Domaine les Grands Bois Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne Cuvée Maximilien 2009 - $14

50% Grenache, 35% Mourdevre, 10% Syrah, 5% Carignan. From the Cote du Rhone village of Cairanne.

David: A dark beet juice purple in color. The complex nose shows blueberry fruit, loamy soil, graphite, some floral notes, some pepper and spices and baked bread. Full bodied, moderate to low acidity. Totally dry with subdued blueberry, liquorish fruit. Gets a little peppery at the end. The tannins are grippy and powerful and give the ending a fine austerity.
Score: 4.0/5

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

Domaine de la Chanteleuserie Bourgueil Alouettes Cabernet Franc 2008 - $13

A Cab Franc from the Loire region. Yes, they make reds in the Loire. Who knew?

David: Medium to light red/magenta in color. Nose of red currant, rose garden. Medium to light bodied. Racy acidity. Tart, cherry, raspberry fruit. Good structure but simple and light. Nice grippy tannins. Pleasant finish. Quite different from the big ripe, reds from regions with more sunshine. Defintely well made. Interesting to try these different styles.
Score: 3.8/5

Aia Vecchia Lagone 2007 - $15

A blend of cabernet, merlot and cab franc.

David: Dark crimson. Nose has flowers, maybe violet, cranberry, leather and sweet oak. Medium bodied with strong acidity layered on top of delicious blueberry/raspberry fruit. Silky tannins and the acidity and the copious fruit give it excellent structure and enough complexity. Nice long, fruity finish.
Score 4.1/5

Chateau Mourgues du Gres Costieres de Nimes les Galets Rouges 2007 - $14

78% Syrah and the rest Grenache, Mourvedre, and Carignan. From Nimes in Languedoc, the south of France.

David: Dark purplish red in color. Amazing nose of ripe red currant and blackberry, garrigue, floral aromas. Also some oaky tones with even a bit of cinnamon and spruce forest. Full bodied, with heavy glycerin mouthfeel. Fruity with good acidity balanced amazingly well layered with darker earthier notes. Soft tannins. Transitions well into darker more bitter flavors on the back end with a long finish. Excellent wine and a good value. I was surprised a bit on finding out that this has so much syrah since it doesn't have much spiciness or typical syrah flavors. I guessed it was mostly grenache.
Score: 4.2/5

Chapoutier Bila Haut Cotes du Roussillon Villages 2008 - $13

David: Color is medium purple. Interesting nose of red currants, a bready pastry aroma and some crush rock minerality. A tiny bit of balsamic vinegar with cracked pepper. Medium bodied with low acidity. Blueberry and cherry fruit is somewhat muted and turns into pepper with firm but soft tannins. Finishes with stale black liquorish, pepper and some bitterness. An interesting wine and quite different from the usual fruit-bomb variety.
Score: 3.9/5

Finca El Portillo Malbec 2008 - $9

A Malbec From Mendoza

David: Dark purple in color. Expressive nose with black and red currant, loamy soil, tobacco leaf and (perhaps a bit too much) sweat oak. Full bodied, medium acidity. Good fruit but not a fruit bomb. A little spice. Overall, nice and balanced. Soft tannins. Finishes more with earth, a little bitterness but less overall taste. Seemed to get a little better with air/time. Doesn't knock your socks off but a pretty solid wine and a good value.

Score: 3.9/5

InZinerator, Scott Harvey 2006 - $15

David: Color is light purple. Typical zin nose: black briary fruit, lots of oaky vanilla, a little muchiness. The sweetness comes through even on the nose. Very syrupy sweet on the palate. Full bodied. Low acidity. Huge fruit. Big tannins. Just too sweet for me.
Score 3.2/5