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California/USA (except dessert/sparkling)
2000 Pinot Noir "Marcassin Vineyard" (Marcassin)
The good news with this wine at this point in its life is that it is youthful and sweet. The bad news is that it is simple, relatively unstructured and a bit candied on the finish. The depth is modest, appropriate for Pinot Noir, though, and it tastes reasonably good, but it always has a middle of the road, rather simple feel to it, giving one a sense that it is going nowhere and will develop into nothing interesting or complex.  88 points

2001 Cabernet Sauvignon "Eisele" (Araujo)
This elegant wine is graceful, but the oak overlay gives the fruit a sort of licorice note that I found a little annoying. It never seemed terribly complex as it aired out, nor particularly intense, making me wonder where this relatively young wine from a powerful vintage is going.  This certainly does a lot right in its soft, sexy, suave demeanor, but I was expecting something a bit more even so. Perhaps it is in an awkward stage. 93 points.

2001 Cabernet Sauvignon "RBS Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard" (Schrader)
Nicely focused, with modest depth, this has a debonair feel to it and is quite tasty, with a Burgundian feel. It does seem to have thinned with just a few years of age.  It is easy drinking, but for its price tag, I might have hoped for a little more, something with a bit more flesh and a bit more promise for the future. 90 points. 

2003 Cariad (Colgin)
Ripe, with a touch of herbs on the finish, this initially shows perfectly, with a burst of tannin and little intensity and backbone that should serve the wine well as it ages. As it aired out, I did think the alcohol showed a bit, but this is otherwise a beautifully constructed wine from a big vintage. 93 points.

2001 Pinot Noir “Cuvée Catherine" (Kistler)
This lovely Pinot has an elegant mid-palate and perfect balance, soft texture, with just enough acidity on the edges. The wine's best feature, though, is plainly its intensity of flavor, a persistent black cherry nuance that lasts and is simply delicious from first sip to last. It is elegant, but sexy at the same time. 94 points.

2005 Pinot Noir "Special Reserve Edna Valley" (Herzog)
Light in color with little depth and concentration, this simple wine has little finish or structure. The flavors are muted at first, but when fruit does appear, it is friendly enough, if simple and one dimensional. At $30, this very basic wine, little more than a jug wine, is inoffensive, but seems quite expensive for what it is. This is Kosher, non Mevushal. 80 points.

2003 Syrah Special Reserve Edna Valley" (Herzog)
The Syrah ($30) from Herzog is a considerable step up on the Pinot Noir reviewed on this page, largely because of its structure. At age 6, it is still rather intense and tight on the finish, the tannins showing some grip. The depth is modest, though. The fruit is tasty, although rather simple at the outset, but it does show far more character and Syrah typicity with air. This wine lacks the depth of fruit necessary to be truly distinguished, turning rather austere as it airs out, the tannins outliving and somewhat dominating the fruit, but it has some good points. It's not for the shy though--there is no round, fruity little wine here. Although the tannins suggest that holding this wine longer is necessary, I suspect that the current impression of lack of balance in the wine will not be cured with long cellaring and it will become less rather than more attractive. Still, I rather enjoyed this at times, particularly as the fruit developed some character with air. It definitely needs some food. This is Kosher, non Mevushal.  86 points.

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon "Special Reserve Napa Valley" (Herzog)
This Cabernet ($39) has a bit of a vanilla tinge (17 months in oak), but it integrates surprisingly well. The structure here is rather good, the wine having some backbone, as well as a bright, lively feel. The principal problem--it's vegetal. The green nuances are a bit much, and unless you are a big fan of cool climate Cab Franc, this Cabernet Sauvignon may seem too herbaceous. It flattens out a bit with air, too, but it has its moments. Still, there is no reason a Napa Cab should be quite this green. This is Kosher, non Mevushal.  84 points.

1992 Cabernet Sauvignon "Herb Lamb" (Colgin)
Double decanted from magnum, this opened with a nose that made it seem rather old and somewhat over the hill, but that was deceptive. While it always showed tertiary aromas and full maturity, this came along beautifully. The musty notes on the nose, bottle stink no doubt, blew off, and the wine developed into a charming and complex Bordeaux-ringer with a bright, succulent finish and fine flavor. The mid-palate is elegant at best at this point in its life, but there is a lot here to like. I suspect this won't show quite as well from 750ml. 93 points.

1994 Cabernet Sauvignon (Harlan)
Haven't had this in awhile, and certainly not from magnum. It is certainly even better than my last bottle (from 750ml), seeming younger and more vital. Despite being double decanted, this was better 90 minutes after opening from the glass than it was on pouring. The wine has some complexity and elegance, but it was remarkable watching the fruit get riper and sweeter, in perfect balance with its sweet tannins. The red fruit notes are simply delicious, yet everything is in a perfect place, harmonious and graceful, with some minerality, too. This continues to be one of my favorite wines from an era that produced a lot of them. 100 points.

1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (Chateau Montelena)
Placed next to a lot of pricey cults, this wine nearly stole the show. It is certainly one of the great '97s, and unlike the vintage's stereotype it has great structure, penetration and a serious backbone, along with an earthy, lead pencil demeanor on the finish and ripe, gorgeous fruit. As this airs out, it remains pointed, but becomes more graceful. It is a very fine Cabernet that has years to go in the cellar. Having had this from 750ml not long ago, I can say the main difference here is a little more intensity. Both incarnations were terrific. 96 points.

1993 Cabernet Sauvignon "Eisele" (Araujo)
Well, perhaps this wine was ill served being poured next to the Colgin, Montelena and Harlan on this page. Still, a creature of its vintage, it was uninspiring. The mid-palate has thinned considerably and there are tertiary notes around the edges. It does not seem complex, as the Colgin does, however, merely aging and stolid, just there, hardly distinguished at this point in its life, but still pleasant enough. 89 points.

1998 Petite Sirah "Rattlesnake Acres" (Turley)
This lovely PS has come along brilliantly from this challenging vintage. It is drinking perfectly now. Open for hours, it showed its best at the end, the fruit becoming sweeter and finish bright and succulent. The elegant mid-palate is graceful, but by no means wimpy. This is beautifully balanced, with well integrated tannins, and simply delicious. 92 points.

1998 Petite Sirah "Barcini Vineyard" (Behrens & Hitchcock)
This wine, overbearing in its youth due to the oak, has had a bit of an epiphany. Oh, the oak is still obvious, giving it a bit of that caramel edge on the finish, but it has integrated considerably, too. With age, the mid-palate has thinned, giving the wine a more elegant air. The fruit is by no means dead or dying, though, still producing flavor, even if the mid-palate concentration is average at best. There is still a lot to like here, particularly considering that it was a fairly early performance from a difficult vintage. This had a synthetic cork, and there were issues concerning how the wine aged with the cork. I found no issue in particular here. 89 points.

2006 Grenache "Estate" (Clos LaChance)
This and the next few wines represent this relatively young Central Coast winery's entry into Rhone grapes. I rather like their Rhone performance and potential a bit better than the Bordeaux varietals. I liked this pure Grenache better than the Lila blend, reviewed below. This is a bit tight and intense on opening, longer on the finish and with more intensity of flavor as well as structure. The ripe Grenache throws off some rhubarb nuances, and a touch of kirsch, giving it a bit of flamboyance, too much for some, just fine for others.  The tannins moderate and the mid-palate thins a bit with air, my biggest quibble, but this remains a rather sexy wine that deliver intense flavors.  The alcohol comes in at 14.5%. There were 500 cases produced. The suggested retail price is $30.00. 88 points.

2006 Syrah "Estate" (Clos LaChance)
The Syrah is classic Syrah, a bit gamey on the finish, with an elegant if lushly textured mid-palate, and intensity on the nice finish. This holds nicely with air and continues to develop some character. Of the three wines reviewed here from Clos LaChance, this probably held best when aired out. By a small margin, it was my favorite. There were 489 cases produced. The suggested retail price is $35.00. 88 points.

2006 Lila's Cuvée (Clos LaChance)
This is a blend of 40% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 15% Carignane, 15% Alicante Bouchet, and 5% each of Cinsault and Petite Sirah. It is rather modest in the mid-palate, with a lush texture thanks to the oak, which gives the wine a bit of a vanilla finish. There is good red fruit flavor popping through on the finish, though, as the oak does not obliterate it. The tannins are ripe and well integrated, just popping up a little on the finish, enough to give the wine some needed verve at first, but increasingly powerful with air, and then moderating quickly. The aromatics on the wine are lovely.  A nice early effort, it is a flavorful and rather suave wine, although it finishes a bit short and it is a bit underwhelming for its price category.  There were 255 cases produced. The suggested retail price is $40.00.  87 points.
 

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Dessert/Sparkling
NV Port "40 Year" (Taylor Fladgate)
This has some of the acid and nuts that you'd expect in a 40 year Port, but there is fruit here, too, along with a succulent finish that dribbled sugar and flavor over the palate. It is a lovely Port, sweet and delicious, while retaining its verve and energy. 92 points.

1998 Riesling Eiswein "Mussbacher Eselshaut" (Muller-Catoir)
With some age, this has come along nicely. It was quite subtle in its youth, not terribly remarkable for a pricey half bottle. Its color is darker now, and the richness of the wine is more obvious, even while the sweetness is restrained. It is a wine that grows on you with air and warmth, delivering delicious, apricot-tinged fruit to the palate, seeming riper, but not necessarily sweeter, as it airs out. It should hold beautifully for many more years. 93 points.

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Germany (except dessert/sparkling)
2005 Riesling Spatlese "Scharzhofberger" (Vereinigte Hospitien) QPR Winner
This is a charming, beautifully balanced presentation, off dry, with mineral nuances prominent as it airs out. It is not particularly intense, modest in acid and sugar, but well focused, gentle and quite appealing. 89 points.

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Rhone/South/SW France (except dessert/sparkling)
2000 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Celestins" (Bonneau)
One of the things I've most admired about this bottling is its backbone and structure, a Chateauneuf that can be counted on to age, with some power and precision, not just---that's not JUST---tasty fruit. This year is a big disappointment by those standards. The wine is soft and plump, seamless, with little verve, no discernible tannins and a far too laid back demeanor. It is pretty tasty, to be sure, but by the standards of this winery and this bottling, it seems a bit flabby and uninspiring. 90 points.

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Spain (except dessert/sparkling)

2005 Peraj Ha'abib "Flor de Primavera" (Celler de Capçanes)
This wine from Montsant is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache (35% each), with 30% Carignan. It is a pretty nice offering from this well known winery. It opens with a trace of sweet oak on the finish, but this is not about the oak. There is a delicate mid-palate followed by considerable power on the finish. This is a wine with a tannic punch at the outset. The fruit eventually takes over, initially dominated by the Cabernet, later showing more Grenache flavors. Delicious, graceful and gripping, this has many virtues and a chance to cellar well. It  sometimes showed the potential to develop some complexity over the next few years. If I had a quibble, it did seem to flatten and turn a bit austere with a couple of hours of air. On other wines, that would not be much of a flaw, but given that this is obviously constructed to age and intended to be something serious, it needs to prove itself in the cellar to merit its rating. Suggested retail on this is $60.00. This is the Kosher cuvée, but don't let that concern you. It's just wine, and pretty good wine at that.  90 points.

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 QPR Winner I give this award to wines that are particularly good values, even if well beyond bargain wine pricing. They are not "best buys," which I define as under $20 wines. Every Best Buy is a QPR winner, but the reverse is not true.  Note: wines tasted at trade shows and the like generally will be displayed with ranges, as it is more difficult to get a good read on a wine in those conditions.  Also, many notes on the E-Zine often come from food and wine events, rather than classic, controlled conditions.

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