Vina Honda Monastrell 2007 - $10

David: Medium purple red in color. Aromas of plum, cran-grape, violets. Medium bodied. Soft on the palate with medium to high acidity. Cherry and cranberry fruit. Mild tannins. Fermented in stainless steel so lacks some of that oak character that is common in these Spanish reds (for better or worse). A fairly tasty wine and good value but not especially distinctive.
Score 3.8/5

Firesteed Pinot Noir 2008 - $13

Oregon Pinot Noir.

David: Light brick red in color showing long legs on the glass. Complex nose with red currant and tart cherry, some floral components. At first showed a little barnyard mulchiness. Evolved into more of a pine forest with some hint of gaminess, maybe a little cedar. Silky smooth of the palate, medium to full bodied, good acidity. Delicious red fruit. The silkiest of tannins dry the mouth for the nice cherry finish.
Score 4.0/5

Vignerons de Caractère Vacqueyras Chemin des Rouvieres 2007 - $17

70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre

David: Light ruby red in color. Nose of red currant and vanilla. Medium bodied, velvety texture. Nice red fruits on the palate, currant and strawberry with some briary flavors as well. Medium acidity and generally well balanced. Sufficient tannins to give it a little more structure. A pretty tasty and overall good wine though lacking the complexity I would expect in a 90 point Vacqueyras.
Score: 3.9/5

Paradis Chinon Cuvee Signee 2008 - $10

Cab Franc from Chinon (the Loire).

David: Light purplish red in color. Nice nose of red currant, assorted berries and the tiniest bit of fox fur gaminess. Pure silk on the palate. Medium bodied. Just the right amount of acidity to balance the delicious red, jammy fruits. Well layered. Simply delightful. Tannins are very gentle, almost unnoticeable. Finish is long and pleasant. What a steal for $10 (on sale at Wine Library from $13). Much nicer than the other Loire red we had a few weeks ago.
Score: 4.2/5

Domaine Duseigneur Lirac Antares 2007 - $17

60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre. Lirac is a small region near CDP.

David: Dark purple in color. Nose of raspberry tart. A little stinky gaminess with herbs and flowers. Full bodied. Sweet on the palate with blackberry fruit, some pepper. Acidity picks up on the back end giving it more liveliness and structure. Smooth tannins. Pretty good finish with pepper and lingering sweetness.
Score: 4.0/5

Yellow Tail Shiraz 2009 - $6

David: Yellow tail is the best selling wine in America. It is cheap, six-bucks. One would think it would not be very good (think Carlo Rossi) but I find it surprisingly good and certainly a good value at six bucks. Maybe the unwashed masses are really getting some taste for wine?

Medium dark purple red in color. Nose is cherry with a little raspberry, quite fruity with oaky vanilla. Big fruit on the palate, ripe cherry and plum. Good acidity is balanced with a little sweetness. A little bit of shiraz, smoked meatiness. The acidity picks up again on he back end and tart cherry runs into a long finish. Decent structure if not overly complex. Definitely tasty and versatile with food. It is no surprise, given the price and effective marketing why this is America's top selling wine.
Score:3.8/5

Chateau Cru Juste Blanc 2008 - $14

Mostly sauvignon blanc with some semillon.

David: Light grayish yellow. Nose is a little tight. Grassy with some stone or chalk. Some very light perfume. High acidity is the theme on the palate. Light bodied and a little hollow on the mid-pallate. Sour lemon is the dominant fruit taste which carries through to the long, lemon zest finish. Was impressed that this tasted just as good after being left in fridge for a week.
Score: 3.8/5

Jess: Did not like.
Score: 3.2/5

Gwen: Smells like lemons.

Chateau La Croix Mouton Bordeaux Superieur 2008 - $15

A blend of 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc

David: Medium depth ruby color. Nose of red currant, a little raspberry. Not much else. Steely acidity. Medium bodied. Fresh red fruit is subdued. The wine tastes a little like the Loire cab franc we had recently; that is, a little under-ripe. I thought it was merlot and cab franc but would have guess more cab franc. Dry, a little bitter and austere. But the wine is pretty well balanced. Good tannins and a decent finish. Just a little boring. Not my favorite style of red.
Score: 3.7/5

Favorite Wine Values so far

Terranoble Pinot Noir - Chile $12
Hughes Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet 2008 $10
Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz 2007 $15
Domaine de la Janasse Bussiere - 2007 $15
Georges Duboeuf Morgon Domaine Jean Descombes 2008 - Beaujolais $13
Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel 2007 $11
Croix du Mayne Cahors - 2007 $11
Michele Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti Superiore "Le Orme" 2007 $13
Chateau Haut Sarthes Blanc 2008 $9
Botromagno Primitivo 2005 $14
Prima Mano Primitivo - 2006 $14
Les Jamelles Pinot Noir Vin de Pays d'Oc 2008 $10
Domaine Pierre de la Grange (Luneau-Papin) Muscadet 2008 $14
Bellum Providencia 2006 $14
Crios de Susana Balbo 2007 - Cabernet Sauvignon $13
Ollivier Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet 2009 $12
Domaine Herbauges Muscadet Clos de la Fine - 2008 $12
Vitiano 2007 $10
Maipe Malbec 2009 - Mendoza, Argentina $9
Indaba Chenin Blanc 2009 $8
Confluence , by McKinley Springs 2007 $14
Dominio de Eguren Protocolo Tinto 2007 $7
Punto Final Malbec Classico 2008 $12

Fontezoppa Verdicchio Di Matelica 2009 - $12

David: Medium depth yellow with a little greenish tint. Nose of honeyed apple or pear or perhaps white peach with a tiny hint of citrus. The most distinct aroma is almond which is quite delightful. Also a little minerality. Alcohol is also apparent on the nose which is a little distracting. Medium to full bodied with a bit of zippiness to the mouthfeel. Vibrant acidity. Subdued fruit. Layered. Quite dry with the nutty tastes and a little iodine bitterness balanced well against the acidity. Long finish.
Score:3.8/5

Urban Uco Malbec 2008 - $12

Malbec from Mendoza

David: Dark purple. Fresh blackberry nose with a little sweet oak. Slightly floral. Medium to full bodied. Decent acidity with a little sweetness. Big blackberry, cherry fruit dominates the attack with big round tannins making an appearance followed by a hint of black pepper. A likable fruit driven wine if not terribly complex.
Score: 3.9/5

Jessica: Full bodied. High alcohol. Big dark fruit. Medium finish; seems to lack complexity. Tannins present but do not stand up to the powerful fruit which dominates.
Score: 3:8

Kangarilla Road Shiraz 2006 - $15

David: Dark maroon in color. Sweet oak is the first thing you notice on the nose. Dark fruit, and some hard to define spices, maybe dill and a touch of menthol. Full bodied and sweet but with powerful acidity which races off overpowering the sweetness. Red cherry, blackberry and grape juice loops through cycles of lip-smacking tartness. Silky tannins add more structure. Kind of interesting at first but the overpowering oak nose gets a bit tiring.
Score: 3.8/5

Domaine du Penlois Beaujolais Chardonnay 2007 - $16

Yes they have red wines in the Loire. They also have whites in Beaujolais. Chardonnay that is. I don't actually remember the price or where exactly I got this. (Whole Foods has it for $17)

David: Medium depth, yellow color. Nose of luscious fruit cocktail and crushed rock. Full bodied. Medium to high acidity is balanced wonderfully by delicious fruitiness and minerals that develops nicely on the palate into that distinctive Chardonnay dry chalkiness. Perfect balance and nice finish.
Score: 4.3/5