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.