Click on the Month you’d like to review. Please note prices may have changed from the month they were included in the Case of the Month, so check with us for current pricing and availability.

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2008 Jan/Feb	2008 March	2008 April	2008 May
2008 June	2008 July	2008 August/Sept	2008 October
2008 November	2008 December

January/February 2008 

Renwood Barbera 2005
A juicy California easy drinker with an intriguing hint of Italian-ness, what’s not to like? Here’s yet another example of a tasty Cal-Ital varietal. This classic Piedmont grape translates its juicy and plush dark cherry and floral aromas perfectly to the Sierra foothills and gets some additional spice and lift from a tiny bit of Viognier. $9.99
Casamaro Rueda 2006
One of those offbeat European whites that offers loads of personality for the money, this sold well from April through Autumn. Bursting with freshness, this Spanish white primes the palate and fires the imagination for the summery pleasures ahead. Lively tropical notes of kiwi and guava are intertwined with zesty orange rind and fleshy white peach to produce a lively liquid fruit salad. $9.99
Mission View Padre’s Choice Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
A customer favorite two vintages in a row, even though we just featured it in December, we had to include it here. Rich and velvety, this is all chocolate-covered cherries, vanilla and and whiffs of hickory smoke, just like eating candy by the campfire. $9.99
Felsner Gruner Veltliner 2006
One of the coolest under-the-radar whites, this turned many on to the delights of groovy Gruner. Tasting better than it sounds, this Austrian white is plumper and more concentrated than most in this price range yet retains its trademark zippiness, lemon curd creaminess and white pepper finishiness. One of the hipper wines at the moment, this is de rigueur for your next art opening or pool party . $9.99
Gouguenheim Malbec 2005
Argentine Malbecs have been smoking hot this year, led by this outstanding value. Frank Gehry’s Malbec of choice and why not? Doing what Malbec does best, the “Goug” whips smoky sweet marionberry fruit into a lush mouth-filling concoction with a splash of toasty oak and a dribble of brambly spice. $10.99
Los Planos Syrah 2004
A Côtes du Rhône-esque favorite. A rock star for those who favor the European style but still like a $10 wine to be an easy quaffer. Dense dark and hearty yet polished and opulent with cherry berry fruit and a gingerbread spiciness, this deftly walks the fine line between old world structure and new world drinkability. $9.99
Chateau L'Aiguillette Muscadet ‘06
A new vintage of this consistent best-seller. Superb with oysters or for planning your spring picnics. Dry, minerally and biscuity with fleshy white fruit and a kiss of salty tang on the finish. Another satisfying and affordable beauty from the end of France's Loire River. $9.99
Charamba Vinho Tinto 2005
We started with the tasty 2004 but when the vintage changed to the better 2005 midway through the month, that is when this really took off. Another bargain Portuguese red comprised of Tinta this and Touriga that, the Wine Spectator dubbed this a best buy: “Medium-bodied, with a spicy aroma and red cherry, raspberry, and cinnamon flavors, which linger on the finish. A Portuguese red for the thrifty”. Yes indeed. $7.99
Tour Saint-Georges Bordeaux 2005
For your ascot and smoking jacket evenings, this offers classic Bordeaux flavors with the richness of the 2005 vintage. One of the nicest young Bordeaux we’ve tasted in a while (considering the price), this has surprising complexity with subtle notes of floral iris and iron-rich earth to complement the dark cherry and plum fruit. Juicy and pretty intense for Bordeaux, this again shows the quality of the 2005 vintage. $9.99
Riff Pinot Grigio 2006
New fresher vintage just arrived and offers the same great value. One of our best-selling Pinot Grigios of the year. A bargain-priced Grigio that actually has some kick and flavor, this is a sub-label of Alto Adige superstar Alois Lageder. Precise and focused with autumnal aromatics of ripe melon, underbrush, and baking spices (tastes better than it reads) the texture is wonderfully al dente and the flavors long and pure. $9.99
Vinosia Primitivo 2006
Cool label, big southern Italian flavors, great price. Essentially Zinfandel hiding behind its Italian name (Primitivo), this “Italian” plays the Zin card awfully well. Offering high-toned red berry fruit and peppery spice, this is done in a full-bodied polished and fruity style. $8.50
Casa Gualda Tempranillo 2006
New vintage of an old Portland favorite. This bargain-priced Spanish red is a de facto glass pour at many local favorite restaurants as it should be chez vous. With no oak, it’s fresh and European cleansing, with enough smoky black fruit and spice to keep it a bit interesting. $7.50

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March 2008

Mark West Pinot Noir 2006
Mark West is back and in stellar form. If wine has ever passed your lips you're probably aware that Pinot Noir doesn't come cheaply or if it does it's usually better that it doesn't come at all. A few years back, Mark West defied that truism by offering a wine that actually tasted like Pinot Noir and had some real complexity for $10. They had a good thing going until the vin de Corse debacle scared everyone away. (if curious, ask us the whole story). Corse no more, this 2006 is delicious and reeks of Pinot Noir (in a good way of course). Medium-weight and fleshy with bright strawberry and cherry fruit, a dash of toasty oak and a sexy spicy overall profile, this is definitely the tastiest inexpensive Pinot we've had in a looong time. $9.99 
Odyssea Pinot Gris 2007
Apart from the goofy name and questionable provenance (Argentine Pinot Gris, hmm...), this is packed with enough true Gris flavors and is downright tasty enough to make its provenance irrelevant. Typical floral peach and apricot aromatics lead to a smoothly textured medium- bodied fruit bonanza of pineapple, lime, kiwi and more, all sprayed with an appealing honeysuckle perfume. Rare is the region that can pull off Gris like this: ripe and full of tropical fruit yet definitely dry and balanced by vibrant acidity. Kudos again to Argentina. First Malbec, now this. $9.99 
Albaliza Tempranillo-Garnacha 2005
This 65%-35% blend is like drinking two wines at once! On the surface it seems mostly hefty black fruit with chewy tannins on the finish but taste a little deeper and you discover an undercurrent of tangy red fruit, sappy, juicy and almost sweet to balance the burly blackness. Cool! $8.99
 Tormaresca Neprica 2006
This southern Italian red hits all the classic notes (structured ripe black fruit, spicy herbal minerality) but is made in a relatively polished fruit-driven style, perfect for washing down a variety of casual meals. A blend of Negroamaro, Primitivo, and Cab Sauv. $9.99
 Perrin Côtes du Rhône Réserve 2005
A bargain from the brothers who make the legendary Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape, this is textbook Côtes du Rhône: broad mouth-filling Grenache flavors with a dose of earthy spice, all for a price that reflects the Rhônes' reputation as a well of excellent-value wines. Candied strawberry aromatics are followed by darker bass notes of black raspberry and wild herb spice with chewy yet yielding tannins on the finish. $9.99
 Quattro Mani Montelpulciano 2006 
As the sun's rays linger longer into the evening, I've been craving more wines like this: medium-bodied and oddly refreshing, with its tart cherry, mild meaty spice and mocha notes. Big hearty reds are great, sure, but sometimes a wine with an easy-going personality and seeming insouciance brings a breath of fresh air and signifies that change is around the corner. Change of seasons, change of menus, change of whatever, it's sure refreshing. $9.99 
Trumpeter Malbec 2006
Our Malbec section has been ravaged lately. Like a preschool bully, someone keeps coming and destroying what we carefully build up week after week. All weak analogies aside, Malbec has been extremely popular and if you're reading this, you probably know why. A red wine that appeals to so many different palates, it usually offers the fruitiness of New World wines yet can still carry a tune in the Old World style: earth, smoke, structure, leathery tobacco spice. It is usually neither too jammy for European wine drinkers or too earthy for lovers of plush ripe fruit. This version walks this fine line with aplomb: juicy and lush with a vanilla oakiness balanced by slightly earthy and peppery black raspberry fruit in a medium-bodied package. $8.99 
Laila Verdiccio 2006
Ripe pear and honeyed minerality make this crisp Italian white a perfect primer for the coming warmer weather. Chill a bottle and get out the wicker furniture. $9.99 
Mount Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2005
Our first racy New Zealand Sauv Blanc of the year, this zippy zesty and zeelicious deal comes to us courtesy of a end-of-vintage close-out. With all the gooseberry, tangerine, and lime most people could want, this also boasts grass, a gentle fleshiness and a dry mellow finish. Normally $16, now just $10.99.
 Quinta de Bon-Ventos 2006
The "winery of good winds", how poetic and apt for a springtime wine although the flavors speak more of late winter than spring. A Portuguese red comprised of four indigenous varietals, this is all violet grapey aromatics up front and dense plummy fruit on the palate with iron, raisin, and chocolate flavors popping in and out of the rustically plush mouth-feel. $8.50
 Rudi Weist Mosel Riesling 2004
This deliciously dry German comes from a vintage prized for being open and airy (as opposed to rich and concentrated) and seems a perfect dance partner as we stumble into spring. Clean fresh and lively, the fruit is delicate and demure, with hints of lemon curd, lime, and green apple with just enough of that famous Mosel River minerality to know that you are no place else. $10.99
 Chateau Lucière Bordeaux 2005
Fresh and full of ripe fruit with a velvety texture, this helps explain the raves about the excellent 2005 vintage. The least-expensive red at a recent trade tasting, it wowed the crowd and we jumped on the last 15 cases before it sold out. Great balance, silky tannin and real complexity make this wine a pleasure to drink young (not always the case in Bordeaux) and a great deal for $9.99

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April 2008

Colosi Nero d'Avola 2005
 Our favorite Sicilian red is back and wow, I forgot how good this wine is. When tasting a counter-full of wines for the newsletter, there are many no! bottles, several yes! bottles, and very few yes! yes! bottles. This yes! yes! bottle has an intensity and depth rarely found for $10. Loaded with juicy plum and millions of cherries dusted with cocoa powder, this is smooth and long on the palate ending with fine tannins on the lively finish. Medium-weight yet packed with flavor, this would be a joy to drink with many a meal. $9.99 
 Terre Andina Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
 With all the excitement Argentine Malbec has been causing the past couple of years, former South American darling Chile has been overlooked. This new Cabernet arrival reminds us why that shouldn't be so. Bordeaux-like characteristics of mineral earthiness and cured tobacco add Old World complexity while overall the dark black fruit remains lush, roundly polished and shot through with appealing aromatics of cinnamon and baking spices. $8.50 
 Este Alto Almanzora 2005
 A new cool Spanish blend that pumps out the bass notes with a chocolately richness, sappy black fruit and a bedrock of mineral undertones. Broad on the palate and long on the finish, this is one of those Spanish wines that appears out of nowhere (which is pretty much where it is produced) then happily hangs around for years. 60% Monastrell, 10% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha, Cab, Syrah, and Merlot. $9.99 
 Leithner Gruner Veltliner NV
 Another bonus-sized bottle from those considerate Austrians, this follows in the footsteps of other 1-liter faves Hofer and Berger (do they all have to end in -er?). Thomas Leithner must grow pepper vines alongside his grape vines because this is sizzling with that cool characteristic of Gruner: white pepper. That, minerality and just-ripe white peach flavors add up to make this an awesome choice for many Asian dishes or simply as a dry lively apéritif. $9.99 
 O'Reilly's Pinot Gris 2007
 The first Oregon 2007 we've seen and yes, this revels in its youthful exuberance. Captivating aromas of spiced pear and fresh grapes jump from the glass, flavors that continue on the palate where they are joined by a lively lemon-lime lusciousness. Medium-weight, zippy and dry, it's great to have such a tasty Oregon Pinot Gris for only $9.99 
 Delas Côtes du Ventoux 2006
 An easy choice, this is stamped with trademark Rhône flavors of ripe plum and bright cherry, done in a crowd-pleasing polished elegant style. Medium-weight, the clean sweet fruit is besieged by armies of balsamic, violets and a juggernaut of peppery spice on the finish just to keep things interesting. $9.99 
 Colle Morino Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2005
 An early Small Vineyards project, Colle Morino is no longer "small" enough; the two are parting ways and the remaining stock is almost half the original price. A hearty mouthful of wine, this is chockfull of chewy black fruits, chocolate-covered raisins and high-toned spice. This has always been a strong seller, now sure to be even more so. Was $12.99, now only $7.50. 
 Dopff & Irion Crustacés 2004
 This charming Alsatian white blend should prove to be a wonderful springtime wine; light and lively with floral peach blossom notes and a tangy lemon curd richness. This has clearly benefited from time in the bottle, mellowing the fruit and allowing the subtleties of each varietal to come forward. Crustacés refers to shellfish (obvious once you see the label), a superb foil for the white fruit and citrus tanginess. $9.99 
 Laurel Glen Reds 2006
 This new vintage of an old idiosyncratic favorite lures you in with ripe juicy red Zin fruit upfront, then holds onto your taste buds with structured black fruit, meaty and smoky before letting go and letting you do it all again. Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Carignan. $9.99 
 Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc 2007
 After slogging through enough white wines to take a bath in, one thing was clear: "this is a good $10 wine." Boasting all the classic Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc characteristics that make them so popular, this stood out above the others with more complexity, depth and freshness. Clean and racy with lemon-lime acidity and a zesty gooseberry grassiness, this hit all the right notes. $9.99. 
 Evil Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
 With a name like that, I won't say much except this is a heck of a lot of wine for the money. 90 points from Parker: " It reveals a fragrant bouquet of cedar and black currants. Fruit-driven, full-bodied, with tons of flavor, this Cabernet is an exceptional value." Only $9.99, and if you hadn't guessed, it's from Australia. 
 Mas Domergue Coteaux du Languedoc 2005
 O, pauvre Languedoc, always in a better-known appellation's shadow, rarely commanding the attention (or prices) as the majors. So much the better when we can get wines this good, true to type and still a bargain. Imagine driving down a country road and stumbling upon a village where everyone is content doing their thing and doing it well. Slightly rustic yet pretty at the same time, with heady aromas of garrigue spices and floral spice, the kirsch/berry fruit is pleasantly al dente and slightly mysterious - you can picture where the wine is from but it still seems foreign all the same. Brought in by our buddy Philly of PS Wines who has a knack for stumbling down these types of roads. $9.99

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May 2008

Maryhill Winemaker’s Red 2006
A fave at a recent Saturday tasting, this Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend covers all the NW red blend bases at an excellent price. Medium weight with bright black currant fruit and mild vanilla oaky notes, it’s ripe yet elegant, wearing its fruit well. $10.99
Penfold’s Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2006
This blend from one of Australia’s most consistent wineries delivers loads of flavor and depth without resorting to simple jammy over-ripe fruit. With a panoply of dark berry fruits, Rhône-like structure and meaty smoky notes, this tastes like a much more expensive wine. Reviewers at Parker’s Wine Advocate agree as well, giving it a 91 point review. $9.99
Marchesi di Barolo Barbera 2004
The 2004 vintage produced scads of pretty wines in Piedmont including this bargain Barbera. Traditional in style, this medium-weight quaffer offers floral dusty rose aromatics and bright tangy cherry fruit, perfect for washing down that bowl of pasta. $9.99
Nederburg Lyric 2007
Usually when we say “this is why we taste everything” we are joking about something awful that luckily gets tossed out. In this case, it means we caught something very unexpected: this South African blend of Sauvingon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay for a giveaway price that
is actually tasty. Surprised to say the least, we re-tasted several times just to make sure: this is blastin’ good for the money. Clean and flavorful, each varietal stands out but ultimately harmonizes well into one balanced whole. Floral herb and lemon-lime aromatics become tropical on the palate with a supple mouth-feel. A poster child for the quality possible through blending. $6.50
Altos Las Hormigas Malbec 2007
This familiar face has turned many on to the pleasures of Malbec. Pretty violet floral aromatics lead to juicy zin-like berry notes that go from blue to red, all high-toned and zesty. Smooth and medium-bodied, this new vintage will make for nice warm weather drinking, if that weather ever arrives. $10.99
Loredona Pinot Grigio 2006
This Californian Pinot Grigio (yup, California!) is wildly fragrant with Muscat floral notes floating above the apricot, melon and pear. All this light fruitiness however turns dry, rich and fleshy on the palate where its flavors are amped up by a kiss of salty tang. Ah, the secret ingredient to everything. Surprisingly good for Pinot Gris (from California!), just don’t read the back label. $9.99
La Piece Sous le Bras 2005
Fondly referred to as the “armpit wine,” this tastes way better than its poorly translated nickname suggests. An unorthodox blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cinsault, this has good richness and breadth, with a mildly chewy texture and sappy tannins on the finish. Syrah dominates the blend and so do its flavors: lively warm raspberry fruit and peppery herb notes that taste of the sun. $9.99
Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde 2006
Vinho Verde hour is back! Despite the recent lousy weather, there will come a day, very soon we pray, that the heat will unlock secrets in your mind, secrets like Vinho Verde is the best wine ever. Better than that big rich red. Better even than the 1996 Krug... wait, maybe not... but on a hot day, it comes pretty close. Crisp, bright and tangy with mild peach notes and a dry yet thirst-quenching finish. $9.50
Chateau Laurou Fronton 2005
Speaking of that big rich red, there will of course be May days when this provides more comfort than a nearly invisible white. Fronton, in southwestern France, is home to the rare varietal Negrette. Drinking like a Languedoc red but with more underlying structure and zippy minerality, the dark blackberry fruit is spicy and full-bodied yet bright and lively. 50% Negrette 35% Syrah, 15% Cab Sauv. $9.99
Laila Rosso Piceno 2006
Very fragrant and expressive with floral violet notes, ripe red plum and bright cherry aromatics. Lushly textured and medium-bodied, it finishes with everyone’s favorite dessert, a kiss of mocha. $9.99
Bob’s African Shiraz 2005
With every bottle purchased, $1 goes to Mercy Corps, but there’s more to this wine than mere charity. Offering typical Shiraz flavors of ripe dark cherry and raspberry with a light earthy touch, this is so smooth and elegant it goes down real easy. Makes you feel good in more ways than one. $9.99
Domaine Menard Colombard-Sauvignon Blanc 2006
A summery white from France’s Côtes de Gascogne that keeps your taste buds guessing by offering fleshy tropical fruit that turns limey and tangy before heading back to the tropics. Fruity upfront, then dry dry dry on the finish. $9.50

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June 2008

Chapoutier Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2006
 A classy fuller-flavored white from this hallowed red wine zone that keeps your nose guessing. It offers notes of cantaloupe, melon, straw, grapeskin and pear. Medium to full-bodied, the texture is dry, smooth, and juicy and the flavors stay with you through the long finish. $10.99
Terrapin Pinot Gris 2006
 It's always nice to have something from close to home in the case here and Terrapin was an easy choice. Offering textbook characteristics that make Oregon Pinot Gris such a popular pick, this is medium-weight and fleshy with mild peach and pear fruit and a crisp juicy finish. $9.99
Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda 2006
 A distant relation to Piedmont's Dolcetto that colonized Argentina like a tribe of jackrabbits, Bonarda is more widely planted in Argentina than Malbec but remains less well-known. The locals love it for its idiot-proof quaffability, and here is a good example. With ripe berry and mocha flavors, this is invertebrate-smooth, medium-weight and juicy with enough jazzy acidity and wispy tannins to avoid an all-out fruit pie. Perfect for casual partying, it goes down great with grilled rabbit. $8.99
Domaine de la Louvetrie Muscadet 2005
 A classically-styled bio-dynamically farmed Loire Valley white that offers dried stone fruits, creamy lemon and yeasty biscuity notes riding high on a backbone of mineral intensity. A wine of character and personality. $9.99
Cantele Salice Salentino Riserva 2003
 A zesty country wine from Italy's arid heel that offers strawberry and balsamic aromatics which turn to spicy raspberry and dusty plum on the palate with a nice rustic touch. There is balance and even elegance here, more than enough to wash down Tuesday's pasta or Friday's pizza. $10.99
Castle Rock Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2006
 Boasting the tough-to-beat price-to-quality ratio that we've come to expect from this California negociant, this new release expands their portfolio with fruit from our closer-to-home Columbia Valley. This bottling is all high-toned red fruits, raspberry and tangy cherry with the Rock's trademark smooth texture in a juicy medium-bodied style. $9.99
Massamier la Mignarde Rosé 2007
 The new vintage of one of last summer's rosé hits, this southern French pink delivers plenty of flavor and richness while maintaining its dry demure facade. A blend of Cinsault, Grenache, and Syrah, its pale salmon hue is deceptive; despite the light color, this is full-bodied with mild herb and spice notes, pretty strawberry fruit and a backbone of lively minerality. $9.99
Legado Munoz Tempranillo 2007
 This young fresh Spaniard is dark and spicy with big ripe black berry fruit and a manly personality. Structured on the surface boasting muscle and chewy sinew, but once you get to know it, you see the softer gentler side. $9.99
Gaussen VDP du Mont Chaume 2005
 Baby Bandol is a stretch but this table red from Bandol veteran Jean- Pierre Gaussen offers tons of personality, very French personality, for a song. With aromatics that recall the wild herbs that grow across the scrublands of Provence, the nose is captivating, with glimpses of sun-bleached rock and grilling meats that draws a mental picture of an isolated valley farmhouse baking under the Mediterranean sun. The texture is supple yet firm, mildly chewy and hearty despite its medium-bodied frame, and the ripe tannins that arrive on the finish cry out for some rough-cut sausage and fragrant cheese. $9.99
Santa Julia Torrontes 2007
 Torrontes is one cool white varietal; dizzying aromatics of flowers, perfume, and spice suggest a full-flavored sweetish palate but in a very pleasant surprise it's bright, clean, and very dry with tangy
 acidity to cut through all the wild fruit flavors swirling about. Organic as well. $9.99
Tres Ojos Old Vine Grenache 2006
 We haven't seen this old favorite in a while and we're happy it's back. Cut from the same cloth as other remarkable-value Spanish reds such as Fuego and Vina Alarba, this blends smoky cherry and spicy mineral notes with a bright medium-weight freshness to provide a grill-time quaffer. You can almost smell the rosemary-covered lamb kabobs in your mind. Dry and slightly earthy yet fresh, this straddles the New-Old World divide with aplomb. $9.99
Rosemount Mudgee Shiraz Hill of Gold 2003
 This surprise close-out deal drinks more like a European red than the typical Australian Shiraz. Smoky and spicy, there are plenty of leathery, gamy, even mineral notes to frame the ripe yet mellow blackberry fruit. Regularly $17, this is a great deal at a mere $7.50.

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July 2008

Perazzeta Sara Bianco Maremma 2007
From the estate who produces the year-round favorite "Rita" Sangiovese, this unique white blend is a wonderful surprise. Made from two classic Tuscan varietals, Trebbiano and Malvasia, and two classic French varietals, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, the result is a Starburst-like explosion of flowers and fruit. With notes of lemon curd, orange blossom, fresh grapes, mango, dried pineapple, and even sage, there's plenty of flavors to make you reach for another glass. Rich, almost opulent in texture yet balanced by lively acidity, this is a great choice for Italian white drinkers looking for something new. Only 250 cases produced. $10.99
Villa Pozzi Nero d'Avola 2006
Another Sicilian red in the style of the recent favorite "Colosi", this packs much more flavor and interest than the price suggests. Frankly we weren't expecting much, but hey, that's why we try everything (or almost everything, we're not the guys in the Jackass movie after all). Anyway, medium-weight with dark plum and raspberry fruit and cinnamon spice, this is tasty smooth with just enough tannin to balance the sappy fruit. $6.99
Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Racy, vibrant, and expressive, this could easily be mistaken for a New Zealand white. From the tantalizing aromatics to the electric palate, this pulses with a plethora of lime, guava, and exotic tropical fruit notes before ending on a razor's edge of acidity. A highly-caffeinated beach party in your mouth. $9.99
Primaterra Sangiovese 2006
Summer-weight and pretty, this offers classic Italian Sangiovese flavors in an elegantly modern style. With bright cherry fruit, cinnamon spice, and a soft yet lively mouth-feel, this makes for great casual summer sipping. $8.99
Boedecker Pinot Noir Rosé 2006
While the Boedecker Pappas Pinot Noir is an obvious deal, this is more of a steal. Regularly $16, they dropped the price during cooler weather; now that it's finally summer this is an easy choice. Smooth, mellow and gently fruity, the sappy red cherry fruit and mild black tea notes are pretty rich, tasting a lot like - no surprise - a light pinot noir. Oregon rosé for $10, come and get it! $9.99
La Chaussynette (Southern Rhône) 2007
This '07 Rhône is already drinking so great, I can't wait to pull a bottle down the road. Lively and aromatically expressive, this is awfully polished and sappy for a Rhône red yet still offers classic characteristics of herbal spice, tobacco notes and wild red berries. Mild iron mineral notes and a dusting of tannin on the finish help push this into that best of categories: interesting, complex, accessible and delicious. $9.99
Bruno Chardonnay 2007
Made by none other than Dundee favorite Cameron Winery, this is apple-y crisp, lively and bright yet offers plenty of ripe pear richness and a long spiced apple cider finish. $9.99
Cave de Saumur Chenin Blanc 2007
This lovely Chenin Blanc from France's Loire Valley displays the elegance and easy charm that is so typically French. Floral honeyed notes, crisp apple, tangy peach, and lemon zest are all balanced in a dry airy style. $9.99
Camplazens Syrah 2006
From the Roman Camp of Pleasure comes a new vintage of this classically French Syrah. Aromatically and structurally it says northern Rhône with floral dusty iris, grilled meat and a little good "French funk", then turns polished and smooth mid-palate. Drink with food and watch it come alive. $10.99
Ravenswood Zinfandel Lodi 2006
Zin lovers, check this out. Ravenswood is best known for their Zins, and their Lodi bottling is typically one of our favorites, offering a darker more structured profile at just $15. This is already a lot of wine for the money, and at a for-one-month-only price of $10, it's a no-brainer (sorry, couldn't avoid that expression). Beyond sporting a string of desirable Zin adjectives (juicy, plush, round, smooth, fleshy), it comes across as a more serious wine than initially expected with dark plum fruit, peppery spice and a hearty chunk of woodsy tannin on the finish. $9.99
Olivares Jumilla 2005
Parker's Wine Advocate sums it up awfully nicely: "The 2005 Jumilla is a blend of 75% Monastrell, 15% Garnacha, and 10% Syrah with aging in used barriques and demi-muids. It is dark ruby in color with aromas of earth, minerals, kirsch, and black fruits. Medium to full-bodied with sweet, ripe fruit, a supple feel on the palate, and a long, pure finish, it is hard to believe that [$9] can buy so much wine. Drink it over the next two years." $8.99
Tilia Malbec-Syrah Mendoza 2006
Working that old world/new world angle at which the Argentines excel, this alternately emphasizes smooth mocha-laced raspberry cherry fruit and a chewy hearty structure. Yet another in a long recent line of great Argentine deals. $9.99
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