Warwick Valley Winery Cabernet Franc 2010 (about $15)

About the Wine:  Cabernet Franc is a relative of Cabernet Sauvignon.  Sauvignon transaltes as "savage" and Franc translates as "noble."  Cab Franc is more refined than its cousin, though the former is also more difficult and expensive to grow.  For that reason Cab Franc is most often used as a blending grape rather than as the primary ingredient.

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is ruby red with a pink rim.  Sour cherry and fig define a nose that I found frankly unpleasant.  The fig delivers on a rich palate that ends.  There's no finish to speak of.  The palate just ends.

Drinking This Wine:  The lack of a finish makes food pairing difficult.  Red meat, I suppose.

Overall Impression:  This would be okay as a ten dollar bottle mostly because I don't expect much of a finish or any complexity at that price.  At fifteen it is badly overpriced.

Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (about $12)

About the Wine:  Rothschild is one of the most prestigious wine makers in the world, with labels from France, Spain, and North and South America.  As is often the case with good makers, Rothschild makes many different brands and has underbrands that can be purchased on a hipster budget.  Los Vascos is the Rothschild version of an inexpensive South American Cabernet Sauvignon.

About THIS Wine:  The center is dark purple with a blood red rim.  Oak and cassis are prominent on the nose and those flavors deliver on a fairly tannic palate that ends in a dry finish with light spice.

Drinking This Wine:  Not bad for a dark sipping wine.  This would also work with pork steak or burgers.  It is important to let it breath for at least half an hour and preferably an hour after opening.

Overall Impression:  The wine is cheap, versatile, and tasty.  At twelve dollars a bottle it is a good value.

Charles Krug Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (about $16)

About the Wine:  Charles Krug is a member of the Mondavi family who started his own line of products.  Whether his products do any credit to that name depends on who you ask and what Robert Mondavi products you've had.

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is very light yellow with a clear rim.  Light lemon is present on a weak palate that leads into a fairly pleasant tropical fruit finish.

Drinking This Wine:  It would be good with seasoned whitefish.  There is not really enough flavor on the palate for a sipper.

Overall Impression:  I can find better wines for ten bucks.  This wine is not bad, but is badly overpriced.

Terra d'Oro Zinfandel 2009 (about $14)

About the Wine:  I reviewed the previous vintage of Terra d'Oro Zinfandel several months ago and enjoyed it thoroughly.  Changes in vintage can mean anything from glorious improvement to disastrous decline, depending on any number of factors.

About THIS Wine:  The center is dark red and fades to a pink center, significantly lighter than the previous vintage.  Plum, oak, smoke, and spice are present in the nose.  Sadly, this wine smells better than it tastes.  Red berry is prominent on the palate but contends with fairly sharp tannins.  The palate ends with a nice cherry finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This is a bit too tannic for a sipping wine.  It would go well with barbecue.

Overall Impression:  The wine is not bad but neither is it great.  At fourteen dollars a bottle it is reasonable for the price.

Grayson Cellars Zinfandel 2010 (about $11)

About the Wine:  I first came across the Grayson label at wine seminar where their Cabernet Sauvignon was featured as an example of a dry, red steak wine.  That wine is remarkable for its price and one can hope that the whole line is equally good but I've been in the business too long to get my hopes up.

About THIS Wine:  The center is blood red with a pink rim.  The color promises a bold and fairly tannic wine.  Blueberry, black cherry, and something lose to but not quite oregano are prominent on the nose.  The palate has a thick, mouth coating feel.  Dark fruit and oak are prominent.  The wine is very dry, but the dryness does not overpower the other elements as it does in some other wines.  The finish is spicy, tannic, and dry.

Drinking This Wine:  I don't usually recommend anything this heavy or dry as a sipping wine, but the elements are well enough balanced to make an exception here.  This is also a good steak or burger wine.  Basically, it gives me a primal urge to eat juicy meat.

Overall Impression:  This wine is good and it is also cheap.  It is good for the price.

Rodney Strong Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (about $16)

About the Wine:  Smarter and more knowledgeable people than me say that Rodney Strong is a benchmark in the wine world and thee are especially known for Cabs.  The Sonoma appellation is one that I have good luck with in the past.  The only thing I find worrisome about this one is the vintage.  2009 was not the best year for California Cabs, so this may be the black sheep of the family.

About THIS Wine:  A violet rim surrounds a deep purple center.  Cassis and other dark fruit make up a strong nose.  The palate delivers with a lot of dark fruit and some oak opening into a red berry finish.  The wine is not particularly dry nor did I find it especially tannic.

Drinking This Wine:  I had it with shepherd's pie and the pairing was a good one.  This lack of dryness and tannin would also make this a decent sipping wine.  When I first opened the bottle I feared that it had spoiled, but it opened beautifully over the course of about an hour.

Overall Impression:  I've had worse wines that cost twenty dollars.  At seventeen this one is good for the price.

Maggio Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (about $11)

About the Wine:  Lodi is a growing region in central California best known for its production of Zinfandel (the red wine, not the pink crap.)  The appellation has gained prestige in recent years and the mention of it on a label is a good sign.  I'm used to seeing bottles from there go for between fifteen and twenty-five dollars.  What an eleven dollar price tag means, I have no idea.

About THIS Wine:  The color is very light for a cab, a red center with a pink rim.  Plum and clove make up a rich and pleasant nose.  The palate is thick, almost syrupy with pomegranate and fairly sharp tannins fading into a cherry finish.

Drinking This Wine:  A bit too tannic for a sipping wine, this would go well with meaty pasta dishes or lasagna.

Overall Impression:  The wine buyer at the story where I was says this drinks like a twenty dollar bottle.  I would say closer to fifteen.  Either way, at eleven this a great value.

The Show Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (about $13)

About the Wine:  2009 is not a personal favorite vintage for California Cabs.  They tend to be overly fruit forward and lacking in the structure and complexity that can be found in other vintages.  This does not mean that all 2009 Cabs are bad or even that they are all wrong for my personal taste.  It does mean that I enter this with a certain amount of skepticism.

About THIS Wine:  The center is purple with a red rim.  Smoke and oak are prominent on the nose with hints of red fruit.  Oak and dark fruit define a palate with a dry finish.

Drinking This Wine:  Definitely a steak wine.  It is too dry to have by itself and too heavy for any light food.

Overall Impression:  Over oaking is a chronic problem in California wines and it is present here.  The maker seems to have tried to compensate for the weakness of the vintage by giving the wine and extended oak aging, but I think they overdid it.  Or maybe they just thought the juice was stronger than it was.  This would be okay for ten dollars.  At thirteen it is overpriced.

Whitecliff Vineyards Malbec 2010 (about $20)

About the Wine:  Malbec originated in France and is more or less the national grape of Argentina.  This Malbec is from New York.  Because when you drink as much as people in the wine business do, things don't have to make sense.  You can find more info about the vineyard at http://www.whitecliffwine.com/

About THIS Wine:  The center is light red and fades to a clear rim.  Sour cherry, earth, and ripe strawberry are all prominent on the nose.  The palate is surprisingly thick for how light the wine is.  Blackberry and currant are strong on the palate and on the finish, which is moderately dry.

Drinking This Wine:  This wine is good without food but it would go very well with a thick, meaty sandwich.

Overall Impression:  This is a very full bodied Malbec that is easier drinking than many of its Argentine cousins.  Twenty dollars is a lot, but this wine is reasonable for the price.

Peter Mertes Sweet Red 2011 (about $10)

About the Wine:  This wine is made from a varietal called "Dornfelder" which is very obscure in America but it well known in Germany because the only reds that grow there are Dornfelder and notoriously unpalatable Pinot Noir.  I don't know why it is not better known in America, though I expect it has something to do with the fact that the name sounds like a Revenge of the Nerds character.

About THIS Wine:  It is so light it might almost be mistaken for a blush.  Plum is heavy on the nose and delivers on the palate along with tart raspberry.  The plum lingers in a velvety finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This is a bit too sweet for a food wine, but it could go with spicy or salty snacks.  Otherwise it is a pleasant sipper.

Overall Impression:  The wine is okay and it is cheap.  This one is good for the price.

La Puerta Alta 2009 (about $13)

About the Wine:  Malbec has taken off internationally as a trending varietal.  For a Malbec lover this is good news as it means that variety and availability of Malbec has greatly increased.  Unfortunately it also means that many wineries are burning through vintages too quickly and that some Malbecs are not being aged nearly long enough.  That is why the 2009 vintage on this bottle is so encouraging.

About THIS Wine:  A dark red center fades to a clear rim.  Earth, red apple, and raspberry make up a nicely layered nose.  The palate is jammy but not overly heavy with a lot of red fruit that lingers in a finish defined by both fruit and soft tannins.

Drinking This Wine:  It could work as a sipper and would also do well with grilled red meats.

Overall Impression:  The wine is pleasant and the price is reasonable.  This one is good for the price.

Cajo 2009 (about $20)

About the Wine:  Italian wine makers have been coming out with more and more obscure blends.  From the perspective of a wine enthusiast this is great because it means that there are new things to taste.  From the point of view of a wine salesman it is a nightmare because it means dealing with a whole new genre of products with no defining characteristics other than their origin.

About THIS Wine:  The center is red and fades to a pink rim.  Musk, raspberry, and earth make up a pleasant and complex nose.  Cherry and raspberry are strong on the palate, which blends into a dry, mineral finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This wine is too dry for a sipping wine.  It would go well with a steak or sausage.

Overall Impression:  This is a very good, very complex wine.  It would not be overpriced at thirty dollars and at twenty it is a good value.

Bonterra Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (about $13)

About the Wine:  Bonterra used to be the benchmark for organic wines.  Unfortunately, quality and pricing issues have weakened its standing in the market and it has disappeared from many stores.  Concha y Toro recently purchased the brand with the aim of revamping it.

About THIS Wine:  This wine is hay colored in the glass with a clear rim, a touch light for a Sauvignon Blanc but within an acceptable range.  Kiwi and mango make up a fairly pleasant nose.  The palate is acidic with a bitter finish.

Drinking This Wine:  It could work with a fruit platter, something sweet enough to counteract the bitter finish.

Overall Impression:  Taste is always subjective, but this wine just is not very good by any standard.  It is over priced.

Ceci Bella Kiwi Melon Pinot Grigio NV (about $13)

About the Wine:  Fruit infused wine is actually nothing new.  There is a traditional German recipe for early harvest white wine infused with sweet herbs called "May Wine" that often includes strawberry.  Fruit infused wines have gained a bad name due to the rise of Arbor Mist.  A customer once asked me to describe the taste of Arbor Mist and I must confess that I was at a loss.  A friend later described it as "Like the tears of people who drink real wine."

About THIS Wine:  This wine is lime green with a clear rim.  Intense kiwi dominates the nose.  That flavor delivers on a medium sweet palate that ends in a melon finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This is a nice warm weather sipper and could also go well with a fruit platter.

Overall Impression:  I wouldn't take this to a formal dinner but it's actually not bad.  This is something that would go well at about ten dollars a bottle.  At thirteen it is overpriced.

MacMurray Pinot Noir 2009 (about $16)

About the Wine:  2009 was a great year for California Pinot Noir and MacMurray is a very reliable maker.  This is basically going to be an exercise in noting the specifics of the wine and making sure it has not gone bad with age rather than assessing its value.

About THIS Wine:  The purple center fades to a pink rim, fairly dark for a Pinot Noir.  The nose is thick and musky with lots of rhubarb and hints of clove.  The palate is bold with lots of blackberry and meaty flavor reminiscent of steak sauce leading into a spicy finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This would work well as a sipping wine but I think it would be excellent with pork steak.

Overall Impression:  I'm happy with the wine and the price is reasonable for the quality.  This one is good for the price.

Oops Chardonnay 2011 (About $11)

About the Wine:  The emphasis of the Oops brand is their Carmenere and blends that incorporate Carmenere.  It will be interesting to see what they do with Chardonnay.

About THIS Wine:  The wine is clear with a nose of minerals and citrus.  The palate is very bland with a citrus finish.

Drinking This Wine:  It could go well with a vegetable platter.  It is too light to pair with anything else and does not have enough taste to make a good sipping wine.

Overall Impression:  I was not expecting anything from this wine and I was still disappointed.  Even at eleven dollars a bottle you can probably find something better.

Cuvaison Chardonnay 2010 (about $18)

About the Wine:  Cuvaison is a well known boutique brand from Napa Valley.  The Chardonnay was the least expensive of three offerings their representative brought for tasting.  The Pinot Noir from the same line goes for about thirty dollars and the Cab is around forty-five.  So a drinker of their Chardonnay can pretentiously name drop without actually spending the kind of money normally associated with the name.

About THIS Wine:  This Chardonnay is golden yellow in the glass with a clear rim.  The coloration indicates the presence of a fair amount of oak.  Honey, mango, and melon make up a nose that is recognizably that of a California Chard.  The palate is dry, oaky, and creamy.  Those flavors fade into an oak spice finish.

Drinking THIS Wine:  The finish is a little too spicy for a sipping wine.  This would do well with lemon chicken or white fish.

Overall Impression:  This Chardonnay is complex and well balanced.  It could easily go for twenty dollars or more.  At eighteen it is a good value.

3 Girls (or Three Girls) Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (about $14)

About the Wine: The label has a cute heart worked into it, the wine has a cute name, and the back of the bottle tells a cute story that does not convey any information about the wine.  There are some things that set off a warning that a wine is going to be terrible and this bottle has all of them.  But I have been wrong before and it is important to reserve judgement.  I have had very good luck with wines from Lodi, which is where this one is from, and 2010 is a pretty good vintage for California Cabs.

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is very dark red with a crimson rim.  Intense raspberry is prevalent on the nose along with notes of smoke and cedar.  The raspberry delivers on a soft, velvety, and slightly sweet palate.  To be clear, the wine is not objectively sweet it is just sweet for a cab.  Soft tannins and more raspberry make up a nice finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This is definitely a sipping wine.  Enjoy as an after dinner alternative to heavier dessert wines.

Overall Impression:  3 Girls is ideal as an introductory Cab for the drinker who is not accustomed or agreeable to the heavy dryness and oak found in many cabs.  It is a good value.

LiBella Pinot Grigio 2010 (about $14)

About the Wine:  The Finger Lakes region of New York State provides what is considered a maritime climate.  That is to say that the region is colder than is traditional for wine growing but the presence of a body or bodies of water mitigates the effects of the cold and makes wine grape cultivation possible.

About THIS Wine:  The color is light yellow with a clear rim.  Citrus, peach, and acidity are prominent on the nose.  The palate is light to the point of being watery, though citrus is present along with acidity that lingers in the finish.  LiBella is slightly sweet throughout, which is unusual in Pinot Grigio.

Drinking This Wine:  This could be a light sipping wine and it would also go well with grilled chicken.

Overall Impression:  It is not bad but I can find a better bottle for ten dollars.  Libella Pinot Grigio is good but a little overpriced.

Duc de Castellac Bergerac 2010 (about $11)

About the Wine:  This wine is a Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc blend.  Semillon smells bad but generally has a milder flavor than Sauvignon Blanc, which can be overly potent.  Blending the two is common practice in French wine making in and around Bordeaux that, if done correctly, can produce a wine that is rich in flavor but not overly bold.  Wikipedia informs me that Bergerac is immediately east of Bordeaux.  The first time I tried one of these blends I asked, "Is it supposed to smell like rotten gym socks dipped in lemonade?"  The answer is, "Yes."

About THIS Wine:  It is very light in the glass, almost clear.  Floral and mineral notes define the nose.  Lemon and mineral make a fairly nice palate with a very mild lemon finish.

Drinking This Wine:  It would work as a sipping wine if you don't mind the lack of a good finish.  This Bergerac would go very nicely with grilled or baked white fish.

Overall Impression:  Duc de Castellac Bergerac is not a spectacular wine but it is pleasant and inexpensive.  It is good for the price.

Pazdar Gewurztraminer 2011 (about $14)

About the Wine:  Gewurztraminer is the unloved stepchild of German wine.  It is not usually as sweet as Riesling nor as smooth as the Chardonnays and Pinot Grigios from France and Italy.  It's also really hard to spell and pronounce.  The Germans really should just call this "Rhine Wine."  Knowing the Germans, they won't.

About THIS Wine:  This wine is clear in the glass.  Citrus dominates the nose and delivers on a fairly dry and acidic palate with notes of spice.  Dryness and acidity linger in the finish.  The experience strikes me as a rustic version of a dry Riesling.

Drinking This Wine:  I don't know if this would work as a sipping wine.  It would go well with honey roasted chicken or shellfish.

Overall Impression:  The taste is too strong and too blunt for some but for those who can enjoy it, I'm thinking Sauvignon Blanc drinkers, it is good for the price.

Eden's Pleasure, no vintage on bottle (about $14)

About the Wine:  Pazdar is an obscure winery in upstate New York that claims the rather dubious distinction of being the first to make chocolate wine.  Based on my experience of chocolate wine it is not something I would boast about, but it is an interesting distinction.

About THIS Wine:  It is amber in the glass with no distinct rim, about the color of a heavily oaked or slightly spoiled Chard.  Bananas and dark chocolate are prominent on the nose, which is not really a surprise since that is how the wine is advertised.  The palate is nowhere near as sweet as I had expected.  The semisweet palate allowed the banana and chocolate flavors to develop nicely.

Drinking This Wine:  This is a nice after dinner drink.  Could go well with pound cake or some other moderately sweet dessert.  It would also be a good sweet sipping wine.

Overall Impression:  This stuff is actually pretty good.  I never thought I would say this, but this chocolate wine is good for the price.