2006 Casa Silva Gran Reserva Petit Verdot

Inky black with purple tinge. Intriguing mix of veggies, soil, and blackberry, cassis and floral notes. Initially, loads of celery and radish. More floral and dark fruit notes come out on day 2. Graphite and eucalyptus. Nice nose: elegant and restrained. Also, refined and focused in the mouth. Velvet tannin structure with great concentration, round and balanced supporting acidity. Finishes a bit short but has lingering notes of smoked juniper berry and creosote. Decant this for it unfold. Delicious.

$23

A-

2006 M. Cosentino Tannat Lodi

Inky black. This wine is tight and slow to open. Very tarry initially. Later rosemary and peppermint. Cherry liqueur and strawberry licorice fruit. Weirdly enough, eggnog? Think cream and nutmeg. Again, tight on palate, but seamless. Broad, muscular, mouth coating, teeth staining, chewy tannin upfront and in the middle, but tapers off to a soft finish. A brute with a sensitive edge.

$18

C+

2005 Luna Sangiovese Napa Valley

Day 2. Deep ruby. Complex and elegant. I love the secondary stuff going on. Straw bale, charcoal ash and cedar mulch. Savory low toned porcini mushroom and oyster. Cardamom spice accented by a subtle floral and perfumed note. Mountain blueberry fruit comes late as well as boysenberry. Velvety and plush tannin with quite glycerous and round, but structured and concentrated. Juicy acidity. Finishes with dark chocolate mocha. This really blossomed after a day of decanting in bottle. 75% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot, 5% Petite Sirah

$25

A-

2005 Quinta de Ventozelo Douro Reserva

Deep red. Perfumed and floral nose with hints of violets. Blueberry cobbler fruit is delicious, and not over the top. Tilled earth and a thread of herbaceaousness round it out. Nice balance on the palate. Firm tannin becomes more pronounced with air, and are quite elegant. It's not heavy in any sense. Nice stuff and it's drinking well now. 60% Touriga Nacional, 20% Touriga Franca, 20% Tinta Roriz.

$20

A-

2006 Clos La Coutale Cahors

Deep garnet red. Lively and exuberant nose. Black cherries and smoked plums. Cinnamon spice, clove and orange zest. Cranberry jam. Wood smoke and dried autumn leaves. Round, lively acidity and a heavy dose of anise infused dark chocolate on palate. Medium in body with soft, silky tannin. More smoke and sweet fruit on the medium finish. A really fun wine calling out for stew. 80% Malbec & 20% Merlot.

$16

B+

2005 Domaine du Moulie Madiran

Light ruby red. Decanted this for three hours and wow did it open up! I love to find charming table wines like this now and then to be reminded what wine used to taste like. It's quite herbaceous on the nose - grass, nettles, bell pepper, basil. Restrained strawberry and crushed dried rose scents - reminds me of Barolo. Acid driven, tart and medium minus palate. Tannins are firm but fine, forming sheets of satin and an appetizing astringency calling out for an earthy, warm autumn dish.

B+

$12

2003 Pirramimma McLaren Vale Petit Verdot

Deep garnet red. Super spicy. Cedar spice box and menthol/eucalyptus. Blood orange fruit and homemade cranberry sauce. Caramely oak. Rustic tannin combined with high acid rips up my mouth upfront. The weight stays up front and then quickly drops off. Interesting to see what PV can do Down Under going solo.

$22

B