One of the best Cooperatives making wine is the Produttori del Barbaresco.  Always good, but a few times every decade they nail it and 2006 was one of those.  Deep garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is great with cherries, tar and spice.  Medium bodied with lighter tannins.  On the palate, this is complex, with good acidity and delicious.  Lots of cherry fruit and a nice earthiness.  At age 15, it is mature but with time left.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  This is nice on its own but will be better with food.  Pasta with a mushroom cream sauce will be great.  

This has always been one of my favorite value Bordeaux wines almost always hitting above its weight class.  This is no exception.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has some nice funk with black cherries, and slight green bell pepper.  Medium bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries, some cherries with just a hint of bell pepper and black pepper.  Nice balance.  Nice finish.  This needs some time and food to shine.  Give it a nice decant or a few years in the cellar.  Drink over the next ten.  It will work well with a beef stew or cassoulet.  

This is another great value from Paso Robles.  A blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Petite Sirah, 2% Syrah and 2% Malbec, this is tasty and a nice value.  Sure to be a crowd pleaser.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty, gravelly with black raspberries and slight black cherries.  Medium tannins.  Some complexity.  Lots of big fruit on the palate - black raspberries and black currants.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This should drink well for the next three to six years.  Nice on its own, it will work well with pizza, (veggie)burgers or ribs.  

The Daou brothers have really added to the wine reputation in Paso Robles.  The make mostly Bordeaux varietals at all price points.  This is there inexpensive Chardonnay and it is an excellent value.  Silvery/green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has yellow grapefruits and smoke.  A nice oily texture.  On the palate, lemons, quince and smoke.  Nice acidity.  Long finish.  This drinks easy and is sure to be a crowd pleaser at parties.  Drink over the next couple years.  Nice on its own, it will work well with lighter foods or seafood.  

It had been a while since last trying a Gruet wine, so this was a nice opportunity.  Originally founded by a Frenchman with ancestral ties to Champagne in New Mexico, this winery has been making lovely sparkling  wines for decades now.  This one is also lovely.  Silvery gold in color with lot of smaller bubbles.  Toasty with lemons.  Clean.  Crisp.  On the palate, this is tasty with some complexity.  Slight apples, more lemon and toast.  Nice toasty finish.  A great value in sparkling wines.  Very food friendly.  Try it with popcorn.  

Ruby with  purple swirls.  The nose is peppery with black cherries, and char.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries and char.  Some warmth on the finish.  This is a very nice, easy drinking Zin that is middle of the road (between Claret and Fruit Bomb) in style.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  This will work well with ribs or a burger.  

Tasted from two bottle, one seemed off due to heat/poor storage while the other was fine.  The off bottle had raisin notes, brown sugar and balsamic.  The better bottle was purple with ruby swirls, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is peppery with black cherries and char.  Tannic.  On the palate, the black cherries and char come thru.  This is tight and needs some air right now.  A bit of warmth on the finish.  Drink over the next ten years.  This will work better with food although it can be drunk on its own. 

This is labelled as Pinot Noir (not Spatburgunder) from Germany.  14% abv.  Very pale, light ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is warm with camphor and light cherries.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, light cherries, slight anise.  This is light and easy, but for the money, a nice wine to serve at parties.  Drink on its own or will work with pasta or chicken.  Drink now.

Named after "Greta" a "famous" wild pig in the southeast of France.  This is an easy to drink white wine that provides some value.  Light green/gold in color.  The nose is smoky and fruity (sort of like fruit flavored gum).  There is nice acidity and a nice texture.  On the palate, not as much generic fruitiness but it is refreshing.  A hint of bitter almond on the finish.  For the price, this would be a fine choice for a party.  It would work with lighter foods or on its own.  Drink now.  

Golden in color with light bubbles.  The nose is nice with peaches and orange peel.  Slightly frothy.  Lower acidity.  Pleasant but indistinct on the palate.  Slightly bitter on the finish.  This will drink better with food.  Drink now.