Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has apples, golden raisins, and slight lemon notes.  On the palate, this has a slightly viscous texture.  Apples and pears with a nice streak of acidity.  Moderate finish.  This drinks smoothly right now on its own.  It will work well with lighter foods.  Drink over the next few years. 

Perhaps the best "non-sauterne" made, this is in a great place.  Light iced-tea in color, clear and bright.  The nose is very nice with honey, apricots and slight Crème Brûlée quality.  Medium bodied but viscous.  Sweet not cloying.  On the palate, honey and caramel notes with good acidity.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This drinks great on its own and will work with less sweet, non-chocolate desserts.  

Another new winery for me.  This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Stage Coach Vineyard.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is very nice with cassis, black cherries, baking spices and a dry earthiness.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is really concentrated and intense but not a bomb in any way.  Black cherry fruit leads with some cassis notes.  There is a dry rocky, earthy under it all.  Medium tannins.  Nice finish.  This drinks well now but will continue to improve for three to five years.  It will drink well on its own, but will be better with hearty, fatty foods but also ro

A new winery for me.  Wowza!  Of course, this is also a great vintage.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, blueberries, baking spices, and slight chocolate.  Full bodied with a lovely lush texture.  On the palate, lots of lush fruit without being a fruit bomb.  Medium tannins.  Delicious.  Still young and primary, it is hard to see where it goes, but I suspect it ages beautifully over the next twenty years or more.  While patience will be rewarded, there will be no regrets opening one now.  Probably better on its own now, as it ages it will work great w

From the folks at Cayuse.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, strawberries, slight earthiness and a hint of floral notes.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the black cherry and strawberries come thru big time.  A slight dry earthiness underneath.  This is ripe but not over done.  Good finish.  This could use a few years to develop more and should drink well for eight to ten after that.  Nice on its own, with age it will work well with roasted fowl.  

Coming around but still young.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, clear and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, roasted meats, black pepper and slight floral notes.  Full bodied.  A nice backbone of acidity.  On the palate, black raspberry fruit with underlying char and pepper.  Clean.  Juicy.  Moderate finish.  This probably will drink better on day 2.  Patience will be rewarded.  Hold off for another few years then drink over the next ten to fifteen.  A nice match with roasted meats or veggies.  

This is an excellent wine, but consumed side by side with the regular bottling of the JL L'Hermitage Blanc, it does not have the power or concentration.  Medium golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has slight wax, peach, vanilla and slight white flower notes.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, ginger, citrus with some minerality.  Nice finish.  This is not yet at peak and should have ten to twelve years left.  A nice match with hearty fish or non-meat pasta dishes.  

White Rhone's can be tricky to time as they age, but this was firing on all cylinders.  Medium golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with wax, ginger, orange peel and floral notes.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is deep and complex.  the ginger and orange peel carries thru but its the minerality that really stands out.  Enough acidity but not a lot.  Long finish.  Delicious wine that keeps improving with air.  It demands attention.  This drinks well on its own and will work well with spicy foods.  Still youthful, this should last another twenty five years with no problem

This is a 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  Salmon pink in color, clear and bright.  Minimal mousse but very tiny bubbles.  The nose is lighter but opens with air.  Cherries, oranges and lemons with some minerality.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is refreshing and delicious.  Cherries and lemon rind with underlying minerality.  Long finish.  Great acidity.  This took some time to open in the glass suggesting it might yet have some upside.  It should drinking well over the next ten to fifteen years.  It drinks well on its own but will be incredibly versatile with food.  It shoul

Honestly, expectations were very low for this.  From a 250ml bottle.  In the bottle, it looked like balsamic vinegar but once poured it was more the color of iced tea.  Clear and bright.  If served blind, the guess would be Vin Santo.  The nose is nutty with caramel but also a slight honey and pear.  Medium to full bodied but viscous.  On the palate, this is just barely sweet.  More like semi-sweet.  Caramel and nutty flavors with some burnt cashew notes.  Some acidity.  Moderate finish.  Certainly a respectable showing at age 33 from a 250ml bottle!