• 09 Trapiche Torrontes (Mendoza): Much to like for tropical fruit lovers; Torrontes fans might find much to gripe about (except price). $7 C+ #
• 08 Ruffino Chianti (Chianti): Only about 75% Sangiovese, but it’s a total chewy cherry, crowd-pleasing steal of a deal nonetheless. $9 B- #
• 07 Novelli “Rosso Cube” (Umbria): Probably the earthiest, spiciest, darkest carbonically-macerated steel-fermented red you’ll ever try $14 B #
• 08 d’Arenberg “Feral Fox” Pinot Noir (Adelaide Hills): By ‘feral’ I think they mean ‘lively’ & definitely NOT foxy (and NOT Old World) B $35 #
• 08 Plantagenet Riesling (Great Southern): Focused, lovely & dare-we-say-it “elegant.” A strong case for what can be done down under $20 A #
• 08 Maryhill Pinot Gris (Columbia Valley): Slightly rough finish is a small price to pay for peaches of this chest-pumping magnitude. $12 B+ #
• 06 L’Ecole No 41 Pepper Bridge “Apogee” (Walla Walla): I’m falling seriously for this exercise in balanced dark fruit awesomeness. A $50 #

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• 07 Ghost Pines Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma/Napa Counties): Mr. toasty oak told Ms. Blackberry that he'd "be gentle." But he lied. $23 B- #
• 07 Ghost Pines Merlot (Sonoma/Napa Counties): Frighteningly supple crowd-pleaser. Dunno who brought the toasted nuts, but they're good $20 B #
• 09 Dancing Coyote Albarino (Clarksburg): Wow. Alive, well, fruity, peachy, lively, food-friendly & living comfortably in California! $11 B+ #
• 09 Dancing Coyote Gruner Veltliner (Clarksburg): Peppery & capable, if not a home run. They get bonus points for trying GV in CA. $11 B- #
• 08 L'Ecole No. 41 Seven Hills Vineyard "Luminesce" (Walla Walla): A bit too broad & flirting with flabbiness. Tropical nuances a plus B- $19 #
• L'Ecole No. 41 Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Syrah (Walla Walla): A triple-threat, & a damn good 1 – tasty red fruit, spice & earth. $36 A- #
• 08 Red Newt Cellars "Circle" Riesling (Finger Lakes): Refreshing, crisp & capable of converting sweet-tooth relatives onto fine wine. $12 B #
• 07 Red Guitar Old Vine Tempranillo/Garnacha (Navarra): Surprisingly & delightfully simple, like unexpectedly finding $20 in yer pocket $10 B #
• 09 Château Tanunda "Grand Barossa" Riesling (Barossa): A great buy; as spritely, acidic & spicy as any Aussie you're likely to meet. $12 B #
• 06 Elderton Tantalus Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon (S. Australia): Too much cola, but more than enough juicy, fruity, tasty goodness. B- $13 #
• 07 Henry Fessy Fleurie (Beaujolais): Big ol' Beauj. Don't pick those strawberries before they're ripe; this one needs a bit more time. $15 B #
• 09 Nobilo Icon Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough): Like having your nostrils seduced by a gooseberry while you're out mowing the lawn. $20 B+ #
• NV Lamberti Rose Spumante (Veneto): The flowers have a light touch, but the bubbles are heavy-handed. Charmat but not charming. $14 B- #
• 08 Heinz Eifel Eiswein (Rheinhessen): German eiswein is usually much more expensive & in this case you'll be getting what you pay for. $20 C #
• 05 Penley Chertsey (Coonawarra): Sometimes (like this Cab-blend beauty), "big & bold" and "sense of place" aren't mutually exclusive. $50 A- #

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• 07 Chateau Pineraie Malbec (Cahors): The berries are red, the booze is hot, the brett is funky, & the finish is bittahhhhh. €7 C+ #
• 09 Chateau Quattre (Cahors): Aparently, hard limestone soils worked by long-standing producers equates to explosive red fruit goodness. €6 B #
• 08 Rigal Les Terrasses (Cahors): After the supple mouthfeel and fruitiness, you are sucker-punched by the tannic hand of doom! €4 B- #
• 07 Chateau Ls Bouysses Cotes d'Olt (Cahors): For those who like their dark fruit with a spritz of mint, grit, & bretty funk. €9 B- #
• 08 Mas del Perie Les Escures (Cahors): From a gifted young winemaker comes a black, gritty & spicy wine tailor-made for grilled steak $15 A- #
• 06 Clos Trotteligotte Klys (Cahors): "trotting partridge" of its namesake apprently is leaving stinky, tannic brett pellets behind it €12 C- #
• 05 Chateau Croisille Divin Crosille (Cahors): Downright port-like, & as opaque as the blackberry, tar & leather its aromas resemble. €20 B+ #
• 07 Cos d'un Jour Un jour sur Terre (Cahors): Vinified in amphorae, & the violets, jam & spices will pickly you (in a very good way). €15 B+ #
• 07 Chateau les Roques de Cana Graal Sanctus (Cahors): 24 months in thin barrels rounds out the tannins on this $$ black fruit monster. €86 B #
• 05 Hidden Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma County): About as rugged & stellar as I imagine their steep mountain vineyard slopes are. $40 A- #

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• 06 Hall Merlot (Napa Valley): The dark fruits & cocoa are an attraction, but the extraction action might prove to be a distraction. $28 B #
• 08 Polka Dot Riesling (Pfalz): Refreshing & a touch sweet, limes & lemons abound. Certainly the most fun PD offering I've had. $10 B- #
• 06 Gaja Ca Marcanda 'Promis' (Bolgheri): DAAARK black cherry and enticing acidity add up to pretty much deliver on the promise. $40 A- #
• 07 Wild Rock "Elevation" Sauvignon Blanc, (Marlborough): There's a game afoot here, & the name of that game is "super-ripe fruit." $17 B – #
• 07 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon: With that much brett masking the red fruit, a more suitable name might be "Domaine Barnyard Baudry" $18 C- #
• Jean-Paul Brun Rose d'folie (Beaujolais Rose): Welcome to the strawberry patch, where you will enjoy your sunny summer respite. $15 B #
• 07 William Hill Chardonnay (Napa Valley): Thoroughly CA style (butterscotch) but w/ a nice shot of minerality to keep things in check. $22 B #
• 06 William Hill Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Like a Moscow apartment building, technically brilliant but not terribly soulful. $23 B+ #
• 05 DaVinci Chianti Riserva: Balanced, spicy, chewy & very "modern-style." Your mileage may vary depending on how much you dig prune. $30 A- #
• 06 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Juicy, amped up, & sporting a ton of structure. Don't buy the negative hype on the oak. $100 A- #

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• 06 Ravines Dry Riesling (Finger Lakes): Going for “steely” and hitting the mark w/ fennel, floral, and a firm acid structure. $17 B #
• 08 Ravines Argetsinger Vineyard Dry Riesling (Finger Lakes): The Asian pear & sweet apple are good now but the acid promises a future $25 B+ #
• 07 Ravines Cabernet Franc (Finger Lakes): Lush but not plush, fruit-driven but downright elegant. I think they’re onto something here $18 B+ #
• 07 Ravines Glenn Eldridge Vineyard Merlot (Finger Lakes): A mash of prunes, cocoa & spicy oak. For the price, a curiosity only? $30 B- #
• 08 Standing Stone Riesling Icewine (Finger Lakes): Very sweet, very floral, very acidic, very well-balanced, but not very focused. $25 B #
• 07 Anthony Road “MRS” Estate Cabernet Franc (Finger Lakes): Freakishly bad for the price & much less than should be expected of AR. $30 C- #
• 08 Anthony Road “MRS” Berry Selection Riesling (Finger Lakes): Killer tangerine & lemon candy nose. Luscious w/ demanding acidity. $65 A- #
• 07 Shaw Riesling (Finger Lakes): A palate no unlike lime-flavored 7-Up or Sprite, and not at all in any way that resembles good. $16 C- #
• 05 Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon (Finger Lakes): A tar & black-fruit beauty with a tasty structure as solid and focused as a steel beam. $35 B+ #
• 08 Atwater Gewurztraminer (Finger Lakes): Racy with quine, lychee, & a price that still won’t convince you to venture from Alsace. $16 B- # …

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• 07 J Vineyards Chardonnay (Russian River Valley): Massive ML & sur lie aging leads to an unabashedly poised creme brulee big beauty $28 B #
• 07 J Vineyards Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley): With plush berry, spice & flowers it's a wine for Now, but Now's a pretty good place $35 B #
• 09 J Vineyards Pinot Gris (CA): Sourced from all over, & tastes like it, but the honeydew melon & vanilla will probably cheer you up. $15 B- #
• 08 Layer Cake Malbec (Mendoza): Might be best BBQ wine I've tasted all year. Dark fruit & sweet spices to please the party crowd. $15 B #
• 08 Hazlitt Semi-Dry Riesling (Finger Lakes): Spicier than yer average peaches-&-limes FL Riesling. Ride gets rougher at the finish. $12 B- #
• 09 Dr. Konstantin Frank Semi-Dry Riesling (Finger Lakes): Yeah, well that's "**Mister** Honey pot & lemon candy" to you, buck-o! $15 B #
• 06 Heron Hill Late Harvest Ingle Vineyard Riesling (Finger Lakes): A grilled pineapple & citrus ride straight to honey-blossom land. $50 A- #
• 08 Heron Hill Unoaked Chardonnay (NY): All minerals & peaches, & mostly all good, but the mid-palate is a bit like a bumper-car ride $13 B- #
• 02 Heron Hill Ingle vineyard Johannisberg Riesling (Finger Lakes): She's a little older, you're a little wiser, but she's still sexy. $20 B- #
• 06 Casa Larga Vidal Fiori delle Stelle Ice Wine (Finger Lakes): A lot to like ("a lot" meaning honey, flowers, dried apricot, vinyl) $46 B+ #
• 08 Keuka Spring Cabernet Franc (Finger Lakes): For those that like it brambly & with smokey oak, but still plan on eating some food. $19 B #

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