Tried these two last night:
1. CedarvilleVnyd {Viognier} ElDorado (EB; 14.3%; http://www.CedarvilleVineyard.com; 210 cs) 2009: Light yellow color; lovely fragrant/pear/Viog/spicy slight peachy/nutmeg light earthy/pencilly/oak very attractive nose; tart slightly lean/tight/earthy lovely floral/pear/Viog/spicy fairly rich flavor; long light pencilly/oak lovely floral/pear/Viog slight ElDorado/earthy some tart/tangt finish; quite a lovely Viognier and probably needs a few months to show more. $18.50
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2. TraderJoe's GrandReserve CabernetSauvignon NapaVlly (14.1%) V&B by MaxwellCreekWnry, Rutherford 2008: Very dark color; strong beautiful toasty/pencilly/oak/vanilla/toasted coconut strong ripe/blackcurranty/Cab/big fruit/licorice/cassis some Rutherford dust/dusty complex classic NapaVlly Cab nose; slightly soft some tannic/structured strong blackcurranty/Cab/cassis rather toasty/charred/oak/vanilla/toasted coconut/ZagNut bar rich flavor; very long somewhat tannic/structured classic NapaVlly Cab/Rutherford dust/ripe/blackcurranty/Cab some toasted/vanilla/toasted coconut finish; plenty of classic/ripe Cab fruit but good structure; needs another 2-3 yrs and should go out ten; terrific valuue (if you like Cabernet). $12.99
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Cedarville: Whatta difference a day makes. I opened this up on Sun night at normal white wine temperature. Did not care for iit at all....lean/tight/eviscerated, little noose or flavor; somewhat hard/acidic. Left it out on the counter and tried it last night when I got home. It had turned into this lovely Viog described above. Was it a breathing effect?? Nope..doubt it. It was all a matter of temperature. This was tasted at cool room temperature...low 60'sF. I've found their Viogniers are sometimes on the soft/fat side. This was not...had plenty of bright/zippy acidity which belies the 14.2%. Maybe Jonathan & Susan's best Viog yet.
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2. TJ's: Don't usually buy Cabernets but the TJ's flyer implied this was from some primo wnry. Haven't a clue who MaxwellCreekWnry is, but they clearly know how to make Cabernet. You can find the MaxwellCreek Reserve Cab on the Net for around $25. This Cab had it all...fruit/structure/decent acidity/right touch of oak. As they say in Uzbekistan..."Back up the truck on this one". This is as good as any $40-$80 NapaVlly Cabs I've had this year (both of them!!).
Tom

