Wine Intensity
Pinot Noir is a light to medium-body wine, pegged as one of the most difficult to grow and make. Delicate and smooth with rich complexity. It’s transparent. It can’t hide anything–it clearly shows terroir and is easily influenced. This is why it is not usually blended with any other varietals and it is often vineyard-designate (produced from a single vineyard). “Even small differences in the grape show through in the final wine. This means that all of the various characteristics of and decisions in the vineyard will deliver a very different wine from site to site. Sun exposure, temperatures, soil types, crop yield, etc. can differ literally from one side of a road to another,” it is NOT a lightweight in nose or taste Its lighter body, it is often the first red that white wine lovers enjoy, and it is one of the food-friendliest reds. It has the kind of acidity that is so important to versatility with food.
Merlot is a red wine with medium to full body with black cherry and herbal flavors. Merlot is typically smooth, soft and mellow. Some of the world’s most expensive, and most prized wines are Merlots and Merlot blends
Syrah Darker than Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is so dark that if you were to hold a glass of the wine up to the light, you’d have a very hard time seeing through it. Syrah is a wine with a large amount of mouth-drying tannins, and it is known to be full-bodied, which means it feels heavy in your mouth; the wine features flavors such as berries, pepper, tobacco, and even smoked meat.
Cabernet Sauvignon is a red wine known for its depth of flavor, aroma and ability to age (present by the wine’s noticeable tannins). It is full-bodied and intense, with cherry- currant and sometimes herbal flavors. It is best known for its dark color, full body and an alcohol content that is over 13.5%, with most Cabernet Sauvignons, especially those from places such as California, Australia and Chile, being more like 14.5% and sometimes even going over 15%. The wine is dry (not sweet) and has a healthy level of tannin, which is why your mouth dries out when you sip it. Many people who drink Cabernet Sauvignon say they always pick up a taste of green pepper in the wine, along with tobacco, cassis, and dark fruits such as cherries, along with a hint of vanilla that comes from the wine aging in the oak.
It is originally from France and its parents are Sauvignon Blanc (really) and Cabernet Franc. Its half-sibling is Merlot–they both have Cab Franc as a “father” but different “mothers.” In blind tastings, it can sometimes be hard to distinguish Cabernet Sauvignon from Merlot, even for pros. (Stag Leap in Napa was the Cab of Napa tha tbeat out France Bordeaux Wines of Cab. Overly general Napa a little more pow compared to Sonoma, but wine to wine you can find any flavor.
