2010 Chateau Ste. Michelle - Dr. Looosen Reisling Eroica Columbia Valley

My first impression of this wine was "fresh". The aromas are fresh and clean, with melon and floral notes. There's also a noticeable hint of minerality on the nose.  The flavors are of crisp apple with honeydew melon and a distinct tangy mineral kick.  This is a very enjoyable reisling.  Nice balance with a very subtle sweetness that is pleasantly offset by the tangy acidity and minerality. A good value American reisling.

2009 Descendiendes de J. Palacios, Petalos

This delicious red from the Bierzo region of Spain is made from the Mencia grape. If you are not familiar with this somewhat obscure (at least in the U.S.) grape varietal, you should definitely try this wine.  It is produced in large volume so it is widely available.  I have found it in several different wine retailers in the Atlanta area.  This is a terrific, dense red wine with unique, elusive aromas that really pull you in. It has a rich, toasty/smoky aroma with some herbal essence to it.  It has a subtle dark-cherry flavor characteristic that is long and layered, with a touch of minerally-graphite on the end.  I found this to be a extremely interesting, delicious and totally enjoyable wine.  An outstanding value at around $20/bottle.  Am definitely buying more.

2009 Tyee Estate Pinot Noir

I’m a big fan of Oregon pinot noir and I enjoy the wines from a lot of different OR wineries.  There are many, many excellent pinots from OR, at a range of price points and styles.  However, I recently tried a new OR pinot for the first time and, I must say, came away unimpressed.  The 2009 Tyee Estate Pinot Noir ($25/btl) was a disappointment.  This wine is very light-bodied with a thin, almost transparent color.  It had pleasant aromas of dusty earth and cherries, which showed promise while in the glass.  But the wine had a tart, too-acidic quality that failed to match the inviting aromas, plus there’s a bit of an herbal/vegetable quality that I found a bit off.  Tried it again the next day with similar impressions.  To me, this wine also doesn’t show the depth or complexity that would indicate it’s going to improve over time.  While this is not a bad wine, per se, and some may find this ultra-light texture and herbal quality appealing, for me there are just too many other brilliant Oregon pinots – even at this relatively modest price point – to waste time and money on this particular one. 

2012 Charles & Charles Rose

I usually try a number of different roses in the spring and summer, always on the lookout for a particularly good one.  When well-made, roses can be an excellent value because they tend to be relatively low priced and are terrific wines for summer entertaining because of their food-friendliness and versatility – satisfying both those who appreciate well-made wines as well as the white zinfandel drinker.  So, I’m particularly excited by a wonderful rose example I’ve found from Washington state – the 2012 Charles & Charles Rose Columbia Valley  (from highly-regarded winemaker Charles Smith).  This rose of Syrah is nicely balanced with loads of mouth-watering fruit kept in check by lively acidity.  With aromas of strawberry and perhaps a hint of ripe pear, this rose is delicious, crisp and vibrant.  Great with food or by itself (well-chilled).  It runs about $12/bottle, which is a terrific price for a rose this well made. 

2011 Aveleda Vinho Verde

If you’re a white wine drinker and looking for something different than your usual chardonnays and sauvignon blancs, try vinho verde, the crisp, slightly bubbly white wine from Portugal.  There are lots of good ones available, although you might not find them among your typical grocery store selection.  A good one to try is from Aveleda (Quinta da Aveleda), which is mass-produced and is very widely available.  I have found it in several different wine stores, from my local wine & beer store to large retailers such as Total Wine. At only about $9/bottle, it’s a real bargain for a very pleasant, light-bodied white wine. 

It has a flinty, slightly smoky aroma with strong notes of fresh pineapple & citrus. 

The flavors are of lime and Granny Smith apple balanced with crisp acidity on a light, slightly effervescent texture.  This is a lively, easy-drinking white with a nice combination of tart flavors and acidity.  Another plus is that (like most vinho verdes) it is slightly lower in alcohol than many whites wines (10%).  Goes great with a whole range of light summer food fare, from salads, fresh fruit, light seafood and goat cheese.  Best served well-chilled.

2010 Spindrift Cellars Croft Vineyard pinot noir

This wine is a small production Oregon Pinot noir, so it is not very widely available. But, if you can get your hands on a bottle, consider yourself lucky. (A great source for Spindrift wines and many other terrific Oregon pinots is: http://www.northwest-wine.com/).  This wine is not one of those super premium pinot noir thrillers which the Williamette Valley seems to produce with amazing regularity, nor is it priced as such. Instead, this is a very good single vineyard PN displaying the rich fruit and acidic balance of top quality pinots from this area. It is a light-boded wine but is chock full of flavors and, at about $25 (if you can find it) this is an excellent value. Tantalizing aromas of dark cherry and black pepper leap immediately from the glass, but let this one breathe a bit and the layers keep opening. Flavors are lush and layerd with cherry & dark berry fruit most prominent, with prominent earth and a touch more black pepper on the finish.
I'm a big fan of Oregon pinot noir and I try a lot of different ones at all different price points.  Am always looking for wines that hit the "sweet spot" of quality-for-price.  This one really hits the mark. Haven't found too many pinots this good for under $25.

2012 A to Z Rose

Just finished off a bottle of the 2012 Oregon Rose from A to Z Wineworks.  Paid $12.99 at my local grocery store.  I like A to Z wine in general.  I think they deliver a routinely excellent value across their array of varietals.  Their pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot gris are all consistently good values year in and year out...and occasionally outstanding values.  This 2012 Rose is no exception.  It's a very good value at $12.99 and a terrific spring/summer sipping wine.  This year's version is fresh and lucious with strong strawberry and floral aromas that leap out of the glass immediately.  The strawberry essence carries through the flavor along with a faint touch of watermelon, but this is no sweet, flabby glass of yuck.  The sweet aromas and fruit flavor essences are well balanced with a nice dose of puckery acidity to keep it refreshing.  This is a fun, flavorful, easy-drinking wine that also has "real" wine structure and integrity. Pairs well with all kinds of warm-weather foods from entree salads to Chinese take-out to burgers on the grill.  Good stuff.