Guigal makes a lot of wine and just about all of it is excellent and priced fairly.  This wine is no exception.  It is 95% Marsanne with 5% Roussanne.  It sees 2 years in second year oak barrels.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is waxy with red apples.  Oily texture.  Full bodied.  On the palate, apples with a bit of spice.  Crisp-ish.  Good finish.  This is delicious and a wonderful wine.  Great on its own, this will be food friendly with sea food, ham or fowl.  Drink over the next eight to ten years.

This is a white blend using Rhone varietals and made in Tin City, Paso Robles, California.  It is a blend of 48% Viognier, 19% Marsanne, 13% Roussanne, 11% Grenache Blanc and 9% Clairette.  My first time trying this wine and producer and it is delightful.  Light golden in color with some green hues.  Clear and bright.  The nose has a whiff of fruit but then is dominated by wax, sea air and spice.  With air a bit more pineapple emerges.  Lovely slightly oily texture.  Drying tannins.  On the palate, more pineapple with some lime notes on the finish.  13.7%abv.  It is so hard to say how this

This is a dry Riesling from Germany.  For those who "dislike" Riesling because it is sweet, this is a nice surprise.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is about minerality with "wet rocks" and some lemons and slight peach.  Full bodied.  Crisp but a slightly viscous texture.  On the palate, lemons and minerals.  Long finish.  This is incredibly food friendly but a great choice would be Thai food.  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years.  

This is 100% Chenin Blanc from 70 year old vines in the Loire Valley.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has loads of minerality with a touch of lemon peel.  Slightly viscous texture.  Concentrated.  Lots of energy.  On the palate, this is clean and tasty with a lot of minerality.  Slight lemon note.  Long finish. This is very young but drinking well.  It should continue to drink well for another ten to fifteen years (at least).  A great match for grilled trout or other sea food.  This is expensive so shop around for pricing.  

This is another wine from the Michael Mondavi Family of wines.  This is the inaugural vintage of this wine sourced from various vineyards around Paso Robles.  It will be interesting to watch as they get a handle on what the vineyard has to offer.  That said, this first vintage is a very nice value in California Cabernet.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, char, spice and slight coffee note.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, cassis, plums and char.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  This is nice on its own and will work with gr

Oberon is part of the  Michael Mondavi family of wines.  This wine was quite good and very interesting.  It is of course, mostly Merlot (sourced in Oakville) but there is an undisclosed amount of Zinfandel and Syrah in the wine which seems to give it a bit more structure and likely a bit of acidity as well.  The people at Oberon feel it adds more lushness.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, spice and chocolate.  Full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Flavors of black cherries, milk

Oberon is a project by the Michael Mondavi family making quality wines from California. The winemaker is long time industry veteran Tony Coltrin. This is a reasonably priced Sauvignon Blanc that tries to forge its own identity from a grape that can be very distinctive depending on where it was grown and made. It is light green in color with a bit of silvery/gold hues. Clear and bright. The nose has a nice minerality, slight tropical fruit and even slighter grassiness. Slightly oily texture. Good balance. On the palate, the minerality dominates.

The Small Lot expressions of Cuvaison (wine typically under 200 cases and a focused identity) have become some of the most exciting and anticipated wines coming out of California. This latest Chardonnay expresses both traditional and non-traditional Chardonnay notes. Typical would be citrus, lemon lime, white peach and guava. Untypical shows kumquat, amber resin, a slight sour green apple and an even slighter butter rum hard candy.

What begins as a soft and velvety Pinot Noir, light and delicate, turns to a beautifully structured wine that offers excellent fruit, acidity, light tannins and layers of flavor. Typical of many Pinots, this begins with noticeable strawberry, red raspberry and black cherry notes, but then delves into more complex, green tea leaf, cedar plank, wild grass, light earthiness, cola, rhubarb and a hint of resin. At first blush this seems like a lovely Pinot Noir to have with dinner, but upon spending time with it, you realize the various facets.

Purchased at Foxcroft Wine Bar in Charlotte, NC.  This is 100% Garnacha (Grenache) from old wines in the mountains just west of Madrid.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, pomegranate, spice and wild herbs.  Full bodied.  On the palate, black cherries, some cherries and spice.  There is some depth.  Long finish.  Tasty.  This is young but drinking nicely.  Good on its own or with food.  It would work well with Baked Ham.