2004 Renwood Zinfandel

Nice blackberry taste with smooth finish, a good find!

Price: $11
QPR: excellent
Pair with: beef, pizza, grilled food
Region: Sierra Foothills, California

2005 Samantha Starr Chardonnay

California chard style with some restraint. Gentle butter and vanilla taste with a hint of lemon. Clean finish. Pleasant drinking wine.

Price: $14
QPR: very good
Pair with: I paired with leftover chicken with a bit of pesto and an orzo salad (recipe to be posted soon on Gather)
Region: Monterey County, California

2004 Simonnet-Febvre Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons

Picked this up at a tasting last weekend, figured $20 (before discount!) for a premiere cru Chablis was not to be passed up! Definitely a great value. Floral bouquet with hints of lemon. Dry with just a hint of grapefruit. Nice full bodied finsih. A bit of mineral undertones detected sipping it a bit more.

Price: $20
QPR: very good
Region: Burgundy
Pair with: I paired with linguine with pesto & roasted potatoes and a bit of grilled salmon with, yes, more pesto. A nice match!

2005 Pierre Sparr Alsace Gewurztraminer

Bouquet of honeysuckle and taste of lemon and honey. This is a bit sweet for me, could almost be a dessert wine. But a little glass was refreshing on a warm day. Would also work with spicy food. This winery has been is business since 1680.

Price: $15
QPR: good
Region: Alsace
Pair with: spicy food, possibly dessert or as an aperetif

2002 Oberon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

A blend of cab grapes from throughout Napa Valley. A pleasant enough drinking wine with a big fruit taste, but for a cab at this price I'd like a bit more structure and complexity. Perhaps it's passed it's prime?

Price: $20
QPR: fair
Region: Napa
Pairing: beef, especially with a mushroom sauce. Had it with grilled ribeye with mixed mushroom sauce.

2005 Saint-Esprit Delas Cotes Du Rhone

Violet on the bouquet. Lively jammy fruit, with some good structure for a wine in this price range.

Price: $11
QPR: excellent
Region: Cote du Rhone
Food: Grilled chicken, lamb

2004 I'M Sonoma County Chardonnay

Restrained bouquet, taste of lemon and pear. Crisp, clean taste. Naked chard style makes it pair well with food.

I came across the previous year of this chard by Isabel Mondavi last year, and really enjoyed it, especially for the price (think it was about $13). This is still a good wine, but don't know if it's $5/bottle better...

Price: $18
QPR: Good
Region: Sonoma County
Pair with: pasta with creamy sauce