Nalle Winery Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2017, California

Deep ruby in color with a wide cloudy, purplish rim.

Fruity nose of blueberries, black cherries, wildflowers, light cedar, tobacco, light bell pepper, vanilla, peppercorn, earth, cloves and spices.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with plums, cherries, sweet strawberries, blueberries, vanilla, oak, licorice, spices, bitter greens, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, tobacco leaf and peppercorn.

Medium plus on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a nice Zinfandel from Sonoma County. Drinking nicely now even right out of the bottle. As it opens up, it gets earthier and spicier.

Still young and needs a few years in the bottle to mature, get more complexity, and remove some of the vegetable notes. Will be a 90+ wine in 5 years.

Good by itself or with food and would pair very nicely with a burger. I paired it with a Brie cheese and roasted almonds.

A blend of 91% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Sirah and 4% Carignan. Aged for 11 months in French oak barrels (25% New).

13.9% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$40.

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CR Greybehl Wine Company The Grenachista Grenache Noir Mendocino County Alder Springs Vineyard 2016 California

Dark ruby in color with a wide cloudy reddish/ brick rim.

Fruity nose of blueberries, bing cherries, wood, licorice, spices, dark chocolates, black pepper, vegetables, earth, leather and herbs.

Medium bodied with medium acidity and nice legs.

Dry on the palate with cherries, strawberries, red currants, oak, smoke, vegetables, earth, wet leaves, peppercorn, green herbs, mint and tobacco.

Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is an interesting Grenache from Mendocino County. This Single Vineyard is showing nice complexity and mouthfeel. Nicely balanced.

Easy drinking right out of the bottle and gets complexity as it opens up.

Needs 3 hours to open up properly, and really changed from bottle opening, so take your time.

Smells like an Oregon Pinot Noir (after 3 hours of airtime), but really different on the palate.

A very interesting wine to share with friends and talk about. Tangy, spicy and little bitter on the ending.

I’ve had other Grenaches from this Winery, and each one is somewhat different, which is nice.

I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

Grapes are grown at 2,400 feet elevation and aged for two years in used French Oak barrels.

13.8% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$46.

Azari Winery CorkScrew Luma Rouge 2011, California

Dark inky in color with a short and cloudy, deep brick rim.

Fruity nose of plums, cherries, wood, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, herbs, light vegetables, vinaigrette, tobacco and diet cola.

Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with plums, cherries, currants, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, vinaigrette, vegetables, tobacco, bitter herbs and peppercorn.

Medium plus on the finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a nice Syrah blend from Sonoma County. Tangy and spicy with lots of black fruits. Showing great complexity and mouthfeel.

This 8 year old is not from the best of vintages, and over the hill by now, but very tasty nonetheless.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (2 hours).

I paired it with cheeses and light appetizers.

A blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier.

13.6% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$35.

Mutt Lynch Winery Merlot Over and Play Dead 2017, Sonoma County, California

Time for #MerlotThursday. Here’s one from California.

Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Fruity nose of cherries, plums, red currants, oak, tobacco leaf, metals, vegetables, chocolates, spices and black pepper.

Medium bodied with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black plums, cherries, wood, licorice, spices, herbs, dark chocolates, black pepper, light vegetables and pencil lead.

Short finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a simple Merlot from Sonoma County. Spicy with a light mouthfeel. A little unbalanced, but good by itself and better with food.

A nice everyday red wine, and good right out of the bottle.

Wine Enthusiasts 84 points.

A little expensive for what you get, but has a cool name and label.

I paired it with a Mashroom and Brie dip, with toasted garlic baguette.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

84 points.

$19.

Inspiration Vineyards & Winery Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2012, California

Ruby in color with medium minus intensity and a wide reddish rim.

Fruity nose of strawberries, red currants, raspberries, wood, spices, earth, light vegetables, licorice and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry and fruity on the palate with cherries, strawberries, raspberries, wood, spices, earth, light vegetables, vanilla, licorice, tobacco, chocolates and coke.

Medium finish with soft tannins and tangy pomegranates.

This is a nice Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley, California. Showing mild complexity with a soft mouthfeel.

This 7 year old is still drinking nicely, but a little tart on the ending for my taste. Was probably better a year or two ago.

Needs 90 minutes to open up properly and show some tannins.

A very small production of only 76 cases.

Good by itself and better with food. I paired it with cheeses and light appetizers.

13.1% alcohol by volume.

87 Points.

$25.

Cuda Ridge Wines Livermore Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, California

Dark ruby in color with a purplish rim.

Fruity nose of blueberries, black currants, sweet cherries, spices, oak, vanilla, earth, cinnamon, cloves, tobacco leaf, dark coffee, black tea, chocolates and peppercorn.

Full bodied and smooth with medium plus acidity and nice legs.

Dry on the palate with blueberries, plums, currants, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, earth and pencil lead.

Long finish with soft tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a very enjoyable Cabernet based Bordeaux blend from California. Showing nice complexity and a great tangy finish.

Needs an hour to open up, but was even better after 2 hours, when much of the complexity came in.

I liked the fact that it’s not high in alcohol, so you can drink more of it 😃.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with brie cheese which was great together. Interesting, engaging and very tasty.

A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec. Aged for 29 months in French Oak barrels.

89 points.

13.8% alcohol by volume.

$40

The Grenachista Dry Creek Valley Vineyard Grenache Noir 2016, Sonoma County, California

Beautiful color of dark ruby with a wide reddish rim.

Strong and fruity nose with black currants, black plums, wild flowers, cherries, oak, spices, licorice, cloves, vanilla, cinnamon, earth, light alcohol, peppercorn and dark chocolates.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, earth, tobacco, chocolates, light vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Medium plus in length on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a very enjoyable Single Vineyard Grenache from Sonoma County. Spicy and easy drinking with nice complexity.

Fruit forward and enjoyable by itself or with food. A good wine to enjoy with friends by the porch.

Good right out of the bottle and better after an hour of airtime, when the complexity shows up.

I paired it with cheeses and crackers.

14.2% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$38.