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

2003 Pico Madama Jumilla Monastrell / Petit Verdot

Dark garnet shiny red. Tight all around on nose and palate initially. Nose opens with freshness and spice. Freshly ground nutmeg, fresh tarragon, balsawood and saucisson. Violets, anis and cassis (fruit is secondary). The texture is seductive with fine, fine, fine tight tannin - like biting into high grade milk chocolate ( Chuao Earl Gray 41% cacao to be exact). Super focused with no hard edges on palate. Finishes long with smoky chipotle pepper and chocolate. Delicious now, but it is so bright that another 5+ years of cellaring might unleash the latent animal soul of this wine. 50% Monastrell / 50% Petit Verdot.

$40

A

2006 JC Vizcarra Ribera del Duero

Bright dark, ruby red. Nose opens with high toned plum skin aromatics. There is a pretty fragrance with perfumed floral notes. It's fresh with herbaceous/straw, dried balsa wood and tobacco complexities. A nice, subtle spicy sausage patty (not link) character sneaks through. The palate is lively with firm mid-palate tannins. The finish is short (some bottle age will do this wine good). Strawberry liquorice on the dusty finish. Overall - beautiful nose, medium bodied on the lean side, and a bit disjointed. This wine may develop more balance in 2-3 years, but then again, it could be overextracted considering the lack of meat on its bones. 100% Tempranillo.

$24

B

2005 Domaine de la Pertuisane Le Nain Violet Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalanes

Red. Beautiful nose - Lavender and perfume jump out of the glass immediately. Loaded with spice, Dr. Pepper, black liquorice, peppermint candy cane. A subtle vanilla sweetness emerges with notes of dried tree bark/bundles of twigs. The palate is rich and full, but with some restraint. Firm, fine grained tannins are broad and coat the entire mouth. Finishes with notes of rocky earth. This could age for another 2-3 years but is too delicious now to wait. 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 10% Carignan.

$19

A