Robert Mondavi's 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon

At $12.50 a glass, you have an appropriate expectation of greatness, but this bottle clearly delivers a drinkable but not great Napa Cabernet experience.

The nose was film of blackberries and black currants--almost jammy. But upon initial taste, the fruit did not come through. Later, as the bottle opened, the tannins softened and a very drinkable wine came through, but perhaps not a great wine.  It score consistently in the 89-91 range.

You can find this on wine.com for $19.99.

$/+

Sunstone's 2009 Merlot

Back at Cafe Firenze for lunch on a Saturday and would normally go for a glass of Rosso di Montalcino but I wanted to give that Merlot from a few weeks ago another test drive.

Bouquet still very cherry. Delivers a mouthful of cherry with soft tannins and a pleasant lingering finish. Not quite as big as I remember but big enough to stand up to a truffled gnocchi. Perhaps not earthy enough for my tastes but very, very drinkable. And for a Merlot, a veritable home run in my book.

$9 a glass at Cafe Firenze.  $16 on Wine Searcher.

$ / ++

Cielo's 2010 Knights Valley Meritage

If you've been to Malibu, you've probably driven by Sip.  It's the cool, eclectic little wine bar that looks like its a dusty biker bar off the Kanan as you drive through the canyon to the coast.  While it would be tough for anyone to argue the defendable merits of grapes grown in SoCal, Sip (owned by the same company that owns Cielo) has been clever enough to sell their Napa-based wines here as well.

The wines are usually fun and different than the standard "single vineyard" approach out of Napa, with blends taking the priority alongside great names like "Purple Haze" or "Honey Pie".  This particular wine doesn't quite live up to its potential, delivering an aroma of dust and leather to the nose and a taste of broad tannins with less fruit than most would expect from Napa-based grapes.  In fact, I would have said the wine tasted more like it was from Bordeaux (usually from the soil), or as my neighbor calls it, "poop" wine because of the taste of dirt it carries (which I think rounds out the wine).

I think most of the SoCal palates will enjoy their BlackBird or Purple Haze more, and for a $40 wine that is hard to find unless you live local or join the wine club, there are probably better options for the rest of us, too.

$$ / +

Banfi's 2007 Brunello di Montalcino

I had very high hopes for this wine when I opened it last night with a heavy Italian meal.  I had "won" it in a charity auction a month or so ago.

But it did not deliver.

As my neighbor Jeff described it, the aroma was "where the tire meets the road."  I thought maybe it was a bad bottle and re-checked the cork a few times.  The flavor was also not enticing.  More like sour cherries and an odd finish.

Ironically, the "official" scores for this vintage ranged from 89 - 94, so maybe we did have a bad bottle.

$$ / -

You can find this on wine.com for $65.99.

If you like this wine (or how it should taste), you would probably enjoy the Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino, the Gaja Ca'marcanda Magari or the Antinori Tignanello.

Chappellet's 2010 Merlot

I find myself surprised again as I write about another decent Merlot from Napa Valley.  While I have been in the "Sideways" camp on Merlot for a long time, the recent experience with 2009 Sunstone Merlot in the space of 3 weeks.  Chappellet has not shown well for me in the past 12 months to the point that I recently left their wine club.  However, this Merlot exceeded my expectations and delivered a big, fruit forward mouthful of black cherries, with supple tanins and had a pleasant, medium finish.  The wine is 9% Cabernet and 2% Petit Verdot, giving it the appealing complexity of a blended red.

$$ / ++

This wine is not easy to find.  You can order it from their wine club for roughly $30 or find previous vintages on wine searcher.

If you like this wine, you might also like:

• 2009 Sunstone Merlot

Gaja Ca'Marcanda's 2009 Magari

I know what those of you who know me are already saying, "Again?  Really?"  I continue to turn to this wine for big steaks because of the consistency it provides in big, powerful mouthfuls of spicy red fruit flavors with an oaky but pleasant finish.

Made up of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes, the wine carries itself well due to the rich soils of the Tuscan countryside where it is made in Italy.  If you are in the mood for something just a bit lighter, I would recommend its sister wine the "Promis".

While Robert Parker gave this vintage a 92, previous vintages consistently scored similarly or higher.

$$ / ++

You can find this on wine.com for $78.99 (the top end of our $$ range).

Chimney Rock's 2008 Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon

Consistently outstanding year-to-year, the 2008 vintage does not disappoint.  Luscious aromas of cherry and big cherry flavors upfront with the classically Napa Valley cabernet flavorings, accompanied by a nice, long and clean finish.  We shared this last night with friends at the tail end of a great steak meal (Cafe Firenze) and the wine was able to handle the steak and stand alone afterwards.

While Robert Parker has this at a 91, I think it bears a slightly better review more consistent with previous year's average scores (92-95).

If you get a chance to visit their winery in Napa, I highly recommend the experience.  A great atmosphere you can try some of their other hard to find favorites (Tomahawk Vineyard, Elevage).

$$ / ++

You can find this on wine.com for $69.99.

Yalumba's 2008 Eden Valley Shiraz-Viognier

A surprisingly well-balanced wine, with fruit up front and a decent, but not bitter or teeth coating finish.

Yalumba is famous for their Shiraz (try the Octavius for something akin to La Grange), but this is a great everyday wine with a screw top (easy to open) which has a small amount of Viognier (to soften the palate).  While I don't agree with James Halliday's 94 rating, it is certainly worth your $20.

$ / +.

You can find it on wine.com for $19.99.

James Tobin 2009 Primo

While this Sangiovese from Paso Robles started off as a "fistfull" of black berries and cherry, it ironically went down hill as it opened, tasting like dried, almost pickled fruit by the 2nd glass.  The smell was difficult to nail down--very pleasant to start and finishing somewhere between roadtar and leather (we actually argued about it).

Hmmm.

$ / -

You can find this wine for $16.99 on wine-searcher.

Rancho Sisquoc 2010 Syrah

It isn't often you find a decent glass of wine in a self-proclaimed beer brewery, but today at LadyFace I was pleasantly surprised with a glass of this Santa Barbara grown Syrah.  With aromas of cherry and a bright, fresh palate of fruit with little tannins or after taste.  Reminiscent of Dutton-Goldfields Cherry Ridge Syrah, one of the few that shows distinctively yet very drinkable from California.

$$ / ++

You can find it on the winery's own website for $25.00 plus shipping.