Tres Picos Garnacha 2008 - $14

David: Deep purple/red with tints of magenta. Lovely nose of soft red fruits, vanilla bean, perfume and spice box. Dense and silky on the palate with high glycerin. Medium acidity. Cherry and berry fruit is delicious and followed with sort tannins and nice finish. Overall, very nice and a great value.

Score: 4.2/5

Les Deux Rives Corbieres Rouge 2008 - $10

David: Medium purple color. Nose of fresh raspberry tart. Reminds me of a steely cab franc but this is mostly granache and syrah. Medium bodied and medium acidity. Zippy mouthfeel. Berry fruit has layers and good structure. Nice sleek tannins. Very long finish with waves of mixed berries. Overall, very nice and quite a bargain.
Score: 4.1/5

Arrowood Kuljian Dry Creek Syrah 2007 - $28

David: Dark purple in color. Nose of prune, root vegetables and a little violet and maybe chocolate. Full bodied, low acidity. Meaty texture. Some plum fruit but quite savory. Big tannins. The mid palate fruit gets taken over by liquorish and black pepper in the long and pleasant finish.
Score: 4.1/5

Urban Ribera Tinta Del Pais 2007 - $13

David: Medium purple in color. Nose of black cherry fruit and smoke and vanilla oak. Full bodied, medium acidity. Silky smooth. Cherry and berry fruit is quite delicious. Mild tannins but a pretty long finish with a little liquorish. Quite nice.
Score: 4.0/5

La Spinetta Langhe Nebbiolo 2007 - $27

David: Nice garnet color is not too dark. A little orange-toned near the edges. Nose is delicate with cherry, leather and roses and other flowers. Medium bodied, moderate acidity, silky texture with delicious cherry fruit. Firm tannins give it sufficient structure. Nice finish.
Score: 4.1/5

Norton Malbec 2010 - $8

David: Magenta in color. Nice nose of fresh raspberry, pepper, a little earth and a little smoke. A hint of fox fur is interesting. Medium bodied with nice boysenberry fruit, moderate acidity. Good clean finish. A great value.
Score: 4.0/5

Stonier Reserve Chardonnay 2005 - $25

David: Bright yellow in color. Complex nose of citrus, pineapple, spice, pepper, almond and stinky wild flowers. Full bodied and complex on the palate with good structure and balance and a long finish.
Score: 4.3/5