2003 Stag's Leap Petite Syrah

There are a few standby vineyards that you just can't go wrong with: Stag's Leap, Ridge, Cakebread, & Heitz Cellars. All Napa/Sonoma and you'd be hard pressed to be at a nice restaurant where one of these aren't in the cellar - so when you don't recognize anything else, or can't pull AWineAWeek.com up on your mobile device, go with something that won't disappoint.

The Stag's Petite Syrah has been on my shelf for a few years. I originally picked it up at Trader Joe's (love that place) a few years back for $23. It's now $40 on Wine.com and I couldn't even try to match their review:

From the look of the wine, you'd expect it to be massive on the palate, but one of the pleasures of Stags' Leap Petite Syrah is its finesse and elegance. This is an unusually complex and layered vintage. The nose teems with blackberries, red currants, cut hay, and burnt oranges. On the palate this sensuous wine is a mouthful of rich bitter chocolate, French vanilla, and raspberries wrapped in round, sappy tannins. It's at once fascinating and intriguing, leaving you with a reverberating finish.

As I mentioned, this one's been on my rack for a few years and was happy to bring it out for a dinner at a friend's house. Since she is pregnant, I figure her one glass of wine should be a good one. Plus, we're moving from Chicago shortly and movers won't take alcohol (or firearms for that matter). I'll give it a 7/10 rank based on the $40 price tag.

Santa Ema 2004 "60/40" Barrel Select

Personally, I like this wine but not sure the masses would agree. It's a very powerful bang for your 9 bucks. Try with a red pasta or big steak. Heavy black currant with blackberry & plum flavors. Slight vanilla and oak on the finish. The creative folks at the Santa Ema winery in the Maipo Valley of Argentina named this wine for the 60% Cabernet Sauvignon & 40% Merlot blend.

After doing my little taste test above, I notice the sticker on the neck of the bottle where this Santa Ema was rated a top 20 value brand in October 2005's Wine Spectator. Apparently the masses do agree it's a good wine/value. Might I suggest they move that sticker to a more visible spot on the label?

4.5/10 rating. Worth trying, I'd love your feedback - my tastebuds are tired from a long day of Thanksgiving eating. $9 at Costco. Update: Caroline, my wife, remarked this morning "I give that wine a '1' because it's given me a headache both mornings when I've only had one glass!" And when you have a baby that awakes at 6am, it's not a good mix (see pic).

Greg Norman 2005 Cabernet Merlot

From the Limestone Coast of the Shark's Australia Estates, this red blend is a solid pick up for $9.99 at Costco. Drink it the first night, after about 30 minutes of air time. It wasn't bad the second night, but not nearly as good.

There is a nice spice to this one that lingers through the finish. Although the label calls it "mulberry", I taste blackberry with the cherry flavors. Oaky tannins on the finish. This red blend is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with a bit (9%) of Merlot to round it out. The Shark hasn't lost his touch!

This went well with "pie night" - chicken pot, then pumpkin. A nice winter meal and it sparks up an otherwise dull meal. 8/10 rating - this is one to have on the rack at all times. I'll be picking up a few more for the obligatory house gift as we do the holiday rounds.

Tablas Creek 2006 Cotes de Tablas Blanc

Don't let the French name mislead you, this white blend was grown in Paso Robles, CA. That said, the Tablas Creek Vineyard is dedicated to growing grape varieties traditional to France's Rhone Valley. You can taste the rocky/mineral heavy terrain immediately, followed by a soft, clean finish. It's a bit sweet/fruity, but not overwhelming. Hints of apricot & white peach.

What not to eat with this wine: blackened tuna. The Cotes de Tablas could stand up to a chicken in a heavy cream sauce or would be good with just grilled chicken and vegetables - just don't pair this wine with spice. This would be the perfect Thanksgiving day wine with Turkey - I just couldn't wait.

Tablas Creek used 59% Viognier, 32% Marsanne, 6% Grenache Blanc, & 3% Roussanne to make this white Rhone blend. I picked it up at Sam's Wine for $18. It's a bit pricey, but it stands out from it's competition: 6/10 rating.

2004 Longridge Pinotage South Africa

The price tag still shows the R95.00 we paid for this while in Stellenbosch, South Africa in 2006. That's just under $10 at today's conversion rate and ~$13 when we visited. Cape Town was unbelievably cheap when we visited and with the Rand even lower now, make the trip if you can. The wine, the food, the views...spectacular.

Hauling this excellent Pinotage across the world was certainly worth it. My initial reaction to this wine was 'wow, what a great bouquet'. A very heavy tobacco smell and flavor which makes it very strong. It's also sweet - ripe cherries and plums. Somewhere in-between the sweet start and the tobacco finish, the Pinotage has a creamy vanilla hint for a split second. All of these flavors in an under $15 wine, fantastic. You can find this 2004 for several places online for about R100.00, but I didn't look into if they shipped to the U.S.

8/10 rating: hunt this one down.

Barnard Griffin Columbia Valley Cabernet Merlot

Very floral on the nose. Sweet with a quick bite at the end. This red blend from Washington is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, & 3% Cabernet Franc. With the mother-in-law in town for my daughters first birthday, it helped us get through the prep work the night before. 5.5 out of 10 rating - slightly above average and good for the $10 price tag @ Sam's Wine. And oddly enough, there is no year on the bottle.

If you haven't had a chance to visit the Columbia River Valley on the boarder of WA/OR, you should consider it. Beautiful part of the country I was lucky enough to visit last May with the family.

2007 Bodega Poesia Bonarda

Oh Lordy. Worst. Wine. Ever. Tasted like burnt plastic. Not even drinkable.

I'm out with 14 of my friends for my birthday at a BYOB restaurant where it takes about a month to get a reservation. Clever me, bringing the Argentinian wine to the Argentinian steak house...and the wine tried to ruin everything. Luckily, there were a couple of other good wines at the table, like the Cigarzin Zinfandel and another fine Italian selection I forgot to write down. Steer clear of the Poesia (which means "Poem", btw) as this one is a disaster. 0/10 rating.