2009 Fabre Montmayou Malbec $15

Pretty impressive wine for only $15. Rich in color and in flavor. There was a light stink at first but it blew off then got down to business. Rich dark vine fruit with light hints of wet soil. Medium bodied and pretty good balance. Hints of more black fruit. Hopefully they won't jack the price up in the next few years like so many others do. The finish was smooth and very delicate at the end. Damn. Great little BBQ wine.

2010 Icon Cellars Viognier $20

I'll be honest...I know nothing about this winery! I do know one thing though...This wine was amazing. Pretty light in color yet with rich tropical fruit all over. You can really smell the soil on this one. I even picked up a little lime lingering around. On the palate this thing was a ball buster. Light on the mouth feel yet rich in flavor. Hints of candied green apples, light hints of Riesling with a very light touch of flint. Just sweet enough to make you stand up and beg for butter milk!

This Viognier reminds me of when Rulo came out with theirs and it blew us all away. I'd love to do a side by side with Icon, Syncline and Rulo and see what the masses think. Great job and I look forward to stacking this in the shop! This is what the people needed, a decent priced wine from Washington.

2009 Finca Decero Malbec Remolinos Vineyard $17

After tasting the Muga Rose we were given this gem. At first it had something going on with its nose but then it blew off. Rich with black fruits and some candies lingering around. The palate was pretty full-bodied yet seemed to lack the balance. There was some good fruit, herbs and dark tree fruit but it seemed to fall apart at the end. Maybe that's not the word I should use. It didn't fall apart, just didn't stick around as much as I wanted. Seemed a little off but I would buy one anyway cause it was a nice drink. I think a few years would do it some good.

2010 Muga Rioja Rose $13

I love a good Rose and don't care where it's from. Could be Spain, Washington or even out a jug. I just don't care as long as it taste good. This one is great so I was in luck. Thinking I was just going to hit up some Malbec today and this little treat was the starter.

Let start off with the color...It looked like something I used to drink before I was of age to drink. What was it now...Oh yeah, MD 20/20! The nose was something else though. Didn't smell like MD and sure hell didn't taste like MD either. Tropical fruit on the nose with a light hint of fresh sea air. Seemed to have some light peach lingering around as well. On the palate it was refreshing and clean. Very-lightly sweet but not like someone added sugar rather like it was picked at a high brix. Acidity and balance holds this betty in check. Would go great with a fresh salad or just by itself. Hell I could even read a book while enjoying this. I mean the book would be a quick one like Green Eggs and Ham, would still take me a few hours to finish though.

2001 Piero Busso Barbaresco San Stefanetto $110

I really like Italian wines and this is by far I think my favorite one! I first tried this wine at a Vias (past importer) tasting some years back and everyone I was with fell in love with it. Matter fact we bought I think most of it up in the state then sat on it and only told a select few which I thought was bullshit since I wanted everyone to try it. Any who, I picked up a case or so and stashed it throughout the years only to crack one here and there. This was the last bottle I had of the single vineyard 2001 vintage.

Nicole and I had our friend over for dinner last Sunday and I decided it was time to crack this gem. Paired it up with some nice fillet mignon's from our butcher that I BBQ'd with a few other stuff that really is not important.

I let the wine breathe for about ten minutes or less, I mean it is 10 years old and should be perfect right? Right! Once the cork came out Nicole asked what that smell was. It was the smell of dedication and love. Rich cherry notes with a helping of blackberry and some spices. On the palate it was like we were drinking liquid silk with some great fruit notes and light tannins. Perfectly balanced does not sum up the quality of this wine! The finish lasted for around a minute then it was back to the glass. We each got two good sized glasses and it was done.

If Piero Busso was on the stock exchange I would invest my life savings and live of the interest. It is that good. Sadly I just went to his website and noticed that the San Stefanetto was not listed as one of the vineyards used. Although this saddens me, this will not stop me from buying more of his wine. Matter fact Nicole and I are planning on a trip there and will be stocking up on all his reds for drinking in the future (with us tasting before we buy anything of course, just cause I love a producer does not mean I will not taste before I buy. Just a simple rule I live by).

I leave you with this thought...Whenever you try a wine that you like, DO NOT say you will come back to get more or just think about it! You will forget and a once in a lifetime chance of pleasure will skip you by. Don't just buy a few bottles. Somehow pick at least a case for the cellar cause you know you will drink a few bottles by the time you find another wine you need and by then the first wine will be gone. This is not a sales pitch but just some friendly wine nerd advice.

Cheers.

Santo

2008 Northwest Cellars Merlot $18/ Northwest Cellars Tasting

Decent in color and less Merlot to the nose than I normally look for. There was a pretty good amount of olive juice and smoke. I like less oak since it tends to bring out less for Merlot but it was not bad just not my cup of tea. I can see how people would like this and it would go well with a lot of dishes. Hell, I bet if you give a few more years in the bottle it will calm the acidity and tannins a bit. I bet I'd like it more then. Still though pretty decent juice for the price.

2007 Nothrwest Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon $24/Northwest Cellars Tasting

First off let me say that the price for a nice Cab from Washington State should be around $24. That being said, at first glance this gem was nothing I had not seen before. Red wine, nice legs with little stains in it so good viscosity. Then I put my snout in her. There was a stink that made me want to know more about the wine. The wine itself is 80% Cab, 10% Petit Verdot and 10% Cab Franc and sourced from Les Collines Vineyard out of Walla Walla so this wasn't like I was trying something new yet I was picking up more dried flowers and wet herbs than normal. I did just blow my nose about an hour or so before so I know it was working OK. Cooked rhubarb and loads of dirt were to follow. On the palate it was pretty full-bodied yet not powerful enough to want to put down. If I had to give this any points I'd give it a zero since I don't give point. Finish was nice and even hung around. We are talking about a $24 Cab from home that I was impressed with. Yup its going to the shop. Now why are all the other wines from Walla Walla so much more money? Hmmm...

2007 Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo $14

When I was in NJ and consulting for a wine shop there, I used to buy this wine in cases of 10. For one to get a good deal on it but also because people would buy me out every week. It's been over 3 years since my palate had tasted this and since we were looking for a quick red to go with some BBQ burgers, we decided on it.

As soon as the cork came out I could smell the stink. It was the stink of love. Some nice toasty notes with blackberries and light hints of dried leather. On the palate it reminded me of drinking wine with my grandpa Trino while we were hunting. Rich is flavor yet slicker than snot on a brass door knob. The finish was very easy and begs you to take another sip. Matter fact, right after it was opened I poured some in Nicole's glass, left mine so I could toss the meat on the grill and Nicole yelled out...Great wine babe! Came back in and took a sip. She was right. It was really great wine and at a fraction of the cost. This will be on the shelf at the shop. Hell, I'll take the whole Masciarelli line for that matter.

Maybe I could get some large format bottles for weddings and special occasions?

2009 Urban Uco Torrontes $12

I've actually had this wine many times just not this vintage and since it has been getting hotter in the Seattle area we figured why the hell not? Now my previous notes are ones of joy and delight but I found the 2009 a bit off or just to damn acidic. Nice and crisp but with a thud of an aftertaste of acidity in the back of your throat or in this case mine and Nicole's throat. Did have the pear notes but it was more like an unripe pear and some kind of rhine or peel that was kinda nasty. It was a bit cold when we first dove in and since it was hot out it helped a little but then the aftertaste stuck around. Maybe both of us were having on off day?