These are great values in Northern Rhone Syrah.  Fass Selections is their importer and distributor in the US.  For those looking for some different wines, sign up for their daily e-mail blasts of wines for direct sale.  While this will improve a bit with cellaring, it drinks well now, especially with a bit of air.  Purple in color, ruby swirls.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, roasted herbs and slight black pepper.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the fruit is a bit lighter but still in the black raspberry vein.  An underlying minerality with some char.  Good acidity.  Nice finish. 

One of the longer living CdP's.  However, 2004 is an ok, not great vintage at this time.  The result?  At age 15 this is at peak.  It should be here for at least five and likely ten more years.  Medium ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, slight floral notes, garrique and slight earthy funk.  On the palate, this has nice depth.  Layers of cherry liqueur unwind in the glass over a funky earthiness.  Light dry tannins especially on the finish.  This works well with stews and roast.  Everything you want in a traditional CdP.  

About ten years ago, a west coast retailer dumped these on the market.  And, I mean dumped.  About $15 a bottle.  Never knew why but bought some anyway as did lots of others.  It seems that has tainted the perception of this wine as every time people open one, the story is told and the comments factor in the price.  Frankly, that does this wine a dis-service.  At age 13, from a solid vintage, this wine is drinking quite well and appears to be at peak.  Pale ruby in color.  The nose is earthy, slightly dishwater with good fresh cherries as well.  On the palate, this is clean with cherries, m

Well, this was one of the better values I have had in Burgundy in a while.  It was $70 on release with current vintages retailing for $110 or so.  Pop and pour, this seems to be at peak or just getting there.  It improved in the first thirty minutes and then held until the bottle was empty.  Light ruby in color.  A bit pale.  The nose is strong though with cherries and a slight earthy funk.  Maybe just a bit of spice.  On the palate, this has nice layering of fruit (cherries) and earth.  Good balance.  Persistent finish.  It went very well with food.  Delicious but also contemplative.  

This is a relatively inexpensive and widely distributed Malbec that show up on a lot of wine lists.  I prefer their Syrah but the Malbec is functional and not a bad choice when looking to not spend a lot of money.  Purple in color.  The nose is dusty with some plums and a bit of sweet alcohol.  On the palate, the plums come thru with some black cherry notes.  It is a touch warm.  Nice finish.  Works well with pastas, meat and pizza.  These drink well for about five years from vintage.  

My first time trying this and it was excellent.  Pop and pour and enjoyed with a shishito pepper dish that worked quite well.  Pale silvery/gold in color.  The nose has a salinity that is nice with minerals and slight green apples.  On the palate, this is not as austere as I had been led to believe.  In fact, it is very round and full bodied.  Nice apple fruit with underlying minerality.  Great acidity.  Long finish.  Delicious wine that is drinking well today but probably has a decade left.  It seems like it has the stuffing to mature and gain in complexity so probably still some upside.  

My first time trying this wine.  William Segui works closely with Thomas Rivers Brown at Rivers Marie, Outpost and other TRB projects but this wine is he and his wife's own project.  The vineyard has been in his wife Mary's, family for 70 years.  The wine itself is excellent and for their first time at bat, they hit a home run.  Inky purple in color, magenta at the rim.  Pop and pour, this took some time to open and was still getting better when the last drop was consumed a couple hours later.  Bright and opaque.  The nose is really unique.  Sure, it has cassis and a bit of blueberries, but

Light gold/green in color.  The nose is nice with lemons, slight vanilla, and a bit of grapefruit.  On the palate, this is nice but a bit more depth would be nice.  Decent acidity.  Some lemon and grapefruit.  Went well with a vegetarian pasta dish.  This cost $70 and that is the biggest thing.  Hard to justify that unless one lays it down the cellar.  But, with white Burgundies, that raises the risk of premature oxidation.  I am not sure what the answer is, but I find myself buying less White Burgundy.  That said, if you have this, it should be cellared for at least five more years.  

This is a blend of 80% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Ancellotta.  It is a big wine made from Estate grown fruit in Paraje Altamira.  It is a big wine that clocks in at 14% Abv although it seems a bit higher.  It is also delicious and makes a great drink when sitting around with friends.  Deep purple in color.  The nose has plums, some black raspberries, spice and slight coffee bean.  On the palate, this has medium tannins.  It is thick and voluptuous.  Plums and cassis flavors with some oak.  Slightly ripe/sweet on the finish.  A fun wine that should be consumed in the next few yea

This is a bigger styled RRV Pinot Noir but the fruit seems a bit less ripe.  It makes for an interesting wine.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose shows rhubarb, slight cherries, a hint of cola and plenty of oak/spice.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  It feels high in alcohol without having any heat.  It is smooth and easy drinking with a ton of rhubarb and some cherry flavors.  Slight tannins.  This probably makes a better drink on the deck than at the dinner table.  Probably best drunk over the next couple of years.