I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.

They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

• 2016 Jermann Pinot Grigio (Venezia Giulia): Behold the thinking wine-lover’s Pinot Grigio, replete with, well, almost everything that’s lacking in most domestic US PGs… $25 B+
• 2015 Inama Carmenere Piu (Veneto Rosso): For when only something different – and something with accessible sophistication – will do. $20 B+
• NV Cleto Chiarli Brut de Noir Rose Lambrusco (Emilia-Romagna): That time when cherries had a killer party, and they invited more cherries, and then even more cherries showed up. $15 B
• 2017 Andreola ‘Mas de Fer’ Rive di Soligo (Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore): The melodies are slightly sweet, and the main chorus is mellifluously harmonious. $25 B+
• 2016 Pieropan Soave Classico (Veneto): Soaaaaveeee gettin’ its sexaaaaahhhhh swerrrrrveeeeehhhh onnnnnnn… $20 B+
• 2015 Hickinbotham Brooks Road Shiraz (McLaren Vale): This is a long road, in a good way, and one where the path is lined with dried herb and ripe plummy goodness. $75 A-
• 2015 Montes Alpha Carmenere (Colchagua Valley): Castles will be stormed, no prisoners will be taken, and all larders will be raided. $25 B+
• 2017 Left Coast Cellars The Orchards Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley): In these orchards, everything is peachy – both literally, and figuratively – keen. $19 B+
• 2015 Miro Cellars Ponzo Vineyard old Vines Reserve Zinfandel (Russian River Valley): They’re on to something special here, folks; just bring your penchant for intensity, spiciness, and juiciness. $35 A-
• 2012 Petroni Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma Valley): That debonair formal attire suits this one right on down to the T. $75 A-

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.

They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

• 2015 Zocker Paragon Vineyard Gruner Veltliner (Edna Valley): It’s perennially a fascinatingly good time to watch what this one is up to. $19 B+
• 2011 Oso Libre “Quixotic” (Paso Robles): There’s nothing unrealistic about how enjoyable – and abundant – the tangy red fruit flavors still are. $62 A-
• 2016 Dutton Estate La Familia Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley): Sure, it might be young, but with all of that brooding darkness, it’s also deadly freakin’ serious. $70 A-
• 2015 Grgich Hills Estate Paris Tasting Commemorative Chardonnay (Napa Valley): For those times when refinement, texture, and contemplation are meant to trump bombast, weight, and raw concentration. $95 A
• 2015 Georges Duboeuf Pouilly-Fuisse (Maconnais): The white figs have come to party, and they will not be denied, my friends! $32 B+
• 2017 Chateau Ferry Lacombe “Haedus” Rose (Cotes de Provence): Red flowers, red berries, and very likely a red face and nose from drinking so much of it. $18 B+
• 2013 Cartuxa Evora Colheita Tinto (Alentejo): Dark, floral, and like a dreamscape, it’s at once exotic but also eerily familiar. $21 B+
• 2013 Gaja Dagromis (Barolo): Yet an energetic pup at this stage, with all signs pointing to it growing into a fine example worthy of its prestigious pedigree. $90 A-
• 2017 Saint Clair Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough): So, you think that you know pungent? Well, this is here to tell you that you don’t really know pungent yet, bro. $28 B+
• 2015 Hickinbotham The Revivalist Merlot (McLaren Vale): What this will revive is a) your faith in high-end Aussie wares, and b) your love of Merlot done right. $75 A-

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.

They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

• 2013 Grgich Hills Estate Zinfandel (Napa Valley): I do believe that I detect the presence of fine, spicy herbs; and I do believe that I like them. $36 A-
• 2016 Attune Chardonnay Station Ranch Reserve (Carneros): That time when apple meet peach, and they fell in love and basically lived all happily-ever-after and whatnot. $36 A-
• 2013 Lasseter Family Winery ‘Paysage’ Red (Sonoma Valley): Maybe showing off a bit too much, but the Merlot Kung Fu is very strong with this one. $62 A-
• 2017 Dutton-Goldfield Dutton Ranch Shop Block Pinot Blanc (Green Valley): Melons, minerals, and a whole mess of Mmmmm-that’s-pretty-good-stuff-right-there. $30 B+
• 2014 Brack Mountain L’Oliveto Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley): For those who really like to get their hands – and their olfactory senses – dirty in the earthiness senses of the word. $25 B+
• 2016 Dry Creek Vineyard Dry Chenin Blanc (Clarksburg): The bargain side of the high-toned Chenin; also, the lithe and floral sides, luckily for us. $15 B+
• 2016 Raeburn Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley): Meat is on the menu, and so, eventually are juicy fruits, all served up on exotic wood plates. $25 B+
• 2015 Inama Bradisismo Rosso (Veneto):Showcasing depth, verve, and a blend of both the mysterious and enough of the familiar to make us all pretty cozy. $30 A-
• 2016 Inama Vigneti di Foscarino Soave Classico (Veneto): Suave, debonair, intriguing, and tastefully dressed… so, basically, it’s James Bond. $25 B+
• 2013 Dusted Valley Malbec (Columbia Valley): Can be defined in some ways by what it is not – it’s not lacking meatiness, it’s not shy, and it’s definitely not small. $42 B+

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.

They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

• 2013 Ellena Giuseppe Langhe Nascetta (Piedmont): Not that you need yet another reason to go, but if you’ve not yet been to Piedmont, this vibrant sipper will have you booking flights. $19 B+
• 2017 Tasca d’Almerita Tenuta Regaleali Le Rose (Sicilia): And it also happens to be Le Floral, Le Juicy, Le yummy, and Le Affordable. $12 B
• 2014 Tenuta di Ghizzano Veneroso (Terre di Pisa): Sultry, smooth, smokey, and packing a little mischievous bite within its tart, red fruit core. $25 B+
• 2017 The Original Dark Horse Pinot Grigio (California): Significantly leaning towards the tropical spectrum; also significantly leaning towards the Fun spectrum. $6 (can) B-
• 2017 The Original Dark Horse Rose (California): How much refreshment and floral tones can one expect for about six clams? More than you might think, in this case. $6 (can) B-
• 2015 Markham Vineyards Merlot (Napa Valley): Leather, grit, vanilla, ripe plums, and the kind of demeanor that will certainly make friends. $28 B+
• 2014 Miner Family Winery Garys’ Vineyards Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands): Trying very hard to convince you that it’s lithe; almost to a fault. $60 A-
• 2015 Edna Valley Vineyard Heritage Chardonnay (Edna Valley): Yeah, it’s impressively flamboyant. But it’s also impressively, well, impressive. $40 A-
• 2014 Brack Mountain Cyprus Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley): RRV, but all trimmed, toned, and looking might fit these days. $32 A-
• 2014 Cadaretta ‘Springboard’ Red (Columbia Valley): In dark and smokey backroom dealings, this *is* the dark and smokey backroom. $50 B+