~$25US, 100% Chenin Blanc, Savennières, Loire Valley.

Bright gold. Immediately engaging nose - pulled me in like a Ken Burns documentary with a dazzling array of aromas; Fresh-cut grass, quartz landscaping rocks, a creamy goat-cheese component, bok-choy, wet leaves and pavement after a summer rain, seashells, fresh peaches, toast, fresh-cut flower stems, not-quite-ripe strawberries - it just kept giving and evolving…The palate was as dry as the nose complex and subtle, but with razor-sharp tartness and brightness.

The wine manages an elegance and suaveness despite the acidity with a mouth-coating body, and a seamless transition through a long, minerally finish. With 6 years of age, this is just singing, and I believe it will continue to improve for at least another 4-5 years. It rocked with Korean fair and I’m seriously temped to sneak a bottle into the dim-sum joint next time. There is both subtlety and intensity, and working together they blow my mind. It’s my favorite kind of wine; one that is serious, but doesn’t take itself too seriously - it begs you to enjoy it without diving too deeply into it, but rewards you if you do.

~$16US, 100% Viognier, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa

Pale gold. Very, very shy on the nose, even at room temperature, and after considerable time. A little pear and some peach nectar, and if I really try, maybe some weird steel and floral notes. It does have a nice fresh mouthfeel and overall palate balance - brisk acidity and an extremely satisfying, oily finish.  The palate feels very pure and clean, with a clear mineral-driven core. I like what I taste, but I grabbed a viognier because it’s typically an aromatic variety, and ironically, the only shortfall of this wine is the aromatics.

At present time it’s a closed book.  I don’t have a lot of experience with older viogniers, but I think this will develop into a more open and generous wine in 3-5 years. Because of the balance, finish, and “feel”, I believe the wine-making to be excellent - but the climate or vineyard might not be ideal for the variety - or it simply might be too young. A real head-scratcher.It has the potential for excellence, but just not yet…I  bet their syrah is very interesting.

~$25US, 51% Mourvedre, 33% Syrah,16% Grenache, Calaveras County

Purple. Juicy, fruity, integrated, with some smoke. Bacon-wrapped plums. Smooth, dense,  and chewey on the palate. Easy to drink due to the quality of the fruit and structure. Coffee and some cocoa through the midpalate. While not the least bit acidic, the tannins and spice give it lift and vibrancy.

Absolutely a new world fruit-driven wine, but done well. Long finish with glycerin, licorice, and mineral-water flavors. A little heavy-handed on the new oak - not obliterating the fruit, but keeping this from becoming a truly outstanding effort.

In any case, I appload the producers in creating something unique- a Calaveras-county(?!)-mourvedre-based-Rhone-style-blend with complexity and style. *%#&@! yeah!

~$20US, Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley and Mendocino County

Not my style. Nothing wrong with being big and fuller-bodied, but this was fruit juice and alcohol.  No tannins, no acidity. Disappointing. Typical aromatics and okay mouthfeel, but some alcoholic bite on the backend killed it.  Over-oaked in the finish - Vanilla, and Mrs. Butterworth. Over time, oak became dominant and sugarfied. Sorry.

~$10US, 100% Negroamaro, Salento, Italy

Incredibly floral and meaty on the nose, like a proscuitto that was aged in a country farmhouse surrounded by fields of wildflowers. Delicate and medium bodied. A little backwards but promising on day 1 - great aromatics, but tannins and acidity up-front, fruit behind.

On day 2, a different story. The nose still delivered, but the flowers and fruit married overnight. Gorgeous acidic lift on the backend. Tannins integrated with red and black cherries all over the place. Lush and inviting. Fruit and meaty iron notes on the finish. This has the feel of a solid Burgundy - and on the second day, this was drinking better than most of the Burgundies I’ve had (only deficient in length really). I just scratched my head, smiled, and enjoyed the hell out of if with a rustic roasted hen and white beans.

pssst….did I tell you it was $10!

If you see this wine, buy it.

2006 Lucien Crochet Sancerre “Croix du Roy” - Grassy, fresh grapefruit, gravel-driven finish. Very nice w/ goat cheese.

2006 Cavia Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza - Rich, full-bodied, easy-drinking. Well-made, softly oaked with some spice.

2005 Chateau de Villeneuve Saumur Blanc - Chenin Blanc. Light and clean w/ green apple and lively acidity.

2005 Petit Chapeau Cotes du Rhone - Opened up considerably with time - classic spicy syrah, with raspberries and blackberries. Simple, elegant, and medium-bodied.

2005 Aiguilhe Querre, Cotes de Castillon - Tough, closed and chalky. Celery and green pepper atop red some fruits. Backwards even after decanding, and overall disappointing.

2006 Ferraud Morgon, Les Charmes - Thin and light, with fruity banana, cherry and unique floral notes. Very awkward in the mouth with strong tannins and acidity. Disjointed in it’s youth and clearly not a crowd pleaser.

2003 Clos du Prieur, Languedoc - Brooding, smoky, and long, with extracted berry fruits and herbs-de-provence. The roundest and fullest (and oldest) in the bunch. Most peoples Wine-of-the-Night.

85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petite Verdot, from a Magnum

A serious cabernet in a read-to-drink style. Deep purple/red. Black currant and blackberry nose; absolutely classic Napa cabernet. Juicy mouthfeel with a framework of fine but nicely perceptible tannins and acidity. Opened over time to deliver secondary spices; clove, cinnamon and rosemary. Thankfully no green flavors, and no oak monster.

A perfect steak wine, and exemplary in it’s flavor profile and character. Really fun to drink, reminding me of a more focused and linear Prisoner. And the larger format was sweet. Worth seeking out.

~$40US, 100% Pinot Noir, Fiddlestix vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills, California

Medium transparent ruby. Big boisterous brambly nose with cherry pie filling. Soft and viscous in the front of the palate, moving towards a taught acidity and some serious spice. Not alcoholic spice - more like a black-pepper spice. Fabulous balance and length. Fruit-driven, and not terribly complex, but totally intriguing as it progressed in the palate from bold to hot. With food? = absolutely - but I wouldn’t try to pair it with anything too spicy, as it could fight.

It showed better and more integrated with softened spices on day 3. Sta. Rita Hills Pinots have really gotten me back into this grape, despite all my efforts to avoid the hype. To my mind, they show the importance of proportionality when creating wines with more forward fruit characteristics than the benchmark Burgundies.

~$45US - Garnacha, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah,  Priorat, Spain

Night 1: Sweet-tarts. Strong plum and raspberry fruit, black pepper and zippy acidity. Firm tannins. Very tight. Whisper of oak. Must revisit tomorrow.

Night 2: Still tight, but opened up very nicely over several more hours. Plenty of fruit, but much deeper and longer as the tannins smoothed out. Leather and herbal (basil?) aromas float in and out of focus. Sweet-tartness still a primary attribute. Definite chalky and gravelly flavors on the finish that are just delicious in contrast with the fruit and acidity. White pepper.

This is truly and elegant and subtle wine. It has a fascinating structure - a very focused and linear core of fresh fruit surrounded by a periphery of wild, darting flavors- chalk, leather, coffee, herbs, flowers, rhum agricole.

The components of the blend are so well integrated that it’s hard to tell where one’s contribution ends, and another’s begins. This is a family of 4 grapes; each speaking, but telling one story about their home vineyard. A triumph of place over style or variety.

~$18US, 100% Pinot Noir, Central Coast California

A good contrast to the Brewer-Clifton tasted the night prior. Similarly light in color - definitely not one of those opaque and dense Pinot. This young wine was accessible on opening, but developed quite a bit over time . It began showing primary fruit notes of black cherry - then went through a “strange phase” @ 2-3 hours where it got funky and sweaty-socky (but not bad) - finally balancing out with strawberries and just perfect splash of acidity. The mouthfeel was satiny-smooth, with good length. Totally food friendly. I haven’t tasted a better Pinot Noir under $20. And at roughly 1/3 the price of the Brewer-Clifton, it delivered 2/3 of the quality.