2008 Terredora Dipaolo Falanghina Irpinia

Stone fruit and citrus nose. Peaches, mandarin orange, and lemon. Loaded with lemons on the palate. The palate is bone dry, medium+ and bright with some tannic grip, creating a chewy texture. Lively, clean finish with some effervescence. In some ways, this wine is reminiscent of a dry Washington Riesling. This was a great match for Curried Eggplant, Chickpeas, and Spinach with Garlic Naan.

$15

B+

2006 Argiolas Costera Isola Dei Nuraghi IGT Cannonau

Medium bright ruby red. This wine opens with savory notes of bbq ribs, Canadian bacon, and jerky. Complexities keep arising as its breathes. Forest scents of rotted-out cedar combine with whifs of perfume. Schnickerdoodle cookies and vanilla with deep cassis fruit and fresh plums. Smokey notes continue with myrhh incense. Streamlined and medium. Firm sheets of satin almost sneak by at first. With time (in the glass and in the mouth), structure becomes more pronounced with an appealing dry tannic astringincy. Fine tannin. Spice on the finish with cinnamon stick and dark chocolate. Buy this beauty by the case and age it for up to 5 years. Cannonau, aka Grenache, is grown on the island of Sardinia, Italy.

A-

$15

2006 Mastroberardino Aglianico Campania IGT

Light ruby with hints of orange. Red currants on nose with secondary notes of cooked down red fruit. Menthol cigarette, tobacco and vanilla. Velvet on the palate, taut acidity. A real country table wine with a lot of charm. Light to medium weight, but the tannin comes with intensity and coats entire palate. Hardly a blockbuster - it's refreshing to know wines like this are still being made. 12.5% alc.

$20

B+

2006 Meandro Do Vale Meao Douro

Deep ruby red. Pretty closed down at first and takes a while to open up. Even on day 2, very shy nose, some lavender and cinnamon stick, perfumed. There is a reduced rubbery character holding back the dark fruit. Black rocks. Firm, dense, and chunky tannin. Young - but shows good aging potential. Bittersweet chocolate and black tea finish. This needs a few more years in bottle. 40% Touriga Nacional, 30% Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo), 20% Touriga Franca, 5% Tinta Barroca, and 5% Tinta Amarela.

$30

B+

2003 Falset old vines Montsant Grenache

Deep red. This has all the goods - a little dirt, cinnamon spice, red cherry cough drop fruit, some pretty perfume. Lively notes of pine resin, menthol, spearmint, and a fresh herbaceousness come through. Lots of cigar ash up front mellowing to straw and fennel bulb. Spicy palate with firm, dusty mouth coating tannin, dense and rustic. Nutty finish. Old school and complex. 85% Grenache 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.

$18

A-

2007 Feudi di San Gregorgio Fiano di Avellino

Light golden. Crisp citrusy-lemon nose. Also some star fruit and other tropical nuances. Honeydew. A thread of white gravel minerality. Zingy acidity, well structured with some roundness in the middle. Mouth-watering acid. Clean and crisp. Finishes with kiwi and a minerally twang. A delicious aperitif. 12.5% alc.

$20

A-

2005 Peay La Bruma Syrah Sonoma Coast

This wine took three nights to unwind. The first two nights, it was dominated by sweet, caramel oak characters, definitely oaked, but a high quality oak. It's drinking well tonight. Enchanting nose with a Southwest dried mesquite campfire. There's peppermint and cassis as well as a spicy Christmas potpourri. Also homemade cranberry sauce with cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel. We should have popped this open around the holidays! An acid driven wine, medium and puckery, with fine, fuzzy tannin, but somewhat disjointed and overdone.

$45

B-

2005 Rocca delle Macie Sasyr Toscana IGT

Brilliant deep ruby red. Right from the get-go, this has a delicious nose. Berry-City, USA, I mean Italia. Blackberries and boysenberries, gorgeous melted down strawberry licorice, vanilla. Also some dried blueberries and sweet hay. Smooth, velvety tannin, but firm. There is more sweet fruit and red and black licorice on the finish. A medium bodied, vivid, hedonistic wine drinking well now, but by the end of the bottle I found myself wanting even more grip and more earth. 60% Sangiovese & 40% Syrah.

B+

$12

2008 MollyDooker The Violinist Verdelho

Nice nose with tropical fruit, pear, melon and subtle spice...everything is good so far. Then the first sip - this stuff burns like hell going down, almost vodka-like. Hoping it would mellow out in time for our Mediterranean pasta with roasted red pepper basil, anchovies and capers topped with shaved Parmesan...Mmmm. Nope, but wishful thinking. It did pack a good buzz though. This just didn't have the fruit weight and viscosity to stand up to the heat - decent acidity though. Had a much more enjoyable and balanced Verdelho from Argentina a few nights ago: 2008 Cristobal 1492 at $9 was a steal!

$29

C

2006 Terre del Vulcano Lava Beneventano Aglianico IGT

Vibrant deep purple red. This is a very intriguing new world style Aglianico. Perfumed and fragrant. Berries galore: boysenberry, loganberry, and blackberry infused black tea. There is an interesting wet clay note as well as a lactic yogurt and rice pudding. Also mint...ripe, complex nose. The palate is medium and vibrant with velvety tannin. It has some spritz and a sweet tart like tangy finish. It could use a little more oomph on the palate. What a difference in style between this and the Tenuta del Portal Vulture bottling.

$18

B+

2006 Qupe Syrah Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido Vineyard

Red. Big fruit on nose. Raspberry coulis, pomegranate, loganberry, and cassis, with subtle balsa wood, leather and fennel. Palate is round and juicy, with cherry pie fruit. Firm disjointed tannin, medium, anise on finish. Solid. Maybe it needs some time.

$25

B

2006 Domaine des Michelons Moulin-A-Vent Beaujolais

Bright light ruby red. Very subdued nose with plums, beetroot, slight game, and underbrush. It's fresh. Acid driven palate and light/medium bodied. Overall, a restrained palate with silky, focused, and tight tannin. Super short finish with slight hickory smoke. Light and simple, balanced, but hardly exciting for a Cru Beaujolais. Is 'Exciting Beaujolais' an oxymoron?

$18

C+

2006 Tenuta del Portal Aglianico Starsa Basilicata IGT

Ruby red. A solid introduction to Aglianico. Surprisingly fruity nose with red fruit, cherry, plums, and strawberry. Hints of coffee, sweet tobacco, baked earth, anise, and wild herbs. Pleasant and easy in the mouth, with dry, dusty tannin although lacks depth and concentration. A great buy for the price.

This is a bottle picked up to keep the total cost per bottle average down during a recent wine buying spree. Really, it's a great way to trick the mind into buying more wine, and at the same time feel great about 'saving money.' Definitely give this a try. Everyone needs to drink more wine, right?

$12

B-

2007 Jean-Max Roger Sancerre Cuvee G.C.

Light yellow. This is pure Sancerre - polished, structured with razor sharp precision. A great mix of tropical fruit, citrus, and minerality. Aromas of guava and kiwi and lime zest makes my mouth water. Mineral spring and spring flower fragrance. Baby snap peas add more freshness. Mandarin orange too. Beautiful nose. Pure and precise on palate. Focused, limey acidity. Full of dry extract on mid palate. Bone dry finish. I'd like to see this with a few years of bottle age.

$31

A