present. One can also detect aromas of plums. Moderate acidty on the front blended well with matching tannins and while the tannins quickly disappear, the acidity remains and increases a little, but not in an overt way. Full-bodied smooth wine with a complex finish. There is a bit of spicyness to the finish. This is a great tasting wine we will purchase again and recommend.

M=13+25+24+32=94
J= 14+24+24+33=95

7/28/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

IGP Comte Toloson. Medum ruby color with slow moving long legs. 14.5% abv. 70% Merlot and 30% Malbec. Aromas of cark berries: blackberries, plum, perhaps cherry. Secondary aromas of vanilla. Very smooth front with mild to medium tannins on a short beginning of the taste, and mouthwatering medium acidic finish. It is a moderate to short finish, but somewhat complex. We enjoyed this on its own while hunkered down in a tornado warning and severe thunderstorm warning.

M: 14+25+20+30=85
J: 14+22+20+30=86

While J scored the wine reasonably high due to a good characteristic representation in this wine, she did not care for the overall taste and we would not choose this wine again. We feel our higher score and decision to like the wine was based on the food it was served with, but we radiate towards wines that can match well with food and stand on their own.

7/24/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Medium purple color. Black cherry, cedar, baking spices. Light on the nose, but interesting. Medium acidity, medium tannins. Fully body. Very long acidic finish. Leaves you mouthwatering wanting more. There is a bit of an alcohol burn in this 13% abv wine. Very good flavor. This is a delicious wine--enjoyable in all ways. This just may be M's new favorite affordable wine.

M: 15+23+24+35=97
J: 14+23+24+32= 93

7/20/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Medium ruby color with long legs. 14.5% abv. Aromas of herbs, pepper, dark berries, and gravel. We loved the complexity of the aromas in this wine. Medium to full body with high acidity and low tannins. The finish is long acidic mouthwatering. It is a simple acidic taste that lasts and lasts. Great flavor. We will look for this again.

M: 14+24+25+34=97 (loved the acidic tangyness)
J: 14+24+22+33=93 (maybe too acidic)

7/14/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Pale gold color. A lot of sweet fruity aromas on the pour. Aromas of pears stand out. Mild acidity with a moderate fruity finish. There is definite sweetness in both the front and the finish. A simple, light-bodied wine.

7/11/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Pale gold color. 12.3% abv. Pineapple and pear aromas. Mild to moderate acidity with mouthwatering acidity throughout a complex finish. The finish is what makes this wine pop. Medium body semi-dry wine. We will get this again.

M: 13+23+23+32=91
J: 14+23+22+32=91

7/15/2021 - Mike&Julia wrote:

Pale straw color. Slow but notable legs. 11.5 abv. Aromas of fennel and grapefruit. Apple taste -- Granny Smith apples with a tangyness with long light-acidic finish.

M: 12+21+21+30=84
J: 12+22+22+31=87

7/11/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

This wine is made with 100% Itasca grapes, a winter-hardy variety that was grown on the Door Peninsula of Wisconsin. Great color is seen after the pour. Pale gold color. Aromas are light, but quite evident. Aromas of pear and melon--probably cantalaupe--are present. On taste, there is a good balance between the fruit taste and the moderate acidity. The pear aroma is now pear flavor, perhaps with some citrus now. This is a medium bodied semi-dry wine. The winemaker says he has been told it has flavor similarities to a White Bordeaux. We enjoyed this wine with chicken nachos and moderately spicy salsa. The fruity acidity was a good balance with the tomato and pepper acidity of the salsa. This is another great wine from Parallel 44. We had a small taste of this at the winery, but this was our first full tasting of this wine. I'm glad to have another bottle of this wine in the cellar and we'll order it again. Another wine that shows great wines can be grown and produced even in the harsh winter climate of Wisconsin.

Our Scores:
15 + 22 + 23 + 33 = 93
14 + 23 + 22 + 33 = 92
We agreed to go with a 93

7/8/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Deep pink color. Beautiful color--great clarity. Strawberry or cheery with some floral aromas. Long legs. Semi-sweet front with long acidic finish. The finish is interesting as the acidity builds, then decreases to the long lingering finish. Refreshing taste. This is a great summer drink.

7/4/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Great taste, not highly carbonated. A wonderful drink to accompany some fireworks on Independence Day!

7/3/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Medium purple color.

Cherry aromas with spice. 13% abv. Very smooth. Medium acidity and low to mild tannins. Medium bodied. Long mild acidic and fruity finish. Great flavor lingers on and on until the next sip no matter how long you take between sips. A great tasting wine. We enjoyed on its own on an outdoor porch.

14+22+24+35=95
14+23+23+33= 93
Averaged= 94

7/1/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Medium ruby color. Blackberry and/or raspberry aromas with a bit of vanilla. Full bodied. Moderate tannins and acidity. Well balanced. Great flavor. Long balanced finish. We enjoyed with fresh picked raspberries outside on a mild summer evening.

6/23/2021 - Mike&Julia wrote:

Medium purple color with legs. 13.5 abv. Dark berries, plum, fennel, and lots of black pepper. Very smooth and silky but quite an alcohol kick on the way down. Low to moderate tannins and acidity. Full body. Good balance. Great taste. We enjoyed on its own. A very enjoyable bottle.

6/25/2021 - Mike&Julia wrote:

Pale purple with long legs. 14.1 abv. Plum with vanilla aromas. Acidic bite on front mellows quickly to moderate acidity that decrescendos in the finish. Low to moderate tannins. Medium body. A bit of an alcohol burn in the throat. Complex finish. The drama is certainly in the finish.
Our scores:
14+21+23+33= 93
14+22+21+30=87
Averaged out to 90

6/24/2021 - Mike&Julia Likes this wine:

Pale garnet color with long legs. 14.5 abv. Aromas of blackberry nd leather with some spice. Moderate to high acidity and tannins. Well balanced. Simple long finish especially lingering with acidity. Very good flavor. Medium to full body. We'll buy this again.