RENARD UNTI SYRAH - 2001

From Dry Creek Valley in California, this red has an alcohol content of 13.6%.

TASTING NOTES:

Deep purple color with a floral and blackberry nose. Ripe and pure concentrated blackberry and black currant on the sweet, strong, mid-palate. Fresh black cherries on the tart finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

88 PTS

Excellent concentration and power. Fairly smooth overall but slightly over-the-top in its approach. Definitely a crowd-pleaser for New World Australian fruit-bomb lovers. Retails for around $20 a bottle making it a borderline call depending on your style preferences.

ROLL BOTRYTIS RIESLING - 2005

This German Riesling made from "noble rot" grapes has an alcohol content of 11% with 7.1 acidity and 53.0 residual sugar.

TASTING NOTES:

Very pale pear color with a sweet fruity nose. Flavors of pear, apple and citrus are rounded out on the midpalate with honey. Mouthpuckering acidity on the big sour apple finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

86 PTS

The sweetness and acidity aren't completely in agreement here, but there's enough of a balance to make it an enjoyable wine. Much more of a food wine and less pleasing to sip on its own. Retails for around $12.

CHATEAU SANSONNET - 2003

This Saint-Emilion Grand Cru has an alcohol content of 13.5%.

TASTING NOTES:

Red-purple color with lots of mocha, strawberry and tart berries on the nose. Toasted cedar, traces of licorice, vanilla, cherry, incense, and a blackberry-blueberry jam finish. Opens up and smooths out nicely after 24 hours, but still maintains its gripping tart finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

91 PTS

Excellent vibrant fruit aromas and flavors. Wonderful complexity and variance in the way the wine evolves in the glass. This is pretty much what I want from Bordeaux reds when I get a craving for them. It is drinking really well now which is impressive given its youth although more and more contemporary Bordeaux reds are becoming approachable soon after release. Retails for around $25. This vintage convinced me to buy their 2005 vintage on Futures. If it gets better than this for almost the same price, it will end up being a huge steal.

CHATEAU LA VIELLE CURE FRONSAC - 2000

TASTING NOTES:

Purple-red color with strawberry on the nose. Flavors of strawberry, cherry kirsch, lightly charred oak and sweet, freshly picked cherries on the finish. Simple and straightforward lacking some complexity.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

88 PTS

Definitely needs a little time to come around, but will improve in the bottle. Medium-bodied with a slight tartness on the mid-palate. Not even close to the exciting 2001 vintage from Chateau La Vielle Cure which exploded with kirsch, incense and berries. This wine had me craving the 2001 and left me disappointed. Retails for around $24 a bottle which is an overpriced experience. For my review of the 2001, click here.

EARTHQUAKE PETITE SIRAH - 2004

From Michael-David Vineyards, this Lodi, California Petite Sirah has an alcohol content of 15.5%.

TASTING NOTES:

Pitch black inky color with lots of sediment in the glass and blueberry on the nose. Blackberry, blueberry, smoke, cedar, hints of cocoa and a long black currant finish. Creamy vanilla with toasted oak nicely intertwined. Smooth with tremendous complexity and balance.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

91+ PTS

Excellent Petite Sirah that completely surprised me. Saturated, big and powerful. I love this wine. For around $22 a bottle, it is a steal. Highly recommend.

MAS ESTELA QUINDALS - 2004

Made from 90% Grenache, 5% Syrah and 5% Carignan and fermented in steel barrels before aging in French oak casks and in bottle. This red blend has an alcohol content of 15%.

TASTING NOTES:

Dark red color with red fruits on the nose and big harsh tannins on the palate. A very big wine that needs a tremendous amount of time to breathe before it even becomes approachable. Hints of dark cocoa and black fruit lurk beneath this off-balance Spanish giant.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

84 PTS

This wine came around after being opened for several days but I found the alcohol poorly integrated. The tannins are huge but not enjoyable. Young and wild. Will probably improve with cellaring but the fruit was muted. Can't really recommend this one at any price.

LANGWERTH VON SIMMERN ERBACHER MARCOBRUNN RIESLING KABINETT - 2004

TASTING NOTES:

Golden apple juice color with apple, pear and citrus on the nose and palate. Hints of vanilla intertwine with vibrant acidity and minerals on the zesty finish. On the second day, a small amount of petroleum aroma and flavor emerge.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

89 PTS

An excellent Kabinett that is a crisp white that pairs well with cheeses and light food. Retails for around $15 making this an excellent value. Has an alcohol content of 11%.

ALVEAR PEDRO XIMENEZ SOLERA - 1927

A Spanish dessert wine made from Pedro Ximenez grapes. This solera is a wine made with portions of previous vintages dating back to 1927 and has an alcohol content of 16%.

TASTING NOTES:

Dark amber color with maple syrup and fig on the nose. Flavors of liquified Fig Newtons, Hermit raisin and spice cookies, vanilla, roasted hazelnuts and almonds linger on the palate. So thick, sweet and molasses-like in its consistency that you could pour this wine over ice cream. Long, long finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

95 PTS

This wine is meant to be sipped alone and in small servings. Slightly heavy, it can be a bit cloying but it is still a marvelous experience. It retails for around $15 for a 375ML making it one of the best value dessert wines in existence. Parker scored this 96 PTS. How often can you buy a wine that has scored that high for under $20?

ALVEAR FINO EN RAMA MONTILLA MORILES - 2002

An unfiltered vintage sherry with 15% alcohol and made from 100% Pedro Ximenez. It is the first ever made "single vintage" Fino in modern history.

TASTING NOTES:

Pale pasta color with yeast and heavy paint thinner on the nose. Green olive, paint thinner and sour apple on the thin mid-palate disappears quickly before a long delayed bread and almond finish emerges. Extremely dry.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

85 PTS

This super dry sherry just didn't come together for me. I couldn't get past the paint thinner aromas and dominance on the mid-palate. The finish is on a 7 second delay before it appears and is the strength of this wine, but not enough to make it enjoyable. Not at all my style despite its attractive price of only $9 for a 375ML bottle. An acquired taste that I have not yet acquired that will remind some of hard liquor like Scotch.

PELLER ESTATES PRIVATE RESERVE ICE WINE - 2003

Canadian Icewine is made from frozen grapes that are handpicked at night and vinted into a wine that is sweet and luxurious. Peller has made wine since 1961. This Vidal Blanc has 11.5% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Golden amber color with a honey, apricot and sweet biscuit on the nose. Apple, honey and spice linger on the palate and are underscored by candied citrus and vibrant acidity.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

92 PTS

An excellent, lush and unctuous icewine that pairs beautifully with sweet desserts. Wines like this are so delicious its hard to pass on them at any price. This bottle retails for around $25 - $30 for a 375ml.

HARTIG FAMILY ESTATES CABERNET SAUVIGNON - 2004

From Napa Valley, this 12.5% alcohol red was produced under the supervision of Sean Hartig.

TASTING NOTES:

Purple red color with evolving aromas and flavors. Upon first opening there is a vegetal quality almost like edamame mixed with strawberries and red fruit. As the wine opens up there's lots of cherry, cassis, blackberries and a cinnamon finish. A day later, the wine exhibits cigar tobacco, hints of Dr. Pepper and a long, polished black cherry Tootsie Roll Tootsie pop candy finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

90 PTS

There's no question that this is at least a 90 point wine with the potential to improve in bottle. For a 2004 Napa Cab it is drinking beautifully right now. It definitely needs time to open up. I sit here days later still sampling this bottle, I am thrilled to report that it is still lush, vibrant and exciting. That is simply amazing for $18 a bottle. You need to find this wine. I t is a terrific Cab and it is worth buying at least two bottles: one to sample now and one to lay down to taste a few years from now.

ROSA REGALE BRACHETTO D'ACQUI

This semi-dry, red sparkling wine from Italy has an alcohol content of only 7%.

TASTING NOTES:

Crisp and refreshing with ocean air, raspberries and roses on the nose and palate. Wonderfully balanced and delicate.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

90 PTS

Excellent apertif or wine for salads, desserts or light summer meals. It is so light, delicious and mouthwatering that you can drink it like juice or water. The aromatics of roses and raspberries make this a sexy steal of a wine. One of the best red sparklers I've ever had. Since I'm often conservative in my reviews, 90 points may even be too low of a score. Retails for around $16 a bottle.

L'ECOLE NO 41 SEMILLON - 2005

From Walla Walla Valley in Washington State, this Columbia Valley white wine is a blend of 86% Semillon and 14% Sauvignon Blanc. Barrel fermented and aged in oak, it has an alcohol content of 14.3%. L'Ecole is French for "school" and the winery began making wine in 1983.

TASTING NOTES:

Pale golden color with apple, lychee and pear on the nose. Lychee, honey, caramel and lemon dominate this slick, oily white underscored by oak and vanilla. The fruit is somewhat muted and the mouthfeel feels thin. Wine opens up and comes to life more on the second day.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

87 PTS

L'Ecole makes a really good Semillon, but this vintage isn't up to snuff for them. I'm usually really impressed by the intensity and acidity of their Semillon, but the 2005 comes up short. Retails for around $15, which isn't too bad given how hard it is to come across this varietal in any shape or form.

OWEN ROE ABBOT'S TABLE CABERNET SAUVIGNON - 2005

A blend of 10 different grapes from Oregon/Washington: Cabernet Sauvignon (34.5%), Merlot (17%), Zinfandel (15%), Cabernet Franc (9%), Syrah (7%), Blaufrankish (6%), Sangiovese (4.5%), Pinot Noir (3%), Grenache (3%) and Malbec (1%). The winery is named after Owen Roe, a 17th Century Irish Patriot, who fought for political freedom and equality.

TASTING NOTES:

Dark purple color, intense, rich and bold with strawberry and raspberry on the nose. Spicy Plum, black currant and licorice. A bit tightly wound. It is very young and could definitely use some time in the bottle. Straightforward fruit with not a lot of character.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

88 PTS

An OK wine that didn't really impress me much. For around $20 a bottle I think there are better red wine values out there from Washington and Oregon.