2019 Yali Wetland Sauvignon Blanc Reserva

I'm starting to get a feel for Sauvignon Blancs now, and this fits right into that prototype. Still no allergy info, but since I had a red Yali I assumed this white Yali would be OK, and it was. It did make me really tingly feeling on first drink, though! And despite the screwtop, it was super hard to open. I guess what really matters is the taste, and in general I do like SauviBs -- they're quite acidic, but they're also full of tropical fruit vibes, which I like. No food pairing today, since it goes with forbidden ceviche, but it was still a good experience, warm and cold both.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [16$]
Taste: 6/10

2018 Yali Wetland Carménère Reserva

Apparently, this here Carmenere grapey is supposed to be drunk within the first few years of bottling, so I'm flirting with sub-optimal taste on this one. I can't really be blamed, though, as I just got it a few weeks ago. And boy, I was expecting a typical red, since it's 15% Syrah, but this was really strikingly different from your generic red. Heavy flavors of, let's say, earth? Herbal, spicy, leathery, ashy, all those sorts of umami flavors. It was disconcerting, but not bad, per se, just very unusual. Not my favorite, though. It did turn out a bit better cold - maybe that tempered the herbiness, in addition to my brain having some time to know what to expect.

I paired this with the recommended Beef Sliders with Provolone and Balsamic Onions, which were good! And a good pairing. Of course my burgers were still red inside after 10 minutes, so I had to cook them way more than the recipe indicated, but the taste was good and toasting the buns was great. Even the onion worked well. I didn't have aioli, but ketchup worked too! Happy Labor Day to covid-life-sleepy-me.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [16$]
Taste: 5/10