DOMAINE ALFRED SYRAH - 2001

California Central Coast Syrah with 15% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Deep purple color with black currant, black fruit and huge black pepper on aromas. Flavors of black currant, plum, cloves, baking spices, tart berries and a big tannic finish. Balanced, smooth, good body and lots of finesse. Built like a Cotes du Rhone.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

90+ PTS

A very well-made Syrah. Great length and style with excellent warm spice notes. Retails for around $24 . Drinking really well right now.

ROSENBLUM HERITAGE CLONES PETITE SIRAH - 2005

San Francisco Bay Appellation Series with 14.4% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Rich, dark red color with aromas of prunes, raisins, chocolate and red fruit. Flavors of cherries, blackberries, raisins and spice with a lovely plum finish. Hints of mocha in this full bodied and complete effort. Excellent balance and all around harmony.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

92 PTS

This wine blew me away when I first tasted it blind. It is smooth, soft, rich and well-structured with vibrant flavors. There's a bit of the Old World meets the New World with California fruit yet European craft, aromas and subtleties. Huge recommendation for this $14 a bottle wine that is the strongest candidate for "value of the year."

SAINT COSME COTES DU RHONE BLANC - 2006

Rhone white wine with 13.5% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Color of hay with aromas and flavors of banana marshmallow circus peanuts, melon, citrus and creamsicle oak. Tangy and crisp with good body.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

90 PTS

Balanced and very enjoyable white wine that retails for around $16. A great alternative to California Chardonnay in this price category that lack this kind of complexity and clarity.

OAK LEAF VINEYARDS CHARDONNAY - NV

This is the second wine from Oak Leaf Vineyards (Ripon, CA) that I sampled. Aimed to compete with the TWO BUCK CHUCKS of the world, this $2 - $3 Chardonnay is made from California grapes and has an alcohol content of 12.5%.

This wine won a gold medal at the Florida State Fair. Oak Leaf also produces a Merlot, Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and White Zinfandel. Available at Wal-Marts that sell wine.

TASTING NOTES:

Light gold color with very clean aromas and flavors of apple, pineapple, pear and oak. Medium to light bodied with a nice crispness. Smooth, pleasant and enough fruit to keep the oak in check.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

85+ PTS

This is a very good Chardonnay for $2 - $3. I'm surprised by the quality here given the price. Not going to give you a ton of complexity but solid and serviceable. A good drinking Chardonnay that is actually better than a lot of expensive Chards that drown their wine in oak. There are some really nice fruit flavors. For the price this is very easy wine to recommend.

OAK LEAF VINEYARDS MERLOT - NV

This is the first of two wines that I'm tasting from California producer Oak Leaf Vineyards. The Merlot won a Silver Medal at the Hilton Head Wine Fest. What is so exciting about Oak Leaf wines? The price!

Move over TWO BUCK CHUCK!!! There's a producer in town. The suggested retail price is $1.97 in California and $2.97 in most other states. Available at Wal-Mart stores that carry wine.

13% alcohol and made from California grapes. Produced in Ripon, CA.

TASTING NOTES:

Transparent ruby color with a musty nose of grape juice and old oak wine barrels. Light-bodied with a thin watery edge. Incredibly smooth but not much taste. Faint flavors of black currant and dark fruit.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

75 PTS

Even priced under 2 bucks, it is pretty hard to recommend this wine. There just isn't any flavor here. It is bland but not unpleasant. It is like drinking a watered down Gamay or thinned grape juice with alcohol. The one upside is that it is very smooth.

CHATEAU MOULIN DE LAVAUD - 2005

Lalande de Pomerol with 13% alcohol. 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc.

TASTING NOTES:

Ruby red color with aromas of green vegetables and chocolate. Medium bodied, extremely dry and tannic. Tart red fruit, mild vanilla oak, sour cherries, and cherry cough syrup on the finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

84 PTS

A very disappointing wine. Retails for around $19 making this is a pass but at any price I couldn't recommend it. Feels like it needs major decanting time but that didn't help. There was no improvement on the second day. Not terrible but blah and boring.

LUNA FREAKOUT RESERVE - 2005

Napa Valley White blend of 32% Sauvignon Blanc, 29% Chardonnay, 29% Pinot Grigio and 10% Tocai Fruilano. 14.4% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Light yellow color with sweet citrus, lemon-lime and spice on the nose. Spicy oak, vanilla, citrus and minerals on the palate with caramel and honey on the finish. After the wine opens, it reveals red plum and perfume-floral flavors on the mid-palate to finish transition. Complex, slightly oily, with racy acidity yet dry like a Gruner Veltliner. Very harmonious.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

92+ PTS

Wow! What a wild and exciting white wine. I love this effort. Beautiful and bold. Good acidity but with some grace and elegance. Yin and Yang. A very dynamic white that puts Caymus Conundrum to shame. I'm a huge fan of this wine. Retails for $17 making it a complete steal!

STAG'S LEAP PETITE SIRAH - 2001

From Napa Valley, this Petite Sirah has an alcohol content of 14.2%. Made from 88% Petite Sirah, 5% Syrah, 2% Grenache, 2% Mourvedre, 1% Carignane.

TASTING NOTES:

Black-red color with some good barnyard scents when first poured. Raspberry tart and grape bubblegum dominate eventually overtake the barnyard. Silky smooth with raspberry, blackberry, vanilla and oak on the palate. All black fruit on the finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

91 PTS

The smoothness and vibrant grapey aromas and flavors remind me a good California Charbono. This is a wonderfully balanced and smooth wine. Good structure and tannin. Released in 2004 and drinking beautifully now. I purchased this a few years ago and I'm not quite sure what it retails for now.

CHATEAU DUHART MILON - 2002

This Grand Cru Classe Pauillac Bordeaux is from Domaines Barons De Rothschild (Lafite) and has an alcohol content of 12.5%.

TASTING NOTES:

Focused and vibrant aromas and flavors of blueberry, mineral, earth and smoke. Dry tannins with alluring characteristics. Plum and black fruit on the mid-palate and finish. Smooth, medium-bodied with classic Old World finesse.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

90 PTS

Delicious red that will have you smelling the glass long after there's no wine left in it. Great blend of fruit and earth. Purchased in the low to mid $20 range, but now retails for significantly more making it an expensive luxury wine.

AMANCAYA MALBEC-CABERNET SAUVIGNON - 2006

From Mendoza, Argentina, this is a joint venture of Nicolas Catena & Barons de Rothschild Lafite. 14% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Dark purple-red color with blueberries and blackberries on the nose. Cherry and black fruits on the mid-palate and plum on the finish. Smooth but robust. Straight-forward with creamy oak that does not overpower the fruit.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

89 PTS

A big red for not so big a price. Retails for around $14. This is a good food wine with nice fruit flavors and lip-staining inky color. Left me yearning for a little more complexity, but a good value wine.