2008 Joel Gott Amador County Dillian Ranch Zinfandel

The question I ask you is, who is Joel Gott? Something with railroads, yes? Wait that's John. He also spells and pronounces his name differently. I wonder if he's related to Joel Gott? Costco - $20 - Zinfandel - alright.

I hate alliteration, but I'll be damned if there isn't some Port poached peaches on the nose, Strawberry in a Starburst kinda way, or maybe it's cherry in a Skittles kinda way?

The palate brings cherry licorice, plum, vanilla, very nice acid, good tannic backbone

The finish brings more of the same - mildly sweet cherry licorice with a sweet tobacco kind of thing.

I quite dig this - I must start buying more Zin.

Score: 89

2009 The Pinot Project

This one has been getting some good press and at $12, I decided to take a stab at a bottle. From what I understand, this is one of those negociant deals where the winemakers bought some cheap grapes that were good enough to make wine out of...let's see.

Raspberry jam on the nose.

Raspberry jam on the palate - very soft, very simple, nothing here would suggest Pinot Noir. At the same time, it's not exactly bad, it's not sweet or anything like that, just sort of one dimensional.

You guessed it, raspberry jam on the rather short finish.

Not bad as an adult beverage to go with a random dinner...somewhat one dimensional and dull. Sad to say, this is not the miracle Pinot Noir you are probably looking for.

Score: 80

2008 Napa Cellars Sauvignon Blanc

This is a tough wine to gauge the price...it's the kinda wine that seems to retail for $16ish, but it's always on sale for $10-13, so basically, if you're interested, shop around.

Zest...lime zest, perhaps lemon zest....a zesty nose.

Grapefruit dominates, mostly white grapefruit implying more acid and tartness than sugar, along with some green apple qualities. Not sweet, but not over the top in its acidity.

Grapefruit on the finish that fades quickly.

Not bad, but I guess not really my style - I tend to prefer the cheap New Zealand SBs. If you found it cheap, you could do worse, but you could also certainly do better.

Score: 84

2006 Raymond R Collection Cabernet Sauvignon

I loved the 2003 of this wine, so when I saw the 2006 the other day, I snagged a bottle without hesitation at about $18.

Licorice - black and red - on the nose.

More of that licorice - mostly cherry - mixed with some vanilla and blueberry. Smooth tannins, good acid, some sweet oak and mild tobacco, and some brown spice as it opens - well played.

The finish brings brown baking spice plus some chocolatey notes, along with black cherry.

Solid. The regular "Raymond" label Cabs tends to be very smooth, this has a little bit of an edge, some 'bite' if you will, that while perhaps suggests a less well crafted wine, I think makes a more interesting one.

Score: 91

2006 Iron Horse Fairy Tale Celebration Cuvee

The way I saw it, if I was going to spend money on a souvenir I might as well get something I really want - here we are, a sparkling wine exclusively available at Disney properties, prices vary on where you're buying it, but the Boardwalk Resort gift shop was charging $35.

Grapefruit and green apple on the nose.

Mostly grapefruit to me, a bit of caraway, solid acid, a bit of golden apple, some orange and I know this sounds odd but I get a honey sort of taste, but I'd still call this wine bone dry.

Spiced apple, sort of like pie filling, on the end, and an interesting orange, almost baked orange sorta thing on the finish - once again though, this is quite dry.

An excellent wine - Iron Horse typically delivers and at $35, I have no gripes. If you can't find it at a shop, some of the restaurant wine lists put it at about $65 - I'd snag it.

Score: 91

2007 Napa Cellars Zinfandel

This goes for $15. This may be an unfair thing to say but I view this as a grocery store sorta wine...I don't know if I've seen it at an actual wine shop, it's more like the middle to top shelf of the local large chains. That's not a criticism, more giving you an idea of where to find it.

Black cherry, chocolate...actually, quite a bit of chocolate and some coffee as well for a nice mocha nose.

Fruit forward, but enough depth to not be fruit bomby....cherry and blueberry for the most part, but some stone fruit comes through along with a bit of very mild green spice.

Almost some Dr. Pepper like qualities on the finish along with peaches, like the red peach flesh around the pit.

Not too shabby....not shabby at all. Approachable and balanced enough that I'd have no qualms serving this at some sort of BBQ this summer.

Score: 87

2008 Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon Yountville

I was stocking up on some spirits and needed to get to six bottles to get a discount....this caught my eye as a reputable producer I had never tried, so I snagged a bottle for $22

Black cherry on the nose. All black cherry really.

Black cherry on the palate along with some vanilla and plum notes. Little depth, little acid, little backbone, little of interest.

Black cherry on the finish.

A bit simple...it's not awful, just dull. It's the sort of wine I'd deglaze a pan with - it's tasty enough and I wouldn't feel like I'm wasting something great.

Score: 85

N/V Korbel Organic Sparkling Wine

I can't say I've read much about this wine, but I found it on sale. Regular retail on this is about $17 which is considerably pricier than standard Korbel. How does it fare to the regular, rather mediocre stuff?

I get some marzipan on the nose - something I don't see often, almond, orange, sugar - I dig it.

Right off the bat, this is easiest the best Korbel product I've had - orange marmalade, toast, rye. Dry overall and a not over the top, though somewhat thick mouthfeel.

Red apple and orange oranges on the finish.

Seventeen bones is asking a bit much, there are better wines at this pricepoint to be sure, but this really isn't bad at all. Depending on how important the organic this is to you, this may be a worthy product to look into.

Score: 87

2009 White Cottage Ranch Elene Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon

About fourteen bucks at Costco, this one was. It was the only rose they seemed to carry, hopefully that will change soon.

Watermelon of the natural and artificial sort on the nose.

More or less standard in the whole strawberry and watermelon thing, but it has a full bodied mouth feel almost oily in consistency....there is a type of candy that comes in a tube and has the consistency, more or less, as gel toothpaste - imagine sour watermelon gel candy in wine form - here you are. There's a bit more sweetness than I prefer in a rose, but the acid and that full bodied feel bring it all together into a sort of harmony.

A candy quality lingers.

I want to clarify - I keep using "candy" terms but this is not a blush wine by any means, it's a solid rose, firmly acidic, mildly tannic, full bodied, complex, but with a candy - a sour candy - dominating component. I can see some not caring for this....for me, it works.

Score: 89

2004 White Rock Vineyards Napa Valley Claret

This bottle retails for about forty bucks and is a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with Cab Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot.

Vanilla, cherry, and plum on the nose....blueberry and strawberry are deep in there as well.

I know it's a dumb thing to say, but this is smooth....blueberry, black cherry, vanilla, eucalyptus - all nicely integrated, nothing dominates, not overly oaky, nice balance, just a flat out nice California Cab dominated blend.

Black cherry and eucalyptus lingers, with some cinnamon and clove on the finish.

I dig it. Forty bucks? I still dig it.

Score: 92

2006 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Silver Oak - you have likely heard the name, it's a producer I think I've had by the glass somewhere, but really haven't had a chance to sit and enjoy.

Vanilla and cherry on the nose.

Solid. More of a plum thing on the palate, firm oak, bold tannins after six hours of air (though certainly approachable), black cherry comes through. Everything is well integrated and smooth, but it borders on too smooth, if that makes sense. I thought I'd have more to say about this one...

The finish fades with spices and eucalyptus.

A jolly good bottle of wine, but perhaps not as interesting as one would hope for in a $50 product.

Score: 89

2005 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Quick - what's the first thing you think of when you think of Beringer? I would not be shocked if the first thing was cheap wines you buy at the grocery store. This is one of their top of the line wines which retails at eighty big ones. Shall we see how it does?

Plum liqeuer, chocolate covered cherry - fruity, chocolatey, and even a bit funky.

Big! More of that straight up plum liqueur, perhaps some kir, more of that cherry cordial thing, a bit of vanilla, earth, all sorts of interesting spice notes - brown and green. I may be way off, but this does not really scream "California" to me...there's too much funk and earth.

Brown spice and a bit of a caramel thing on the finish fading away to raspberry tea.

A great wine to be sure. It would hold up in the cellar, but it's definitely ready now. I dig it.

Score: 92

2006 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

As long as you dig in above the whole "Private Reserve" thing, Mondavi makes some damn fine wines, so I'm quite happy to pay $25+ for a bottle I haven't even tried since prior vintages have been strong.

The nose on this is kind of blah, it reminds me of very mild grape bubble gum - in fact, there's a Japanese grape bubble gum, basically gum balls, that this is strikingly similar to...along with sort of a charred steak sorta thing.

On the immediate attack is that Japanese grape bubble gum thing and it does remain throughout but some other things certainly come through...cinnamon, black cherry, cedar.

I must have it stuck in my head, but I'll be damned if I don't get more of that grape gum thing on the finish, it fades away with more cedar, more black cherry in an ice cream sorta way.

It's enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but under close scrutiny I don't think it holds up honestly - tasty, but simple, and at $25 perhaps this would be a fine wine to bring to Christmas dinner if your host is making a roast - something solid, but not groingrabbing (grabbing your groin is best left for New Year's Eve). We really dug the 2005, but this vintage I'm not quite so sure.

Score: 87

2006 Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve

My notes say I paid around $40 for this - I let this sit in the decanter for six hours before digging in.

A bit of boysenberry on the nose and some qualities I can only describe as well done steak - grill up a steak (on gas, not charcoal because it's not smoke) to medium well, cut off a slice and sniff - there ya go.

Tart cherry, blackberry, vanilla, plus some milk chocolate - all with very mild eucalyptus and mint. It's a quite smooth wine, and nothing much really jumps out at you.

Blackberry and vanilla on the finish, almost a blackberry sorbet with a bit of whipped cream on top with perhaps an Andes mint thrown in.

It's a good wine, very good in fact, nice integration of all the various parts, but it's just not interesting enough for me to get too excited about...perhaps in time?

Score: 90

2006 Stag's Leap Napa Valley Petite Syrah

This goes for about forty bucks and came with strong recommendations when I snagged it a while back, though my memory is sketchy with from where or who.

Raspberry licorice and cola on the nose with some mint - for the first hour or so green spice dominates but blows off.

Black cherry and plum dominate, with mere hints of mint, cedar, eucalyptus...don't let that give you the wrong idea though, this is a big, fruity, juicy wine.

More of that raspberry licorice thing on the finish.

Good...quite good....beyond that?

Score: 87

2007 Kirkland Napa Valley Meritage

This is a blend of mostly Merlot, a good chunk of Cab Sauv, and just a splash of Cab Franc.

A bit of heat on the nose, black fruit - cassis and plum mostly, though - and this may sound strange -a raw chicken sorta thing.

Smooth and balanced, though not exactly complex - plum, blueberry, black cherry, vanilla. This is a solid middle of the road red, the kind of wine you can pop open and eat with anything from pizza to a steak and be set.

Blueberry lingers and way way on the back end some cherry.

Eleven bucks? Beyond sold - snag it.

Score: 87

2006 Estancia Paso Robles Meritage Reserve

This is a blend of 58% Cab, 34% Merlot, and 8% Petit Verdot. We've had a few of this producer's wines before, including a previous vintage of this one that we dug (not reviewed here though). The retail is about $25.

A plum sorta nose...cassis as well. In fact, this strikes me as textbook cassis.

The thing that struck me about this wine was how approachable it was on pop and pour - everything was nicely integrated and it was drinking fine. Blackberry, vanilla, oak.

The finish has lingering blackberry and vanilla, combined in a Blizzard aftertaste sort of way. You know, the last time I went to Dairy Queen they didn't have blueberry Blizzards anymore. WTF DQ?

It's tasty, perhaps a safe bet if you find it priced reasonably on a restaurant wine list, but I can't say it's exciting or all that interesting when pondered.

Score: 86

N/V Schramsberg Vineyards Mirabelle Brut Rose

This goes for S23 through the winery, but can be found for a few bucks cheaper if you shop around. Schramsberg is a fairly well respected sparkling wine producer so I was happy to finall try a bottle.

Red and pink apples on the nose.

Nice...more of that pink apple - more the skin than the flesh. A touch of sweetness, some very light cherry, a very nice toasty quality - I'm even getting just a suggestion of root beer. This is solid stuff.

Yes, more pink apple, but pear is coming through a bit more potently, along with a bit of raspberry tea (leaf)? A fairly long finsih as well...

The notes may be somewhat short, but only because the wine is so good I just want to sit back and enjoy it. Grab it.

Score: 92

N/V Domaine Chandon DKNY Twenty Year Cuvee

DKNY - when I bought this wine in a discount pack the logo looked familiar but I didn't know what it was. Apparently it's a clothing line and this wine to commemorate their 20 years anniversary. This sells for a whopping fifty dollars and is a winery exclusive.

Throw a whole lime into a blender and pour it onto a piece of granite and I think you'll get something like this nose.

To my palate, this is sweet enough for a light dessert pairing or maybe spicy fare (not to spicy considering the pricetag though). Orange notes - from the fruit to the rind to the blossom. Solid acid, in a citrus sort of way. A bit of vanilla and a bit of creaminess....you know what this is like? Orange Julius.

The finish is so much like an Orange Julius I'm now craving one.

I like my sparklers as close to bone dry as possible, but this one's flavor profile is working for me. For fifty bones though...

Score: 89

2006 Marilyn Merlot

This retails for around $27, though if you go to their website it's selling for a whopping forty bucks a bottle.

Fresh green spices, black licorice, cedar, and cherry on the nose.

Black cherry, mint, menthol, cedar, fresh green spice - vaguely cough syrup like. A bit thicker in body, very gentle tannins, just a touch of sweetness, but really quite balanced.

Brown spices, a bit of fresh red bell pepper, and a dash of menthol on the finish.

For a 'gimmick' wine this is pretty good. For a $40 wine, it's not. If I found this for under $20, I could see snagging another bottle.

Score: 87