2008 Bodega Uno

Taste: 3/5

Value: 4/5

Price: $10

This Argentinian wine is a blend of 60% Torrontes, 40% Chardonnay, and reminded me of a Sauvignon Blanc due to the crispness. A recommended pairing with Torrontes is Asian food. I'd take Gewurztraminer over this. On the nose, this wine is very tropical and sweet smelling, but on the palate, it is very lemony and crisp. If it tasted the way it smelled, or even if the chardonnay buttered up the lemon a bit, it would be a knock out. Overall, a nice, fresh summer white, IF you like crisp.

2005 Robert Mondavi Vinetta

Taste: 2/5

Value: 3/5

Price: <$10

Vinetta is a red wine blend made with Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Described as "elegant yet fruit-forward, offering flavors and aromas of black cherry, dark plum and blackberry, a plush velvety texture and a pleasant, lingering finish". I, however, found it to be tight, astringent and hard to drink, even on day two. Won't be buying this one again. I did rate it average on value simply because it was cheap, and just because I didn't care for it doesn't mean someone else won't.

2005 GV Cellars Syrah

Taste: 5/5

Value: 5/5

Price: $13.99

This is a fabulous, European style Syrah, produced by Green Valley Cellars (nine miles SE of Napa). I found it to be rich and dense, with a pleasantly sweet and fruity fore, spicy aft and ever so velvety tannins. If I were to have on hand only one Syrah, this very well may be it!

2006 Layer Cake Primitivo (Zinfandal)

Taste: 4.5/5

Value: 4/5

Price: $16

The Layer Cake wines represent countries, people and traditions of craftsmanship. The wines are all rich, lush and complex expressions of a unique varietal from a place like no other; a place winemaker Jayson Woodbridge and his team feel cannot be recreated or replicated.
These places have a sense of history and family; the Layer Cake symbolizes time, terroir and something that can only be handmade. Every Layer Cake wine is a true and distinct reflection of the place, the farmers, the land and our own style of winemaking.

Primitivo, from Puglia (the boot's heel), Italy, is genetically identical to Zinfandel. This wine has the characteristics of Old Vine Zin - fruity and rich. I'd put it on par with OZV and Four Vines, which I also like, but are also a little lower in price.

2006 The Other

Taste: 2/5

Value: 3/5

Price: $12

I was initially drawn to the blend of grapes that make up this wine - 65% Chardonnay, 25% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Viognier, from the "other" appellation, Lodi CA. I selected this wine to have with a Tarragon Chicken dish, as all three wines are a recommended pairing with Tarragon, per my "What to Drink with What you Eat" book (an absolutely wonderful companion to wine and food OR food and wine pairing - whether you're looking for the perfect wine to drink with a specific dinner, or the perfect dinner to prepare for a particular wine). Anyway, I was disappointed by the fact that the wine had acloying artificial vanilla taste that I just couldn't get past. Not a wine I will buy again.

2005 Shingleback Shiraz

Taste: 2/5
Value: 2/5

Price: $15

This Shiraz from the famed McLaren Vale and despite the 90 point Wine Enthusiast rating, was not an enjoyable wine for me. It was very tight, verging on astringent and was no better then next day. This is not a wine I will be buying again, especially since 2005 is haled as a one of South Australia's greatest vintages. My findings are in contrast with reviews I have read, so it's possible I got a skunked bottle, but given that there are many Shiraz's out there that I know I like, I think I'll just move on.

2007 Casa Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc

Taste: 3/5
Value: 4/5
Price: $10-$15

This wine is a light yellow with hints of straw and green. The nose is fresh citrus fruit on entry. I expected to get lychee and fig on the palate, but if it was there, it was overrun by citrus and acidity. I had this wine with Chicken Piccata, which should have been an ideal pairing, but I just can't bring myself to like Saugnignon Blanc that much. I'd rather drink a Fume Blanc, which is softened by oak aging, but keep trying to find a warm climate Sauvignon Blanc with tropical fruit flavors that I love. As much as I try, I keep coming up tart.