2007 Ferrari-Carano Fumé Blanc, Sonoma County $14.99

Hints of a straw-like color. Has a nose of almost moscato-like with hints of lemon-grass or hay. Light acidity with hints of light fruit. Hollow in the middle, no finish but has a light white pepper on the end.

Tasted 3/28/09 via Wine Country

2006 Ferrari-Carano, Siena Red Wine, Sonoma County $23.99

Almost garnet in color. Light wet fur on the nose with hints of hair spray & light red fruit. On the palate, wine is soft with medium acidity. There are some pretty good spices with light tannins. Finish was fast and plain. Not really impressed.

Tasted 3/28/09 via Wine Country

2005 Ferrari-Carano Merlot, Sonoma County $23.99

Crayon red in color. Strong notes of blueberry on the nose with light mocha and hints of nutmeg. High acidity with firm tannins, dry on the finish with loads of black fruit on the finish.

Tasted 3/28/09 via Wine Country

2004 Ferrari-Carano Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley $33.99

Light burgundy in color with notes of black fruit & spices on the nose. Light hints of wet pavement and dried moss as well. Palate was rich with berry fruit and medium acidity. Tannins are soft yet balanced with a nice helping of spices on the finish.

Tasted 3/28/09 Wine Country Tasting

2006 Alberice Schioppettino $31.99

Sorry no picture of the label. Almost purple in color with hints of red in the center. Light plums on the nose with a hint of licorice in the center. Pretty big on the palate with very high acidity. The alcohol comes out and shows you what is going on. Kind of hollow on the finish as the fruit disappears into thin air. I think they might be trying to get rid of their wines.

Company is small and only has about 17 wines in their portfolio. The rep was trying to tell me that the wines are more natural in their notes and that the taste I'm picking up was the natural side of Italy. The wines were actually not that great. I will not be picking up any wines from them.

Tasted 3/19/09 via Soilair Selection

2008 Casale Del Giglio Shiarz, Lazio $21.99

Deep red in color with a light red rim. Hints of black fruit with a light oak nose. Medium balanced with high acidity. Wine see 8 months in oak but still does not have the finish that one would expect. Hints of metal or light green plants on the side. Nah.

Tasted 3/19/09 via Soilair Selection

2007 Roccaperciata Nero d'Avola, Sicily $21.99

Medium red in color with bright red fruit and light licorice on the nose, light hay notes as well. Pretty big tannins and acidity cover up the fruit that should be there, but is not. Finish is less than stellar. After a second whiff, I picked up a bit of some light raisins.

Tasted 3/19/09 via Soilair Selection

2006 Oddero Barbera D'Alba $29.99

Rich red in color with a great nose. Sits in French oak for 12 months. Hints of light mint and rich red cherries. Great balance with medium acidity. Light brown sugar on the palate with a great smooth finish.

Tasted 3/19/09 via Soilair Selection

2006 Pine & Post Chardonnay $6.99

Clear with a hint of nuts on the nose. High acidity with soft tannins. Pretty nice Chardonnay, but I still prefer a nice Macon-Village.

Tasted 3/25/09 via Gallo

NV Pine & Post Riesling $6.99

Sorry but since this Riesling has no vintage and is not on the market yet, I could not get a picture of the label. I was actually the 2nd person in New Jersey to taste this wine from my home state of Washington.

This is a Non-Vintage blend of 85% Riesling and 15% Chenin Blanc. I'm not sure were the vineyards are since the person that was tasting me on the wines had no clue as well. I will assume that the grapes are sourced from a few different vineyards within the Columbia Valley. With a shelf tag of only $7 I can't imagine that the fruit is from Red Mountain or Walla Walla.

Almost clear in color with light honey notes and a slight spice of lychee nut. There was also a canned pear nose and the same on the palate. Nice green apple notes with great acidity and good balance. Finish was refreshing and clean. Lasted about 15 seconds. Hints of minerals and wet rock follow the finish.

Great little Riesling for the price. Alc. was around 11% with an RS of 2%.

Tasted 3/25/09 via Gallo

2007 Bloom Riesling $7.99

Great little bottle of Riesling from the Rheinhessen region of Germany. 100% Riesling with an RS of 2.9%, this bottle is a pure dream.

Almost gin clear in color with hints of citrus fruit and light cut grass. Granny Smith apple on the palate with a hint of wet rock. Wine is balanced and ready to rock and roll, and for the price, I'll be picking up a few cases before it is all gone!

Tasted 3/25/09 via Gallo

2008 Red Knot Chardonnay $11.99

Clear with a light sea salt nose. With a nose of hair spray, high acidity with not a lot of balance. Did not like it.

Tasted 3/25/09 via Gallo

2006 Pine & Post Merlot $7.99

Light brown on the rim with a nice solid red hue in the center. Notes of brown sugar and dried spices on the nose with hints of dark cherry and leather. Low tannins with good structure and acidity. Very nice finish and very smooth. Pretty nice wine and at the price, great value.

Blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Sangiovese, 5% Cab Franc
Alc. 13.5%

Tasted 3/25/09 via Gallo

2006 Red Knot Shiraz $11.99

Light burgundy in color. Soft red fruit with hints of light smoke. I think this might be aged in American oak. On the palate there are some nice cherry notes with light chocolate notes on the finish. Wine is medium bodied with a light fruit finish.

Tasted 3/25/09 via Gallo

2007 Red Knot Cabernet Sauvignon $11.99

Burgundy in color with a rich nose of red fruit. Fruit might be a bit over extracted for me. Pretty dry tannins with a medium body and medium acidity. Fruits are pretty soft on the finish with hints on mint that follow. Pretty nice little wine.

Tasted 3/25/09 via Gallo

2005 Shingleback Shiraz $21.99

Deep red in color with a nose of brown sugar and chocolate. Wine is truly balanced well with the acidity only creeping up a slightly. Hints of light cut ferns and mint is in the air. Great wine from McLaren Vale.

Tasted 3/25/09 via Gallo

2007 Fontezoppa Colli Maceratesi Rosso $14.99

With a blend of 50% Sangiovese, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot. Dark red in color with rich red fruits on the nose. Good tannins with good structure and balance. Full belly sit down of a wine, but towards the end it seems to fall off a bit. Thought there might be more to the end but nope.

Tasted 3/19/09 via Soilair Selections

2007 Le Salare Trebbiano d'Abruzzo $13.99

Light-hay in color with a light tomato soup nose. Nose is strange for a white. The palate that is kinda hollow and plain. The finish was not much of one as it had nothing going on at the end. Tasted more like dirty water with some alc in it.

See's no oak and is from the appellation of Colline Teramane.

Tasted 3/19/09 via Soilair Selections

2007 Roccaperciata Grillo $13.99

A bit darker than hay in color with a light hint of crayon on the nose. Very clean on the palate, but the acidity creeps ups a bit. Light odd taste with a hint of metal or light wet rock on the finish. Wine is from Sicily and fermented in stainless steel.

Grillo is also know as Riddu and the primary grape for Marsala.

Tasted 3/19/09 via Soilair Selections

2008 Fontezoppa Verdicchio di Matelica $14.99

Wine is clear with a light hay or straw-like color. Light lemon grass notes with a hint of limes on the side. Metallic in taste with light white pepper and a medium body. Very very light sea salt on the finish.

Tasted 3/19/09 via Soilair Selection