2007 Pewsley Vale Eden Valley Riesling

Lately it's been hot out, so I'm on a white wine kick. This was one was well made and was interesting as it's the first riesling that I've had from Australia (I think). Completely dry, with aromas of peaches, limes, and stones. Racy and well balanced with a nice limey, acidic snap on the lingering finish. Not German or Austrian and obviously new world, but well made. A

J Vidal Fleury 2006 Cotes du Rhone

Ripe cherries, raspberries, licorice and a little beefiness. Bright cherry in the mouth, with rustic tannins, this wine definitely has a sense of place. For 7$ this is fantastic. A-

2006 Pascal e Nicolas Reverdy Sancerre

Minerally nose with hints of grass citrus and melon. Nice acidity, with a long finish that starts citrusy and finishes lush and melony. Great wine. At Fords Filling Station B+

2006 Fontanafredda Barbera "Briccotondo"

Really tasty wine!! Aromas of chocolate and plums. Smooth and well balanced with lots of acidity. The Spectator made this one of their top wines for 2007 and I can see why. I have 2 more bottles left.

2005 Domaine Schlumberger "Les Prince Abbes" Alsace Riesling

Whiffs of gas, peaches, citrus, stones and minerals. On the palate lemons turn into peaches, and there's lots of snappy acidity. I really like this wine. Long, citrusy finish. I have another bottle that I'll try to not open for a couple more years. 11$ A-

2005 Chateau D' Agel "In Extremis" Minervois

From Minervois; Syrah. This wine was interesting with a ripe nose of licorice, blackberries, pepper, and herbs (lavender). Initially closed, with bitter tannins, it eventually opened up to reveal lots of toasty fruit. Extremely dense and inky, which is atypical of Minervois. B+

2005 Christian Moueix Bordeaux

Another French wine trying to be American by calling it the actual grape...merlot. This wine is by Christian Moueix--from Petrus. This wine has textbook merlot aromas of cherry with a little bit of spice and a smooth, plummy finish. For 7$, it's pretty decent. I wonder how this compares to Petrus--the epitome of a merlot based wine. If anyone would like to give me the opportunity to sample any vintage of Petrus, feel free to shoot me an email. Did that sound desperate?

2006 Loius Latour Pinot Noir Cote D'Or

Louis Latour is one of the largest negociants in France, and they're clearly trying to appeal to a more global audience by actually naming this Pinot Noir as opposed to Vin de Bourgogne. A nice wine, with textbook pinot aromas of strawberry, cherry, and a little earth. Tastes like strawberries/raspberries and has a fair amount of tannin. Texturally, the wine feels a bit flabby. Overall, not bad--especially for only 9$. B-.

Loimer "Lois" 2007 Gruner Veltliner Kamptal Austria

This Gruner is from the Kamptal appellation in Northern Austria, which apparently is more famous for Riesling. A nose of tart green apple, with citrus and minerals. Tastes like a green apple jolly rancher and citrus with racy acidity. This was a different style than the Huber last night--definitely had a lot more fruit, but that could be because the Huber was a 2006. I liked this one too. B+ Imported by Vin Divino.

2006 Huber Gruner Veltliner

This was a wine recommended by the folks at K&L. Citrusy, with a lot of floral characteristics. I'm going to call it grapefruit...It also had a whiff of vanilla, minerals and lots of green vegetal aromas. Nicely crisp. Really the perfect summer wine. Pretty tasty for 10$. B

2001 Chateau Faugeres St. Emilion Grand Cru

This was an interesting wine. Started out with a lot of licorice, leather, and earth aromas; the fruit was buried. After about an hour, it opened up to reveal lots of blackberry and cherry character. I have the feeling that it could last for a lot longer. B+