Wine Tasting

Name: Hess Select

Grape Variety: Chardonnay

Country of Origin: United States

Region: Monterey County, California

Vintage Year: 2019

Wine Review: A darker hue of yellow in the glass, this bottling offers aromas of peach and salted nuts. The palate is smoothed out in texture, with flavors of yellow peach, lemon and a hint of chamomile -- Matt Kettmann. An overall score of 87

Wine folly pages 96-97: The book noted there might be citrus flavors and more buttery flavors. I got a mango hint and in the chart it is listed under tropical fruits. In that group is also pineapple which is popular in the California region. I didn’t get any stronger buttery or vanilla tastes, but I could tell that it was a light airy wine. I also ate some cheese with it and they did not pair together, the book also says that it is paired well with softer foods like a lobster. 

My Review: I enjoyed this wine, I am trying to open myself up to white wines. I think this was a good start. It wasn’t too bitter or tangy. I think it had the right amount of tropical hints as well as being light. There wasn’t a bite at the end of it like a lot of other white wines have. 

I did try this wine with both aged cheddar and havarti and I don’t think either one paired well with the Chardonnay.

Wine Pairing

I did this wine and cheese pairing with another person in this class, Leilani Scott. We are in the same major and have had a bunch of classes together in previous semesters. 

I am very new to describing wines, so I am trying my best to describe what I am smelling and tasting in the wines and cheeses. I hope as I do these tastings I become better and learn more about what I like. We decided to try and pair Sweet Riesling with monetary and asiago, a Rose with Havarti, and a Cabernet Sauvignon with aged cheddar. 

Sweet Riesling with Monterey jack and asiago 

Sweet Riesling

The smell was light, sweet and I got a hint of some citrus in there as well. I tasted it first without any cheese and I got a hint of peach with a little zing at the end. I tried Asiago cheese with the riesling and it cut out the zing it had at the end. Then I tried it with Monterey jack and this enhanced the citrus flavors instead of cutting them out. I think the monterey was better with this wine. 

Monterey Jack and Asiago

Sweet Riesling

Rose

Rose with Havarti 

The smell was sweet with a hint of pear. The taste was very light and dry. I was not a fan of the taste. I tried this wine with Havarti and it made it taste a little better, but I was still not a fan. The cheese brought out more of a metallic taste and a bite at the end. I think overall the cheese made this wine taste better. 

Havarti 

Rose

Cabernet Sauvignon with Aged cheddar 

Cabernet Sauvignon

The smell was berry, maybe with a little bit of plumy hints as well. The taste was dry and a little bit berry. I tried this wine with aged cheddar. The aged cheddar being a drier cheese made the wine even more drier, but also had a bigger bite at the end. I think these two paired very well. I was excited for this pairing and it was my favorite combination.

Aged Cheddar

Cabernet Sauvignon