Sarah’s Vineyards-Besson Vineyard-Syrah-Santa Clara Valley-California-2005-$17.77-A bold nose of spice and currants, dark purple in color. A very enjoyable Syrah, big, smooth, black currants, black cherries, a complex wine with a long finish.  My last bottle, all three times this was good juice.                 RP-90                CR-90               Good with steak, chicken, pasta.

Vina El Principal S.A.-Calicanto-Cabernet Sauvignon-Carmenere-Petit Verdot-Cabernet Franc-Maipo Valley-Chile-2009-$13.25-A nose of  dark fruit and some heat, purple in color.  A medium to full bodied blend, with black currants, cherries, some spice with a toasted oak finish, average red.                   WS-85                 CR-84                    Good with meats, chicken, pasta.     

Crushpad-Vayniac-Cabernet Sauvignon-Napa Valley-California-2007-$35.00-A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark garnet in color.  A full bodied, smooth, dry Cab, with currants, cherries, some herbs and vanilla, decent length, was very good, decanted for hour plus.                     NR                      CR-90                     Good with burgers, chicken, pasta.

Casa Lapostolle S.A.-Cuvee Alexandre-Chardonnay-Atalayas Vineyard-Casablanca Valley-Chile-2008-$16.99-A nose of citrus and spice, medium golden yellow in color.  A full bodied and dry Chard, too much citrus acidity, with pear, apple, some pineapple, some heat, not as good a previous vintages.                       WS-90                     WE-89                      CR-85                   Good with seafood, cheeses, salads.

Bodegas Y Vinedos Ortega Fournier-Centauri-Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot-Carignan-Maule Valley-Chile-2007-$17.98-A huge nose of dark fruits and tar and meat,  dark black purple in color.  A full bodied red blend, with black currants, blackberry, coffee, licorice and spiced meat, good finish, a very interesting and bold wine.                 RP-91                  WS-91                   WE-91                   CR-90                        Good with ribs, chicken, pasta.

Red Car Wine Company-Speakeasy-Syrah-California-2006-$25.00-A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark purple in color. A smooth, full bodied red, with blackberry, black cherry, Asian spice with a good finish, an solid bottle of wine, consistent each time I have tried this year.                 WS-88             CR-90                      Good with meats, chicken, pasta.

Whitehall Lane Winery-Red Wine-Napa Valley-California-2008-$22.50-A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark amber in color.  A smooth, easy drinking red blend, with blackberry, black cherry and spice with a good finish, not sure what the blend consists of.                   NR-                    CR-88                      Good with meats, chicken, pasta.

Vina Cousino Macul S.A.-Antiguas Reservas-Cabernet Sauvignon-Maipo Valley-Chile-2007-$15.99-A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark black purple in color. A medium to full bodied Cab, blackcurrants, cherry, with herbs and vanilla finish, a very good QPR, consistent with previous times, just not quite as good.                RP-90+               WS-84                 WE-86                CR-87  Good with meats, chicken, pasta.

Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards-Pinot Noir-La Encantada Vineyard-Sta. Rita Hills-California-2006-$17.12-A nose of cherries and spice, medium garnet in color.  A medium bodied Pinot, with black cherry, plum, currants, some dusty spices, a easy drinking wine with a good finish.                 WS-87                  WE-89                   CR-90                       Good with seafood, cheeses, salads.

Vina Cantaluna-Pinot Noir-Central Valley-Chile-2009-$8.91-A nose of cherry and spice, light ruby in color.  A light to medium bodied Pinot, with strawberry, raspberry,  smooth, with a spicy finish, a very good QPR.                  RP-89                    CR-87                       Good with seafood, cheeses, chicken.

Anam Cara Cellars-Nicholas Estate Reserve-Pinot Noir-Chehalem Mountains-Oregon-2006-$27.00-A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark amber in color, darker than most Pinot’s.  With blackberry, black cherry, medium to full bodied, smooth with smoke and cola and spice finish, a very good Pinot, consistent with last time tried.               RP-90              WS-91              WE-90               CR-90                Good with veal, chicken, pasta.

Odfjell Vineyards-Armador-Cabernet Sauvignon-Maipo Valley-Chile-2007-$8.98-A nose of roasted meat and dark fruit, dark purple in color.  A full bodied Cab, with blackberry, currants, just seemed disjointed, has a rough finish, ok for price.                  RP-86                WS-84                 WE-90                   CR-84                     Good with meats, chicken, pasta.

Pessagno Winery-Chardonnay-Sleepy Hollow Vineyard-Santa Lucia Highlands-California-2007-$26.88-A nose of citrus and acidity, medium to golden in color.  A full bodied Chard, with pineapple, pear, some vanilla, lots of acidity, maybe the bottle was off since prior years were much creamery and enjoyable, have one left to see if it’s the vintage.                 WE-93               CR-86                   Good with seafood, cheeses, salads.

Vina Santa Helena, S.A.-Aureus-Cabernet Sauvignon-Gran Reserva-Colchagua Valley-Chile-2008-$9.99-A nose of dark fruit and cassis, dark purple in color.  A full bodied Cab, with black currants, cassis, spice and dark chocolate, a bit gritty but a complex and solid wine for this price.                 NR                     CR-88                      Good with steak, chicken, pasta.

Hunt Family Cellars-Cab 9-Cabernet Sauvignon-Paso Robles-California-2004-$29.99-A nose of earthy dark fruit, dark purple in color.  A smooth, full bodied Cab, blackberry, cassis, with some vegetal and earth qualities, still needs a good decant, 2nd time tried in last couple months, better this time.                 NR                CR-89                 Good with steak, chicken, pasta.

Vina Cousino Macul S.A.-Antiguas Reservas-Cabernet Sauvignon-Maipo Valley-Chile-2007-$15.99-A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark black purple in color.  A smooth, medium to full bodied Cab, blackcurrants, cherry, with herbs and vanilla finish, a very good QPR, second time tried in last few months, consistent.                   RP-90+               WS-84                 WE-86                CR-88                 Good with meats, chicken, pasta.

Vina Santa Rita, S.A.-Floresta-Apalta-Cabernet Sauvignon-Colchagua Valley-Chile-2004-$35.00-A nose of dark fruit and tobacco, dark purple in color.  A smooth, full bodied, dry Cab.  With cassis, black currants, licorice and tobacco, good not great.                  RP-90                WS-88                  WE-84                   CR-88                      Good with steak, chicken, pasta.

Bodegas Borsao, S.A.-Garnacha-Tempranillo-Borja-Spain-2009-$6.99-A nose of sweet dark fruit and spice, dark black in color.   A smooth, medium to full bodied red blend.  With blackberry and black cherry,  licorice and plum, nothing complex but good QPR for midweek wine.                   RP-87                   WS-86                    WE-89                      CR-86                      Good with meats, chicken, cheeses.   

Palmina Wines-Subida-Tocai Friulano-Santa Ynez Valley-California-2008-$18.98-A funky nose of honey, a cloudy yellow color.  A mess, a bad Californian try at a Italian white, honey, bitter, just awful, maybe someone would like it, not me.             NR               CR-70             Good if you move onto the next bottle.

Peirano Estate Vineyards-The Immortal Zin-Old Vine-Lodi-California-2008-$9.99-A big nose of over the top dark fruit, dark purple in color.  Blackberry, Blueberry, spice, a bit overdone, a little hot, but for $10 bucks and a midweek day it’s ok.              NR             CR-80           Good with burgers, ribs, pasta.  

Viti Santa Maria-Brazilo-Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon-Brazil-2006-$6.99-A nose of sweet dark fruit, dark ruby in color.  I had tried some Brazilian wines recently at a wine tasting event and was surprised at how good they were…this was not one of them, a bit disjointed, initial taste is ok but then leaves a funky aftertaste.               NR            CR-75           Good with meats, chicken, pasta.

Casa Lapostolle-Cuvee Alexandre-Apalta Vineyard-Merlot-Carmenere-Colchagua Valley-Chile-2007-$17.99-A nose of dark sweet fruit, medium dark amber in color.   Currants, plum, spice, tannic, has rough spots, average at best.  I usually enjoy all the Cuvee Alexandre varietals, not this one.          NR             CR-75               Good with meats, chicken, pasta.

E-70788-Ave-Gran Riserva-Malbec-Mendoza-Argentina-2007-$21.98-A nose of funky figs, dark black in color, needed to be decanted for hours to get fid of funky smell.  A full bodied Malbec, fig, licorice, coffee, just did not enjoy the mouth feel, got a little better as it opened..but not that much.                WS-91                CR-80                    Good with meats, chicken, pasta.

Kilikanoon Wines-The Lackey-Shiraz-Australia-2006-$11.99-A over the top big fake fruit bomb nose, kind of artificial, dark purple in color.  I enjoy most Australian Shiraz, don’t mind a big fruit bomb..as long as it tastes real, this one for me was a lost lab experiment.  Blackberry, plum and bacon, awkward taste, I did not get what the critics got.                RP-89               WS-89              CR-70       Good with a big steak that can mask the taste of the wine.

Casella Wines-Yellow Tail-The Reserve-Cabernet Sauvignon-Australia-2007-$12.99-A disjointed nose of dark fruit, dark amber in color.   I tried this at a wine stores recommendation…and to give this wine a fair chance, it was the opposite of what the label stated, not velvety, not complex, no structure,  not enjoyable.                     WS-87                   WE-86                  CR-79               Good as a cooking wine.

Tulip Hill Winery-Cellar Select-Cabernet Sauvignon-Tracy Hills-Mount Oso Vineyard-California-$12.75-A nose of musty dark fruit, dark amber in color.  A rather harsh Cab, currants, red berries, but not smooch, hard finish.                   NR                CR-76                Good with meats, chicken, pasta.

Domaine D’ Andezon-Cotes-Du-Rhone-Les Vignerons D’Estezargues-France-2007-$9.99-A sour nose of cherry, dark amber in color.  Sour black cherry, like spice, licorice, tried 3 times over a weekend, enjoyed it more early last year..and I love wines from the Southern Rhone, maybe it was just this bottle.           NR          CR-78           Good with pasta, chicken, veal.

Arnot-Roberts-Clary Ranch-Syrah-Sonoma Coast-California-2006-$30.00-A nose of sour cherry, dark purple in color.  I had always wanted to try a bottle from this winery of very small production wines, but…  Sour cherry, sage, tea, tried three different times, just did not enjoy the flavor, too sour.               RP-91                CR-76             Good with burgers, pasta, steak.

Philippe Gimel-Saint Jean Du Barroux-L’Oligocene-Red Grenache-Syrah-Carignan-Cinsault-Cotes Du Ventoux-France-2004-$23.99-A distinct smell of brandy, kind of funky, amber in color.  I am not sure if something happened to the wine, I usually enjoy any Southern Rhone wine but that distinct brandy smell also was what the favor was, dark fruit, spice, kept trying to enjoy it but could not.                RP-90            CR-70             Good with another open bottle of wine to kill the taste.

Les Cretes-Coteau La Tour-Vino da Tavola-Italy-2005-$34.99-Not sure of the real price I paid since it was in a 3 pack and was the throw in bottle..funky nose, ok terrible nose, only thing normal was color, a ruby red.  A terrible wine, made it past a couple sips, not sure what RP was thinking, somehow turned out to be a decent cooking wine.               RP-92                CR-50                Good as cooking wine.

Vavasour Wines-Dashwood-Sauvignon Blanc-Marlborough-New Zealand-2009-$11.99-A light nose of citrus, pale straw in color.  Green apple, grapefruit, a little lien, flat on the finish, not as refreshing as I would like.  I enjoyed the 2008 a lot more, one more example on how much the same wine be so different each year.         WS-87             CR-82         Good with seafood, cheeses, salad.

DiMajo Norante-Sangiovese-Terra Degli Osci-Italy-2006-$10.99-A sweet floral fruit nose, medium in color.  Blackberry, strawberry, earth, was better last year.            NR            CR-81      Good with pasta, salad, chicken.

Primarius Winery-Pinot Noir-Walla Walla-Oregon-2007-$18.00-A light nose of cherry and spice, medium ruby in color.  A light bodied, thin,  cherry, spice, nothing special, not much length to the finish.               WS-81              CR-3               Good with chicken, cheese, pasta.