This is a big, modern styled Brunello.  It is also outstanding.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, forest floor, sandalwood and chocolate.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, plenty of oak coming off as spice and chocolate but plenty of cherry and black cherry fruit.  This bottle is still youthful but getting close to maturity.  Depth.  Delicious.  Nice finish.  This drink great on its own and need some heavier food right now.  Short ribs with Polenta seems like it would work well.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  

Very nice showing for this wine.  It has the reputation (fueled by its 15% abv?) of being a bruiser but at this stage in its life, showed plenty of refinement.  Ruby in color with some purple swirls, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, slight sandalwood, slight tea leaves and an interesting rosemary note.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, cherries, slight black cherries, hint of soy with a bit of char.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This may still improve but either way has another ten to twenty years left of good drinking.  It drinks nicely on its own b

I believe that Pietro Conterno is Giacomo Conterno's father.  First time trying a wine with this label.  It was double decanted a few hours prior to serving.  Pale ruby with plenty of browning in color, clear although a bit muted.  Despite all of the air it saw prior to pouring, this still improved and got more youthful (to a degree) in the glass.  The nose is a bit nutty, but also has some dried cherries, slight mushrooms, and forest floor.  There is a nice complexity.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is past prime but does offer up some interesting notes of earthiness, mushroom and dr

This bottle was decanted for sediment about an hour prior to serving.  This bottle was fresher than one opened about a year ago.  It was purchased around 2009, and it is not clear if this is an original bottling or not. Light ruby in color, some browning, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, tar and slight smoke.  Perhaps a slight but of forest floor.  Complex and deep with layers or some fruit but mostly tertiary notes.  Cherries, slight gravel, forest floor and slight char.  Good finish.  This is certainly past prime and every bottle is different, but this bottle was just wh

This is always a difficult wine especially for those who don't drink a lot of it.  Considered an "orange" wine, this predates the hipster Sommelier's infatuation of this style of wine.  At age 17, it has changed and aged by is still a fascinating wine.  Beware, at any given table, most people with be less than enthralled.  A blend of Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Riesling Italico (Welschriesling).  Amber in color, cloudy but still bright.  The nose has honey, caramel but also some citrus.  There is also a bit of oxidation.  Medium bodied.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, this is dry

This is made from 75% Le Mesnil Chardonnay blended with 25% Pinot Noir from Grand Cru vineyards in Ambonnay. 8 g/L dosage.  Copper with slight pink notes in color, clear, bright and with a moderate amount of small bubbles.  The nose is delicate but persistent with strawberries and slight cherries.  Plenty of minerality.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, strawberries and black cherries with lots of minerality.  Tart, especially on the finish.  Very food friendly, this would work well with fried chicken or popcorn, too.  Drink within five years of purchase.  

Light golden in color, clear and bright with a steady stream of small bubbles.  Very nice nose with some citrus (tangerine?), a hint of ginger, plenty of toast and slight CO2.  Full bodied.  On the palate, plenty of minerals with slight tangerine.  Lots of depth.  Long finish.  This drinks very well and is very food friendly.  It is should probably be consumed within three to five years of purchase.

Goldeneye has been quietly crafting excellent pinot noir from the Anderson Valley in Mendocino County since 1996. Utilizing a blend of four different clones, the Ten Degrees has always been an exceptional wine and this vintage is no different. Beautifully balanced between acidity, fruit and oak aging, this offers black cherry, cranberry, pomegranate, a wee bit of white pepper and an even flow throughout the palate. Though aged for 16 months in French oak the fruit shine without being overly dramatic, the lush ripe flavors are very appealing. In short, this is deftly balanced.

Forming a little over 10 years ago, Davis Estates turns out excellent wines based in the Napa Valley. Comprised of 100% merlot, this wine offers rich and concentrated fruit, more compote driven with blackberry, black cherry, blueberry, boysenberry, plum, cocoa powder and a heavy toasting of oak. The oak is a little strong, however it is nonetheless balanced within this wine, having been aged 22 months in 40% new French oak. The results are mild tannins and a rich opulent feel making this extremely enjoyable to drink. 796 cases

A terrific acidity leads into subtle yet definable and lovely flavors of strawberry, guava, honeydew, slight lemon-lime, and a hint of papaya. Beautifully balanced, this is a wonderful expression of how fruit can transcend as a mere single grape – in this case pinot noir - and express itself in a myriad number of ways. The wine was mainly whole cluster pressed with just 15% saignée method, which involves the removal of a proportion of juice from a tank of crushed red grapes.