Fiat Vino

About $12 from Curtis' wine club, 10 (1-10) Beam me back down into another bottle of this Scotty! Superb balance of floral and fruit, there was this burst of honey with my first sip that dwindled after several more - but other nuances then took it from there. I have never had such a honey nose on a Viognier/Roussanne blend before and I liked it. I really liked it. We've been drinking this blend for a while now (aren't we special) and if my memory serves correct, this is the finest vintage yet. Contemplating buying a case. Contemplate it yourself, why don'cha. Auf.

About $15 from BevMo's wine club, 8 (1-10) Badda bing! Totally impressed with this, our second wine from the BevMo wine club - for real, they could have been sending us all the scuzz they couldn't sell at the store. That doesn't seem to be the case. There's some sharp acidity that is well balanced with some earth tones of grass and... well, a prairie after a fresh rain? Maybe that's a stretch but it is crisp, refreshing, and easy drinking. Like a good Sav should be. There I said it. Its good. I would buy this again if I was looking for a Sav Blanc. The reason it didn't score higher? I've found just as good for $10. Auf.

$15 from BevMo, 10 (1-10) From the footsteps of mighty Odin this was a surprise ringer! We joined BevMo's wine club and this was in the first shipment...thank you BevMo, I think I have a crush on them. No pun intended. This is a big shiraz, really big for a $15 bottle - and with a screw cap to boot!!! I like them even more because of that. I'm fully impressed; there are notes of chocolate, licorice, raspberry and plum. Next time I pop into a BevMo, I'm fully going to pick up a few more. Auf.

$15 bought from their wine club, 8 (1-10) Superman's cape! This is one of my favorite Viogniers there is. It has perfectly balanced the acids and that perfumey/floral nuance that I seek in a Viognier. Mmmm Viognier, my lovely and still unpopular stepchild of the Rhone. Thank Zeus that they didn't mention her by name in 'Sideways' or we would be paying twice as much for these too. There is nothing uncanny or unusual about this, its just plain delicious. Unfortunately, I may be losing the novelty of the Bridlewood Viognier because I've had it so many times. I'm starting to think all good whites should taste like this... Who's the big winner with a bottle of this? I am. Auf.

$26 bought from Wine Styles San Francisco, 7 (1-10) A nice Pinot Noir, which come from feisty little grapes that are difficult (for them) to grow, and thus difficult (for us) to buy a decent one for less than $20. This one at $26 is good although not window shattering. Good chocolate and cherry flavors and coming in at 13.8% alcohol, not a wimp either. The flavors somewhat resemble a raspberry tart, and the astringency would probably mellow out with a few years on the shelf. I'm thinking that we may have opened this too young and with time the delicate Pinot-ness would have an opportunity to shine. Oh well, we were thirsty. Auf.

Maybe $25, bought via wine club. 10 (1-10) By the beard of Zeus this is good! 95% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Syrah and I think it shows the Petite (or, maybe I'm dreaming). The wine is big, deep and lots of dried red fruit flavors. I feel like the spice and earth of the Petite Syrah balanced what would have been otherwise a really fruit-forward Zin. From its edge, it would benefit from at least another 2 years (I'm guessing). At 14.5% alcohol, you may think it would be showing a little heat but I don't think it is. There was enough deliciousness to mask the ethanol well. I would call this a 'Classic'. Another big winner from Ridge. If they can make a bad wine, I haven't had it yet. But I'll gladly keep looking... Auf.

$9.99, bought from Trader Joe's. 10 (1-10) So this is "Ten Buck Chuck!" What a sweet deal! The grapes are organic, came from Mendocino County and boy were they potent. Like little purple juicy balls of heaven, they came through with this one. It surprises me slightly that Joe put his name on it instead of calling it something silly like 'Trader Purple Feet.' This is a bold wine and being a 2002, has been given 5 years to mellow. 13.9% alcohol. It is a big, rich Syrah that is fairly jammy; which I like to find in the varietal. The label states that there were only 4032 bottles produced and I'm going to pick up more next time I'm there, for sure. Get some for yourself because you know how TJ's has the ability to drive the cheap wino's through their doors...they may not last very long. Auf.