Lafite Riserva Speciale 2005 wine review by (PB)

Another of the 05 Bordeaux that has a cranberry hue with an interesting bouquet of gentle cherry/black cherry notes and cedar. After breathing clean cherry aromas with an almost flowery bouquet laced with pomegranate and bread.

The bouquet is the best part of this wine which is a little disappointing. It gives a nice first impression with a popular sweet palate, balanced fruit and clean flavors. It's decent enough but at $17 I have found better values in this hallmark year. Raise a glass!

Old Moon (Old Vine) Zinfandel 2006

This wine was found at Trader Joes and sells for $6. It is purple with a raspberry bouquet and a sweet palate with raspberry fruit.

It is made in the very popular style that will appeal to most Americans. It is actually a pleasant guzzling kind of wine but don't get it thinking you're getting a Zin. It's just a fun, haphazard quaffer to enjoy a little on the kind side sitting on the porch waiting for dinner. Raise a glass.

Mouton Cadet (White) 2006 wine review by (PB)

This lightly golden Bordeaux smells like a wonderful Riesling or Gewürztraminer on first sniff and then evolves quickly to a Sauvignon Blanc blend. Peaches and grassy notes are very nice on the swirl with flowery bouquet.

This wine is 40% S. Blanc 50% Semillion and 10% Muscadelle and it tastes precisely like what it is. This wine comes in at $7.50 and is food friendly, and okay as an aperitif. Raise a glass to be sure.

Chateau Guiraud-Cheval Blanc 2005 wine review by (PB)

This Bordeaux Cotes De Bourg wine is another 05 value. It has a black cherry hue with tight fruit of black cherry and some raspberry notes with minerals and steel.

In the mouth this wine is sweet with some tannic structure, bready notes but needs to open. With breathing it is a tad hot but nice flavors and body with good structure and a good food wine. Buy this wine and two more to lay down for another year and reap the rewards. All this for only $14 so raise a glass to a great vintage!

Marquis De Chasse 2005

Remember I said to buy any 05 Bordeaux and give it s shot; there will be some real bargains to be found from this supreme vintage. This blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon is a cranberry jelly colored wine with a bouquet of fruity wood, and chocolate covered cherries. Nice.

In the mouth it is steely, a little tart tightly wound on opening and full of mineral flavors. BREATHE!

Really nice bouquet of ripe plum and a touch of cinnamon and pipe tobacco.

The palate is a bit tannic but this is a solid wine; give it two hours to air out and buy a couple for the under $10 price and put another year of age on it.

LeCheteau Vouvray Brut (NV) wine review by (PB)

This $10 sparkling wine from Vouvray France is really very nice! Made from Chenin Blanc, it is pale straw in color with a lemony melon bouquet that is understated. It is somewhat thin on flavor but is crisply made and refreshing.

Somewhat non-descript but I tell you this is a "best buy" sparkler and worth seeking out! I'll buy more if given the chance. Raise a glass!

Note--LeCheteau is spelled properly!

Domaine Tempier Bandol 2004 Wine Review (NW)

Tasting notes:

Fruity nose of blueberry and mulberry

Dense core

Dark berry finish with dry herbs and cassis

This wine is wild and untamed! It has an exotic taste of berries and herbs, and is still quite tannic. After decanting, the wine softened a bit but continued to be chewy and dense. It also has a striking dark purple color, that looked beautiful in the decanter.

From a tiny region in Southern France, Bandol is made primarily from Mourvedre. The grapes are extremely ripe, but there's an underlying herbal tone that makes some of these wine taste almost wild and this is no exception.

I paid $32 for the bottle, and have seen it for as much as $40. If you're ready to do some exploring in France's lesser-known regions, look for a Bandol. And raise a glass!

Fleur du Cap Chenin Blanc 2005 Wine Review (NW)

Tasting notes:

Bright nose of peach and lemon

Nicely textured on the palate; fruity and acidic

Finish of citrus, melon, and lingering vanilla

This South African beauty is a steal at just $6! Well, that was the sale price. Regardless, the regular price is more like $10 which is still a good deal for a fruity, elegant, and nicely textured wine.

I could see this pairing well with a variety of dishes, and it also was delicious to drink on its own. I encourage you to seek out South African Chenin Blanc. Some wineries use the grape name Steen, however, it seems more of them are reverting back to the French name for the grape on the label. Either way, it's often great stuff at a modest price. Raise a glass!

Valle Reale Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2005 Wine Review (NW)

Tasting notes:

Rich nose of crushed blackberry, spice, and a layer of dusty earth

Dense, fruity core

Moderate tannins on finish with raspberry, cocoa, spice, and pepper

Very nice wine! This wine costs $20 and is a step up from the delicious and simple "Vigne Nuove" label that prices in around $12. It's slightly more dense and structured, showing darker fruit flavors and more spice.

I rarely see this wine and should have grabbed more. The Montepulciano D'Abruzzo wines are common now, but almost exclusively just the entry level bottlings. It's unusual to see the next step up, such as this. Hope you find one. And raise a glass!

Chateau De Beauregard-DuCourt 2005 wine review by (PB)

For $11 you should be trying any and all 05 Bordeaux you find; many of them will be bargains.

This one is a pretty plum purple with a wowing bouquet of sweet fruit that if I was blind folded I would say it was a rose with sweet fruity strawberry and cherry aromas.

Palate has some structure with forthright tannins and skimpy fruit that is a bit hollow with charcoals notes. This is just light bodied, easy to drink but is weird since it is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet yet tastes like a Beaujolais Cru. It is an easy drinking wine but very weird for Bordeaux.
Let this one pass.

Dona Paula Las Cardos Malbec 2006 wine review by (PB)

This is a pretty purple Argentinian wine with cranberry bouquet and black cherry notes.

Palate is solid strawberries with slight white pepper and solid structure. I am not a big fan of Malbec but this one was decent. I believe the price point is the usual $10 range. Raise a glass.

Casa LaPastolle "Cuvee Alexandre" Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 wine review by (PB)

This multiply reviewed wine is always a super value and a great quaff. It has an intense deep black cherry color with vegetal aromas with rich dark berries.

Palate is a rich, big, juicy Cab. that is a blockbuster wine with big dark fruit that's bready and delicious finishing with subtle chocolate. What a bargain at $15

KJ Riesling 2005 wine review by (PB)

This California Riesling is pale straw with shallow mixed fruit, melon and kiwi along iwth a fruit I just can't identify.

In the mouth it has a sweet touch of lemon peel at the rear with apricot note; is nicely made with a lingering finish but the bouquet has a fruit aroma that is elusive and nice. I paid $11 for this wine which was fair but if you want Riesling, try Washington state or Germany and raise a glass.