This is another Nebbiolo from north-west Piedmont in northern Italy.  Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is a bit soapy along with cherries and tar.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  Better on the palate, with cherries and some smoke.  Moderate finish.  Drink over the next five years.  This will work better with foods such as a Mushroom Pizza.  

From the far north in Piemonte in Italy, this is made from Nebbiolo, the same grape used in Barolo and Barbaresco.  It is a very nice value play.  Pale ruby in color, slightly opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty with cherries and slight tar notes.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, cherries with underlying light earthiness.  Elegant.  Good acidity.  Medium complexity.  Medium finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue for the next five to seven years.  A perfect wine for mid-week pizza or pasta.  

This is 100% Tempranillo from California's Central Coast - Paso Robles.  A very interesting take.  Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, and is dusty with dill (American oak?).  Full bodied.  This is a big wine.  On the palate, cherries with dust.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  Very firm tannins.  This seems like it will need time but I doubt it ever loses its "bigness".  It is also delicious.  For those who like this style of wine, drink over the next twenty years.  Glazed Pork Tenderloin would be a good match.  

This is a field blend (mostly Zinfandel) from Sonoma.  Of course, 2011 was a difficult vintage.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, flat.  The nose is dusty with black cherries.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this is somewhat surprisingly ripe.  Black cherries and cherries with some prune notes.  There is some depth and complexity.  A long finish.  This is probably better on its own but would work with pizza.  Drink up over the next few years. 

This is a blend of 97% Syrah with 3% Petite Sirah.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is tight but opens after about an hour.  Spice, black raspberries, some smoke along with roasted meats and herbs and black pepper.  Full bodied.  Has a bit more elegance than prior vintages perhaps due to less Petite Sirah?  On the palate, black raspberry fruit with underlying char and earth.  Some black pepper, too.  Nice finish.  This may still improve a bit and while it drinks well now, it may be worth cellaring for another three to seven years.  Either way, it will drink we

Yes, it is just a Bourgogne, but it is Leroy, and she makes some of the best Bourgogne Blancs.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  This has a great nose with Vanilla and Fuji apples.  Slight smoke.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is rich with nice minerality.  Lemony notes.  Long finish.  This got better with air.  This should drink well for the next decade at least.  It will work on its own and will be great with sea food.  

This is a sweet wine from Alsace France.  At just shy of 25 years old, this was beautiful.  Golden in color, a deep in color, clear and bright.  What an exquisite nose.  Is there a better nose on a wine than aged Gewurztraminer?  Lychees, honey, slight grilled grapefruit (think caramelized) and saline.  Full bodied.  Viscous.  Sweet but not cloying.  On the palate, lychees, and honey with underlying minerality.  Long finish.  Just delicious.  This is contemplative on its own but will work with more savory (or at least less sweet) fruit desserts.  Mature, but this could easily go another dec

This winery has since been sold, but they went out with a bang producing some very highly rated Cabernets.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, slight graphite, black cherries, baking spices and slight char.  Full bodied.  Delicious.  Depth.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black cherries and cassis with underlying char and slight spice.  It unwinds nicely in the glass.  This drinks great on its own and will work well with food such as braised short ribs or roasted vegetables. Drink over the next eight to twelve years.  

Mike Smith is the winemaker here and produces some of the top wines in the world.  This is an interesting vintage.  Initially, it looked like it would be amazing, but many of the wines seemed to get almost to that point and just stopped.  Still outstanding, but not quite the overall quality of say 2013 or 2014.  I think that is true for this wine although that is clearly nit-picking and most wineries only dream of getting to this level of quality.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, spices and char.  A really great, plush texture.  Tannins are mostly resolved but