Marques de Caceras 2001 Riserva Rioja

This wine is good. Much better than the Pillar Box Red my parents had open (basically a cheap, highly rated Aussie fruit bomb...not bad, but pretty one dimensional). I digress though--plums, lots of spice, tobacco, and maybe some cherries. Balanced and definitively old world in style. Cheap too--12$ at Costco apparently. A-

Cameron Hughes 2006 Santa Barbara Chardonnay Lot 58

Cameron Hughes is generally pretty awesome. Sort of like 2$ chuck--only the wines are great. (Two Buck Chuck well, sucks.) Lots of new oak with pineapples, toast and a pleasing creamy finish. Currently the oak dominates for the most part. Well made, although not really my style. It's still tasty though and it's a lot of wine for 10$. B

Eguren 2006 Tempranillo

10$ for a liter of good wine seems sort of impossible, but here it is. Fruity and pure with black cherry, hints of earth and mint. I don't think this wine spent much time in new oak. Fantastic for 10$. Great value. I just got an offer from Garagiste for this wine...and Garagiste stuff is generally pretty good. A-

Bricco delle Ciliegie 2006 Roero Arneis

This wine comes Giovani Almondo (by way of K&L. Apparently Parker gave it a 91 (not why I bought it)...sometimes I like stuff he likes, sometimes not. Anyways--aromas of peaches, honey, a slight whiff of nuts, and floral components lead to flavors of peaches, tart citrus a little later and a creamy long finish. An interesting wine that I enjoyed. 22$

2007 Vina Borgia

Had this wine at Friends of the Vine with some of the guys I used to
work with. Fred, the owner, always has interesting stuff. This wine is imported by Jorge Ordonez--basically the Kermit Lynch of Spanish wine. This wine rules. Sour cherries, pepper, and earth lead into an orange sour cherry finish. Garnache from the Campo de Borja. This wine was much more balanced and to my liking than Alto Moncayo. A-

La Cheteau NV Vouvray Brut

Nice nose of green apples and flowers. Ripe and fruity. Nice finish. Hard to believe this was only 9$. Maybe because it isn't Champagne....A-

2006 Kings Estate Oregon Pinot Noir

Had this at Catal in Anaheim. (The best thing we had was a sweet corn flan. Awesome!) Strawberries, earth, and spice. Well balanced. Good but simple. B-

Ermacora 2006 Pinot Bianco

Ermacora is a great winery from the Colli Orientali del Friuli in
Italy. My first experience with Ermacora was in Rome at Il Tajut.
Their schiopettino is great... Anyways, turns out K&L is their sole US
importer.

This wine is got 2 glasses from Gambero Rosso, Italy's biggest wine
critic. A lush wine with ripe pears, honey, vanilla and
a hint of baking spices. Balanced and creamy with a good finish.I liked this one quite a bit. I guess that Steven Tanzer did too. A-

Viridian 2006 Pinot Gris

Tasty wine from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Aromas of orange oil, pear, and herbs. Rich and lush with a citrusy, herby, oily finish. B+

2006 Mastroberadino "Nova Serra" Greco do Tufo

Another K&L wine club wine. Fruity nose of limes, stones, and minerals with maybe a little peach too. Crisp citrusy flavors and a zippy grapefruit finish. Great summer wine. B

Hogue 2005 Columbia Valley Merlot "Genesis"

Okay--I love Washington wine. Most of the time its a great balance between fruit bombs of California and the old world balance of France. Kind of the best of both worlds. Seriously--who is naive enough to look for value in Napa or Bordeaux? I'm sure they exist but you can get killer wine for way less. From places like Washington, Spain, the Loire; basically anywhere where there aren't tons of rich pompous guys bidding up the price. When Cramer tells you to buy wine as an investment, maybe its time to run because the wine sucks...Oh and did I mention that I'm a Seattelite? Anyways-- this wine has nice cherry fruit, earth and a hint if mint. A little tarter in the mouth, and with a spicy "taco seasoning"; or maybe cinnamon character and lots of chocolate. The wine is well made but its kind of boring. Not bad, but sadly, for 12$ I've had way better and more interesting. C+ Wine Spectator gave it an 88.

The Balvenie Doublewood

Okay admittedly not wine!! The Balvenie is a bit outside my scotch bounds because its a malt from Speyside. What I really like is stuff from Islay (Laphroiag, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Caol Ila and the
like...). This is a great Scotch though... Matured in a combo of sherry wood and normal whiskey cask. Pears, apples, caramel and vanilla on the nose, smooth, spicy, oaky and fruity in the mouth. Lingering spicy cinnamon pear finish. B+(but only because i like the peaty smokey intense Islay thing...) and definitely a better Scotch than Glenlivet 12, or Macallan 12. 33$ at Trader Joes, which I think is the cheapest that I've seen.

2005 Joel Taluau L'expression St. Nicolas de Bourgueil

Cab Franc. Another good wine from K&L. Washington & Napa Cab Francs that I have had are definitely in a different frame of mind. This wine is a nice mix of the typically more earthy, savory flavors that you would find in Chinon and the fruit bombs that are California. Deep, expressive nose of olives, earth, slightly vegetal, with nice cherry and blackberry fruit. After about an hour most of the earthiness went away leaving behind silky smooth blackberry fruit and acids. Great balance of earth, fruit and acidity. This wine is refreshing, well-made, and intellectually stimulating (and even takes a bit of a chill)! A

2005 Chante Cigale Chateauneuf du Pape

Dark purple with aromas of black fruits, herbs, spices, garrique, and a peppery, lavendery finish. Smooth and lush. Good balance. B+