Wine Tasting: Store Favorites

My oenological education continued on Day Three of my new job at Coolidge Corner Wine & Spirits. I got to leave the shop and attend an open house, where I served (and tasted) five of the staff's favorite wines.

• The Hess Chardonnay was the most popular of our three whites, although it didn't really impress me.
  
• I wasn't terribly fond of the Grüner Veltliner (pronounced Groon-er Velt-linner), either. Grüner is a white wine from Austria that is often compared to Reisling. It is described as producing "distinct white pepper, tobacco, lentil and citrus flavors and aromas." I didn't detect many (any) of those things, so I would like to try Grüner Veltliner again sometime.
• The only white wine I enjoyed was the Seaglass Sauvignon Blanc. It was quite fruity - with some nice peachy flavors - and I could see myself enjoying it if I were in the right mood.
• We served two red wines, and a lot of people enjoyed the Trumpeter Malbec Syrah. For some reason I had a really strong negative reaction. Maybe I had been tasting too much white wine without food and my stomach was doing something funny, which could explain my strong dislike for a wine that most people found pleasant.
• My stomach seemed to recover, though, because I loved the Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a dash of syrah (11%) which adds to the full and luscious taste. I liked the thick texture, the black fruit flavors, and the complex finish.