2007 Rudolf Müller Riesling Auslese, Mosel $16.99

I'm sorry mister, did you park your semi-truck near my nose?!

Almost hay-like in color. The nose of this $17 beast is to die for! This is why I got into the wine world. The nose is full of petrol notes with very-light hints of tropical fruit, maybe even a bit of jasmine in there.

The sugar level jumps out of your mouth like a bad case of the Hershey squirts! Acidity and balance in the key here. Wet rock, light mandarin and very crisp green apple hit the palate.

The finish is pretty soft yet still carries a bit of spice as it makes you wanting to take another sip. Thirst quenching yet refreshing. I wish more Americans knew about what was in these bottles. I'll will be visiting this winery in the late fall!

2007 Rudolf Müller Riesling Spätlese, Mosel $14.99

A bit darker than the Kabinett, but not by much. Nose of more petrol and lighter on the tropical fruits, this wine is heading to the "true German" side of Rieslings.

More sugar on the palate and even leaves a bit of lemon zest. Great notes of lemon/lime peel and light orange blossom. We are now starting to taste less fruit and more petrol notes. Great little wine. Will do great in the summer time with that fruit salad.

I would call this the getting ready for the true German wines of the world.

2007 Rudolf Müller Riesling Kabinett, Mosel $12.99

The first think you will notice is that it has the color of a Brut Champagne. The nose is to die for. Light mineral notes with a hint of petrol, with the background lingering some nice tropical fruit.

Very juicy on the palate with notes of wet rock and light fruit. At first I thought there was a lack of acidity but then came to the conclusion that this wine has enough acidity to balance out the sugar level.

On the finish there is a light spritz of carbonation as is slowly disappears from the mouth. Medium body, this wine will do great for that summer white. Love it.

3 Alarm Cellars Red, California $9.99

Black in color with a nose of spices and tea. Light tannins and OK acidity and balance. Wine reminds me of a wine that someone is making s they can make a quick buck. Not really impressed.

Tasted 6/18/09 via Gallo

2007 Avery Lane Merlot, Washington State $7.99

Clear with lots of red and black fruit on the nose. On the palate there is some luscious red fruit with hints of brown sugar and cola. Light tannins with a medium plus body. Great little wine for the price. great for a quick dinner fix or something to keep the heart red.

Tasted 6/18/09 via Gallo

2008 Avery Lane Riesling, Clumbia Valley $7.99

Clear with a light wet swifter nose. Rich tropical notes with soft white peach notes. Pretty good acidity with a nice crisp finish. Wines was not all the way chilled. Wine was decent for the price and I'm sure it will move because of the price.

Tasted 6/18/09 via Gallo

3 Alarm Cellars White, California $9.99

Clear with nice mineral notes. Light fresh fruit on the palate but nothing I would stand up and scream about. just another wine made with OK grapes.

Tasted 6/18/09 via Gallo

2008 Starborough Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand $14.99

Light green in color with light hay notes on the rim. Cat pee on the nose with a decent amount of shrubs on the nose. Crisp green apple on the palate with good acidity and balance. I like it but feel that New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs have had their time in the area and are loosing the battle on the shelf.

Tasted 6/18/09 via Gallo

2007 Finca el Origen Reserva Torrantes, Uco Valley $10.99

Clear with a tropical fruit nose. high acidity with great balance. WOW, very nice but I hope it does not compete with the other Torrantes in the shop.

Tasted 6/16/09 via winemaker Andrés Caballero

2008 Santa Carolina Reserva Sauvignon Blanc, Chile $11.99

Wine was clear with a great New Zealand nose. All that cat pee that one wants was hitting the right spots. High acidity and great balance was to follow. Nice notes of green ferns on the palate.
Nice wine.

Tasted 6/16/09 via winemaker Andrés Caballero

2007 Finca el Origen Gran Reserva Malbec, Uco Valley $21.99

This Malbec is rich and luxuriant with generous amounts of nutmeg, allspice, blackberry, and Yemeni coffee. I'm not sure it is worth the price as I feel there are other Malbec's at lower prices that are better.

Tasted 6/16/09 with winemaker Andrés Caballero

2007 Finca el Origen Malbec Reserva, Uco Valley $11.99

Deep red hues with a great nose of stone fruit and blueberries. Notes of spices like cinnamon and thyme are hanging around. On the palate the wine is very well balanced with a lot of the nose coming into play. Tannins become pretty soft as the wine turns into liquid silk on the end. I like it.

Tasted 6/16/09 with winemaker Andrés Caballero

2007 Santa Carolina Pinot Noir Reserva, Chile $11.99

This was one of those rare times where you get $27 worth of Pinot Noir for only $12. Clear with a light brown rim. Rich notes of cherry and light brown sugar. Soft tannins with some good fruit notes, very silky on the finish. Wine was balanced very well. I can see this becoming a wine that people will be buying by the case. I'm willing to bet that it will hit at least 89 points by some people. Good stuff!

Tasted 6/16/09 with the winemaker Andrés Caballero

2006 Ancient Peaks Merlot, Margarita Vineyard, Paso Robles $14.99

I'm always kind of staying away from wines from California just for the fact that I'm getting tired of tasting the same of oak-bomb shit. Then my rep from North East Wine comes in a tasted me on this little jewel.

All the grapes for this Merlot come from the Margarita Vineyard in Paso Robles. The Merlot is a blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Malbec. The color of the wine is pretty much black or purple. Don't open this with a white shirt on! On the nose there are some great notes of black fruit and a hint of what reminded me od smoking cola sheesha. On the palate the wine was pretty decent in that it was balanced correctly and the tannins were pretty smooth. Light notes of spices and more black fruit finished off this Merlot. Really nice for the price!

Tasted 6/15/09 via North East Wine

2006 Sierra Cantabria Rioja $13.99

I was actually thinking this would have been an oak-bomb, but I was wrong. Wine was dark as night when it came to color. On the nose there were some serious notes of tar and cooked plums. The palate offered more of the rich fruit from the tree and a light layer of inky tar. Finish was a bit rough, but I'll chalk that up to not letting the wine breathe as it should have. I only gave it a few minutes in the glass.

Tasted 6/9/09

2003 Borsao Crianza Selección, Campo de Borja $14.99

The 2005 picked up 91 points by Parker or Spectator. I can't really remember and don't case since I think they are both bullshit. For those who care the 2006 only picked up 89 by Parker. Poor wine, could not even hit 90. Anyway...

The color of the wine was almost black in color. Rich black fruit with loads of spice and tobacco. I like it so far! On the palate was another layer of fun. Rich and full bodied! This wine could sit for another 10 years and still hold its own. On the finish this was a ball buster. Big and firm and ready to let you know that it was going be done when it wanted to be done. I love it. It was not that California tannin oak-bomb crap, but more of an old-world style of wine making. Great.

Tasted 6/9/09

2003 Bodegas Ishmael Arroyo Val Sotillo Crianza, Ribera del Duero $24.99

I've tried this Crianza in the past, but never really gave it its full due. Since I was trying wines from Spain I decided to toss it into the bunch and see how it came out.

There was a nice garnet color with light hints of brown on the rim. On the nose there were a huge amount of spices and some pleasant wood and tobacco notes. The palate was a lot different than what my nose was picking up. More red fruit than anything with light hints of spices and more herbs. Overall it was a really nice Crianza, but I feel that it might be starting to fall apart. The finish was kind of light and it seemed to fade away faster than I wanted. That could be the nerd in me talking though.

Tasted 6/9/09

2004 Savanna Sogno Uno, Montalcino $23.99

Rich red in color with large notes of spice and black cherry. On the palate this wine is showing some nice acidity and balance but the heat seemed to take center stage for a few seconds. The heat does go away and leave some nice fruit but I think the wine was getting more hype because of who is on the label.

Tasted 6/9/09

1998 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $23.99

Almost brick red in color, the nose still has some nice red fruit on it. Notes of pepper and spice with a light cedar hankering. There are also some nice light floral notes that linger as well.

On the palate the wine seems to have lost some of its youth. Yes, I know the wine is 11 years old now but the nose leads you to think otherwise. Soft fruit with light hints of oak. Finish is quick and leaves nothing to desire. I believe that this wine is 100% Cabernet while aged in oak for about 24 months.

Tasted 6/9/09

2004 Allegrini La Grola, Veronese $25.99

Deep red in color to almost a hair past brick red. On the palate there is some nice rich dried red fruit, but there is something missing. On the palate the missing item was shown. There is a quick spice, but then it kinda just fades away. There is almost a nail polish kind of note to it with some odd earth notes. Tannins are kinda lacking as the wine seems hollow on the end. This is one case where the cheaper of the two is the better one.