Incredible merlot, a great cab-drinkers merlot. Bob Foley continues to impress. Deep purple color. Aromas of currant, berry and oak, with a hint of cocoa. Big, intense flavors with lots of depth and complexity. Long 30+ second finish. Clearly WOTN.

Another great Shiraz from Ben Glaetzer. This is a very powerful, deep and complex wine. Inky purple color. Aromas/flavors of blueberry, blackberry, vanilla, smoke and pepper. Layered fruit flavors and a great mouthfeel. Long, long finish. Not quite as good as the massive 2004 but will develop more complexity for several years. Still very young.

Big Howell Mountain Cab. Aromas of black fruit with a hint of vanilla. Huge mouth of fruit with big, intergrated tannins. Rich mouthfeel. Long, lingering finish.

Dark, inky color. Nose of red/blackberries, earth, spice. Big mouth filling tannins. Nicely layered fruits of blackberry, plum, red raspberry. Lots of depth and complexity. Long, lingering finish that delivers a hint of dust/cocoa. This is a big zin with rich/ripe extracted fruit from Howell Mountain.

Another GREAT value from Ben Riggs. Dark purple color. Aromas/flavors of blackberry, spice, licorice, vanilla and a hint of pepper. Lots of depth and complexity which is surprising considering its $10 price point. This fruit bomb has layered fruit and surprisingly long finish make this a killer bargain. Preferred over the Mr. Riggs Gaffer especially considering it is $7 a bottle less expensive.

Complex and interesting pinot. Aromas of raspberry, rose, rhubarb, spice and earth. Nice balance with plenty of complexity. Pleasant finish.

Deep ruby color. Aroma/flavors of raspberry, blackberry, pepper, spice and a hint of cocoa. Good depth and complexity for the price. Medium length finish. Good value for the price. Ben Riggs really know how to produce great Shiraz at any price.

Still a young wine, but this is pure Mountain Zin. Dark purple color. Aromas/flavors of blueberry, raspberry, and spice. Gripping tannins need a litte time to mellow, but they balance the intense fruit and make it very drinkable now, but a couple of years of bottle age should create a nicely balanced zin.

Deep, rich, ripe and complex. Dark purple color. Aromas/flavors of baked plum, blue berry, white pepper and spice. Long, lingering finish.

Deep purple color. Aromas/flavors of black cherry, plum, chocolate, spicy oak, and a hint sweet tobacco. Not as intense or complex as some of the other Howell Mountain Cabs I have had from the 2002 vintage. Medium lenth finish. Overall good wine but with fruit from this AVA could be better.

Second label of Vinoce Winery. Once again a very good value for a Zin with this much depth and complexity. Cherry, raspberry, vanilla and cola on the nose. Nice big mouthfeel. Pleasant finish. Well made zin at a very good price $17.

Aromas of citrus. Simple chard that has minimal oak. Medium bodied. Decent food chard, but not my preferred style for this varietal.