2005 Dierberg Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

Dark red with purple-ish tinge, still transparent. Explosive aromatics with unmistakable, classic ripe, but not overripe Pinot character. Sweet and gamy with pretty perfume, mocha and cold fizzy cola. Aromas jump out of the glass effortlessly. Full bodied, big and nice tannins with a refreshing streak of acidity. Oak is almost completely infused in the wine, only revealing itself at the end of the finish. Ridiculously long finish with mocha and smoke.

$42

A-

2005 Slate Point West Elks Pinot Gris

This wine is one that Rob made sourced from a Western Colorado vineyard situated at 5615 feet in elevation. A personal favorite from the start, but the aging potential was unknown due to the young age of the vineyard and lack of Pinot Gris wines made from the West Elks AVA in general. I'm thrilled to report that it's aging quite gracefully. Light yellow with golden tinge with swirling. Clean and fresh on the nose with obvious chalky minerality. A zesty lime zest with crunchy Bosc pear and a subtle sweet nougat component. There is a beautiful finesse on the focused and perky, lively, but restrained palate. Finishes with minerals and polished stones.

$18

2007 Jean Albrecht Alsace Riesling Reserve

Botrytis-infused orange marmalade and marzipan nose gives way to other interesting, but artificial sweet complexities. There is a sweet candied aroma of strawberry PEZ, vitamin C chewable tablets, and spring fresh dryer sheets. The palate has a kumquat-like acidity on the backend and is bone dry and puckery. The medium minus body is rather unfocused. The piercing acidity is the main component and is more sour than refreshing, creating a disjointed impression. This wine is desparately screaming for mussels to pull it together.

$19

C-

2007 Seifried Nelson Gewurztraminer

Light yellow. Exuberant aromas jump out of glass with true Gewurz-like fashion. Lychee and dried apricot fruit with an appealing savory sulfur-like minerality. Also clove spice and pink peppercorns. Beautiful balance between residual sugar-acid-alcohol, a difficult feat with new world Gewurz. Tastes dry to off-dry. The medium plus body is soft and plump. Finishes short with savory spice.

$22

B+

2007 M. Chapoutier Belleruche Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc

Light yellow. Subdued nose with melon, fresh cream and white blossom. Aromatically challenged. Soft and easy on the palate. Medium bodied with creamy textures. The low acidity verges on flabbiness. Bring this crowd pleaser to a party and grill up some Halibut. Grenache Blanc, Clairette, and Boubourlenc.

$14

C

2006 Domane Wachau Terrassen Federspiel Riesling

Brilliant light yellow. Invigorating nose is limey and steely. Lots of white stone dust, zippy tangerine and delicate orange blossom floral notes. Delicious on the palate with more juicy lime flavors. It's bone dry with razor sharp acidity, but not hard. The medium body has a soft textural give like citrus oil. Medium minerally finish. Buy this beauty by the case. Screw cap.

$18

A-

2007 Paco & Lola Rias Baixas Albarino

Pale yellow. Restrained nose with honeysuckle undertones. Fuzzy apricot, honeydew melon and lime zest come through. There is also a salty sea breeze character. The combination is like a margherita on the rocks with salt. Clean and medium bodied on palate. An underlying hint of residual sugar? adds fullness. The acid is zippy and lemony on the finish. Overall, varietally correct with great balance, although lacking aromatic intensity and some finesse on the palate. A good value.

$17

B

A delicious match with Clams and Linguine.

2006 Toulouse Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

Light, dull, red, slightly cloudy. Rose, spice, cinnamon with subtle cedar block and tree stump bark. Ripe strawberry fruit on heady nose. Palate is soft and round, but firm. There is a slight medicinal quality on finish that is not unpleasant with menthol cigarette smoke and truffle. This wine is missing major acid and lacks finesse. An enjoyable table wine.

$40

B-

2006 Acacia Carneros Pinot Noir

Light ruby red. Everything about this wine is "nice." Red cherry fruit, hint of toastiness, some earthy undertones. Soft palate with spice. Nice, well made, but uninspiring Pinot at this pricepoint.

$33

C+

2006 Grgich Hills Estate Napa Valley Fume Blanc

Light Yellow. Crunchy nose of gooseberries, bright lemon, lime, cut grass - very Marlborough like, (although more restrained). Mineral water notes. Palate is crisp and refreshing. Almost-ripe, fuzzy peach sweet and sour character on entry. It's very suprising that this Sauvignon is from Napa. No sign of new oak nonsense. Acidity has sweettart quality (added tartaric?), but overall nice balance, although it lacks a sense of place. This is a very well made wine, but very obviously "made."

$39

B-

2007 Pierre Gaillard Condrieu

Golden yellow. Sweet, custardy impression on nose with candy corn and apricot jam. Custard aromas persist as well like thick Greek style honey yogurt. There is a floral sweetness - honeysuckle, light ginger bread, and autumn apple spice. Only a faint hint of minerality like blackboard eraser-smack chalk dust. Medium weight on mouthfeel, custardy and smooth up to the midpalate. The finish lacks focus and is short as the the acidity battles the alcohol. This wine is one of the 17 bottles smuggled back from France.

30 Euros?

B