Bargetto's: Chaucer's California Olallieberry Wine

L: Do you like pie? If the answer is yes - Try drinking your pie in the form of wine! If the answer is no - You are a weirdo. This wine is a delicious dessert wine that will probably be the best thing you ever drank. $15. 10/10.

McHenry Pinot Noir 2005, Santa Cruz

L: Yum. I've had this wine a few times before and it is always a pleasant experience. It isn't as full and earthy as other pinot noirs, but give IS perky, and zesty, and exciting! I've seen this wine described as having the flavors of plum and cherry and I would agree. Very fruity. BUT, there is a really interesting, peppery after taste. I love the tartness of this wine - it makes me pucker when it hits the sides of my tongue. It is also earns bonus points for being such a pretty color, a light fuchsia-ish purple. This is an interesting and tasty wine that hasn't failed me yet. 8.5/10

Roogle Shiraz 2006

R: Boring. Not peppery at all, flat in the mouth, weak finish. 4/10.

Goats In Villages Shiraz Pinotage 2006

R: That is a tiny picture. Ah well. This is a pleasant Shiraz/Pinotage blend. The intensity is all on the sides of the tongue, tannic and fruity. Long, dry aftertaste, but not much character in it. I don't know how to describe the way it tails off, but it's kind of 'thin'. Certainly doesn't engage the whole mouth. 6.5/10

Lano Barbera D'Alba 2005

R: It's been months since I actually drank this, but I saved the bottle, and it's been staring at me ever since. I don't recall anything about it except that I liked it. I'll update if I can track down another bottle.

Drylands, Marlborough, Sauvignon Blanc, 2007

L: Yum, yum, yum, yum, YUM! This is the nectar that I imagine Hera and Zeus drink up on Mount Olympus. Unbelievably delicious. Daily Wine Tasting describes this wine as "intense, multi-layered nose of tropical fruit. Pink grapefruit, mango, lime, and, passion fruit blasts on the palate with intensity and restraint. Clean and crisp with a bone dry finish" All of that sound about right. It's also fairly inexpensive at around $15. I would give it a 10 but then there is nowhere else to go. 9.5!

Estancia Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

L: Uh oh. This wine is dangerous. It is mellow and drinkable enough to make me want to gulp rather than sip and it is interesting and tasty enough to make me want to go back for more. Just what I want in a wine in the $12-$15 range. The internet says that "On the nose black cherry, dutch chocolate and currant complement the spicy, peppery notes and hints of toasted sweet oak. The wine greets the palate with opulent dark fruit, soft velvety tannins, ending with a long, rich finish." And, most of that description fits pretty well. It isn't terribly fascinating, but it tastes yummy. A former alcoholic at my work today told me that her former "drug of choice" was wine. This sobering statement just may keep me from overdoing it tonight on Estancia. 7 out of 10