Friday night we decided to mix things up and hit the wine tasting at River City Cellars instead of our old standby the Wine Cellar. Megan and I had never been to River City before so we did some perusing around the shop to see what they had to offer. They have great prices and a unique and extensive selection for such a small shop. One other cool/interesting thing I noted is that I saw no references to ratings. No scores from Spectator, Parker, or Enthusiast posted above any of the wines. I thought that was very interesting and the complete opposite of what you see in most shops today. Way to go against the curve RCC.
The tasting featured five wines from their $12 and under rack and was cleverly dubbed the “Taxpayer Relief Tasting”.
1 – 2006 Hillinger Pinot Grigio from Burgenland Austria – peach and floral notes on the nose with grapefruit and a razor sharp acidity on the palate. It was a little to sharp for my taste but was very good overall and a whole glass would probably very refreshing with some nice goats milk cheese. $11.99
2 – 2007 Bellevue Touraine Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley – Pink grapefruit and raw green bell pepper provide an awesome aroma followed by crisp acidity and lemony finish on the palate. Very nice! $10.99
3 – 2007 Bellevue La Foret Fronton Rose from just outside Touluse France – (70% Negrette, 15% Syrah, 15% Gamay) – Wonderful juicy watermelon aroma and a great fresh strawberry flavor profile with lush medium body. Excellent Rose, especially at the price point, so we took this one home. $11.99
4 – 2006 Terre di Poppiano Chianti – (primarily Sangiovese) Raspberry and pine tar on the nose with mint, raspberry, cherry and clove on the palate. Decent body with medium weight. $9.99
5 – 2006 Antano Rioja – (100% Tempranillo) Earthy nose laced with blueberry and raspberry, similar flavor profile surrounded by slight brussel sprout with medium body and fine dusty tannins. This was our favorite of the reds and our second wine we took home.
The wine of the week was the Faucon Noir in which we received a taste of at the register. Faucon Noir is from Domaine du pes Saint Martin and is a Samur Rouge made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and this one was certified organic. The nose was a weird mix of floral and smoke with indiscernible dark fruit on the palate. Good body and acidity but the flavors and aromas were just off balanced in my opinion. Megan and I were not fans, but hey that is what tasting is all about, trying new things!
Our first visit to RCC will certainly not be our last so look for future tasting reviews.
Cheers!
Anything Wine 
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