Deep ruby in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is dusty with red berries.  On the palate, cherries with slight tannins.  It could use a bit more acidity but that is nit picking.  Good finish.  This seems to be approaching maturity and should have a decade left.  Will work with a wide variety of foods, but maybe not spicy ones.  

One of the great white Rhone wines from California.  50% Roussanne, 20% Grenache Blanc, 10% Vermentino, 10% Picpoul, 10% Marsanne.  Green gold in color.  The nose has slight limes with some citrus and slight wax.  On the palate, this has a wonderful plush texture with great crispness on the wine.  Deep and complex despite its youth, it unwinds in the glass.  Slightly oily.  Long finish.  Works with or without foods.  This will likely age well, but is so good now, I don't think it gets better, just different.  

95% Syrah, 5% Viognier.  Purple in color.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, leather, roasted meats, and black pepper.  Deep.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Black raspberries, char, black pepper along with some earthiness.  More lower tones (if that makes sense).  Good balance.  Kept opening up.  This has a long life left.  Needs bigger foods.  

Carlisle conitnues to pump out some of the best Zinfandels.  Period.  That they cost under $50 is even better.  Purple in color.  The nose is great with black raspberries, slight bramble, char and black cherries.  On the palate, the texture is wonderful; lush yet precise.  Lots of black rasberry and boysenberry fruit.  Depth.  Needs spicy or big foods.  Long finish.  Just a delicious wine.  

This is the basic Jaffurs Syrah.  It is one of the great values in warmer climate Syrah from California.  It typically retails for around $30.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is great with black raspberries, roasted meats, slight violets and black pepper.  On the palate, there is a nice energy.  Bright black raspberry fruit.  Underlying roasted meats and earthiness.  Great texture.  This drinks great on release and continues to improve for a decade.  Goes well with medium or heartier foods and especially Indian foods.  If you are not on this wineries mailing list, you should be

60% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre, 5% Cinsault, 5% Counoise.  Inky purple in color.  The nose is great with black raspberries, leather, plums, slight earthiness, char and some black cherries.  On the palate, this has a wonderful rich texture.  Medium tannins.  It is young but bursting with fruit without being over the top.  Black cherries, black raspberries, underlying earthiness and char.  Long finish.  This is a big wine and needs either big or spicy food.  It is still probably 7 years from maturity and will last another 10 after that (at least).  That said, it is delicious and enjoy

This is the basic Riesling from one of the top producers of Riesling in the Nahe and in Germany.  Drinking quite well today.  Screw capped.  Light golden in color.  The nose has nice minerality and a bit of pineapple.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet.  Good acidity and balance.  Slight pineapple and peach with underlying minerality.  Good finish.  This will work great with spicy foods or lighter foods.  Great value for $20.  It should last for another 7 to 10 years but if you can't find this vintage, its good in just about every vintage.  

The perils of buying wines off store shelved that have been there a while.  This wine, recently bought, did not appear to be in perfect shape.  Still, it offered up enough pleasure that it was worth drinking.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has a slight aquarium note along with a bit of balsamic.  There is also some red fruit fighting to be heard.  The palate was pretty much the same.  There is some complexity here.  Probably a very nice wine as it fought with likely poor storage and heat.  Too bad.  

This is a relatively unknown red from northeast Italy that you should know.  Made from the Lagrein grape.  This is much more serious than most wines utilizing that grape.  Deep ruby/purple in color.  The nose has dark cherries, spice and a bit of pine.  On the palate, this has black cherries and cherries.  Very rich fruit but also a great backbone of acidity.  Would work well with a wide variety of foods.  Some tannins, this is still young and has a few more years until peak.  Should have another 10 to 15 years in it.  

Sadly, this bottle was quite off.  Not sure if it is over the hill or something went wrong.  Its full of volatile acidity.  Undrinkable.  I am a huge fan of Sineann wines and a bottle consumed in 2010 of this scored 90.  This one went down the drain.  Bad bottles happen and its important to note those as well.  This had a glass cork.