WTN: Recent wines, good, bad and ugly.

1998 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - Still youthful, but balanced with dusty tannins, moderate acidity and black fruits. This Cab is doing well. I'd buy more if I could find it.

Gordon Brothers Family Vineyards 2000 Tradition - Black currants, black cherries and blackberries, both in the glass and over the tongue. Noticable, but balanced oak makes for an enjoyable wine with char-grilled NY strip. Buy again? Yes, daughter gives thumbs up! $24 at Costco.

2001 Tato Terra D'Aligi Montepulciano d'Abruzzo – Tasty, tart and black cherries filtered though clean earth. Somebody find me some more of this, I didn't note where I bought it and the usual suspects are claiming innocence.

Au Bon Climat Santa Rita Hills 2003 Pinot Noir – While there are some California Pinot's I like, this just isn't one of them. The elements are there but out of whack and it comes across as too tooty-frooty. $25

Loosen Bros Dr L 2005 Riesling - Simple, off-dry, tastes of tart apple over mountain stream pebbles. A decent quaffer, and it worked well with spicy chicken stir-fry. Whaddya want for 12.99?

Domaine de Nizas Coteaux De Languedoc 2005 Rose - Nice mineral-laced floral scents and some baking spices. Strawberry-apple flavors dance over granite, crisp acidity cleanses the palate. Refreshing, yet with enough body to drink even in winter. Picked by my daughter based on the back label description and varietal composition ( 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 20% Syrah). The girl shows promise. $15

Trader Moon Wine Company Tuscan Moon Sangiovese 2005 - What the ()*(*$# is this stuff? Smells more like a bacon-fat, pepper Syrah. In the mouth it's a bit flabby, lacking in acidity and tasting more like generic red wine. Ocassional hints of cherry pie indicate this may be Sangiovese, but that's about all I can get from it. It does taste better with food and gets a .little better with time, but not enough for me to buy again. $6 at Trader Joe's.

Erraruiz Panilonco 2005 Carmenere - Dusty red fruit and a bit of cedar in the nose. Noticeable tannins, dusty fruit and some leather. Good now, but needs time, either in the decanter or in the cellar. I'll buy some more if TJ's has any left. (They did, I picked up 3 more, at at whopping 3.99/bottle).

[Robin Garr]

Au Bon Climat Santa Rita Hills 2003 Pinot Noir – While there are some California Pinot's I like, this just isn't one of them. The elements are there but out of whack and it comes across as too tooty-frooty. $25

Nice notes on a bunch of interesting wines, Doug, thanks! Sorry to see this about ABC, though. Even though I claim to be a Europhile, I generally like Clendenen's wines. Maybe it's the French name? [/quote]

Somehow the Au Bon Climat's haven't rung my chimes, at least at the mid-twenties price point, while other CA Pinots in that range do. I'm kinda mystified because it sees we like a lot of the same wines and same styles. I guess that's part of what makes wine so much fun.