The Hess 2010 Allomi Cabernet Sauvignon

I have to admit I was not expecting such a velvety, fruit forward but structured and soft-finish wine from a work event. I selected Hess for a 20-person event because of its consistency, but the Allomi punched way above its weight in price. One of the better bottles I have had in a long while.
$30 on wine.com.
$$/+++

Frescobaldi's 2008 Mormoreto, the Super Tuscan from Castello Di Nipozzano

Nose of earth, dust and cherries-similar to an older Brunello or Amarone. Mouthful of intense red currants laced with light tannins that makes it interesting yet smooth with a long finish. Can stand up to big food.
Worth the $55 from wine.com.
$$/+++

St. Supery's 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon

Sharing a 2009 St. Supery Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa with Chris, Karem, and Amanda. I had read a ton about this wine-anticipation let down. Nose of red fruit. Light tannins but fruit forward. Very drinkable. $$/++ at Comstock Lodge Park City

Stag Leap's 2007 Artemis from Napa

Sharing a 2007 Stag's Leap Artemis with Bill, Christina and Karem at the Montage.

Nose of cherries and blackberries. Mouthful of black currant with supple but structured tannins.

We had ordered the 2010 but they couldn't find it-bonus!
WE had it at a 94.
We say "delicious".
$$/++

Gaja Ca'marcanda 2010 Promis from Tuscany

Opened the evening with the 2010 Gaja Ca'marcanda Promis. Enough Merlot to ease anyone in. Good nose and taste of cherries without as much structure as previous vintages (and no real tannins). But very, very drinkable. Good Après ski wine.
$$/++

Clos Du Val's 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon

Sharing a half bottle of the 2009 Clos Du Val Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa with Christina during a lunch break on the ski slopes.
Nose of ripe cherries with a mouthful of red fruit and well-balanced and structured tannins.
Gorgeous.
$$/++

Col D'Orcia's 2007 Brunello Di Montalcino

I had high hopes for this because I have had previous vintages. But...
Light nose of cherries and dust.
A bit too tannic on the palate, uncomplicated but drinkable. Just not a $40 wine.
$$/+

Veuve Cliquot's Brut Champagne

My favorite bubbly with its classic effervescent and ever so slightly citrus nose. Buttery and rich but dry and über quaffable. Our "house" champagne when times are good and a splurge when they ain't. Only Krug and Dom can out shine here (yes I am excluding Cristal).
$$/++

2009 Iconoclast from SLD, Napa

Strong notes of vanilla and cherries on the nose. Big bursting plum with mouth covering flavors of smoke and chocolate.

The Four Seasons has this wine made for them. Gorgeous.

$$/++

Provenance Vineyards' 2010 Uppercut Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa

I have to admit I was expecting a big, bold cab based on the name alone and knowing this was the "little brother" of the vineyard's namesake wine from Rutherford (which is a big, chewy cab), I was expecting it to deliver something with a strong nose and bold and spicy if not earthy palate.

What a disappointment.

Now I am not saying the wine is bad by any measure.  However, it was a very typical "Popular Napa Cab", with a ton of fruit forward, light on the tannins, quick finish, but in this case had little structure or anything of note to make it interesting.

Now at $10 a glass in Cafe Firenze or $21 a bottle from Wine Searcher, you really can't complain too much, but I think they should sit down with their marketing department and reconsider the name.  Perhaps "love tap" would be more appropriate--not even strong enough for a "bitch slap".

$$/+

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.

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. 

Chappellet's 2010 Mountain Cuvee

A blend of red grapes (Merlot, Cabernet, Malbec, etc).

While I normally like their blends, this didn't show very well.

Initial smell of dust/must and cherry.

A biting flavor, with red fruit but too tannic with bitter aftertaste.

A drinkable wine, but not worthy of the extra price.

$$ / +

You can get find this on Wine.com for $33.99.

Shafer's 2009 Relentless

It isn't often you find a decent shiraz from the U.S., but Shafer's Relentless is certainly worthy of note.  With a blend of Syrah and Petit Syrah grapes, the wine continuously shows well year after year.

A very pleasant, spicy and bold nose.
Strong flavors of red fruit (cherries, black berries), with a medium to peppery but very pleasant finish.  Really opened up after an hour or so.
Certainly worthy of a night out with friends.

Robert Parker gave this vintage a 93, but previous vintages have consistently scored in the 95s with him.  Wine Spectator gave this vintage a 95.

$$ / ++

You can find this wine at Wine.com for $72.