Lost Sonnet - 2007 Meritage ($10)

Cellared/bottled by Our Cellars from Healdsburg, this meritage is 58% Cab; 22% Merlot, and 20% Cab Franc. It's a wine that has been getting a lot of praise on other blogs lately so I wanted to give it a shot. Plenty of dark fruit and a little cherry, followed by a nice hit of both chocolate and vanilla. The fact that this wine has been in a bottle for 3 plus years really shows as the oak doesn't really come through all that strong. Mellow tannins and one of the shortest finishes I can ever remember. Seriously, when that last gulp goes down your throat, that's it. But hey, sure is tasty going down. Smooth, well balanced, plenty of different layers to tease the taste buds. I've read some folks who say they will cellar some bottles for a few years down the road. I'm not so sure. I kind of think this wine is at its peak and is best drank now, right now! The few years that this juice has sat in the bottle has already perfectly mellowed both the oak and tannins. So I say enjoy in 2011; not 2014. VERDICT: Get it!

Panilonco - 2009 Chilean Malbec/Merlot ($4)

Decided to look for something from South America for my latest post. Panilonco blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Malbec. Hey, I like Merlot; love Malbec; Chile seems like a beautiful place; and at $3.99 what could go wrong? Label says smooth and intensely fruity. If I appreciate anything, it is truth in advertising. And this wine lives up to the label. Nice and fruity with cherry and blackberry flavors. Smooth and easy drinking, with little tannins and acidity. Little bit of spice and vanilla, but nothing overpowering. And the unusual blend of these two varietals just gives it a little bit of character. Let's be honest, it's $3.99, so don't expect anything here that will blow your socks off. But you can do a lot worse at this price point. If you get this wine, finish the bottle off - don't let it sit around. This wine pretty much lost any substane on day number two. VERDICT: Get it - just don't think too hard and enjoy.

Trader Joes Grand Reserve - 2009 Russian River Pinot Noir ($13)

It's a pretty common belief that it is tough to find a good cheap Pinot Noir. It is a delicate thin skinned grape that is tough to grow and usually produces small yields, therefore more expensive to produce, and that usually equates to a higher price point for a quality bottle. The Russian River brings up thoughts of iconic wines like Rochioli, simply a fantastic region for growing Pinot. The 09 TJ Grand Reserve is about 4/5 Pinot Noir with the balance being a mix of Syrah and Zin. At first taste I got a nice hit of red fruit cherry, but also a nice bite of spice and pepper, probably from the Syrah. Oak and vanilla also started to show itself as well. I also got a bit of earthy fleshiness. The fruit certainly wasn't overpowering so the wine does not resemble some of the extremely fruit forward pinot noirs made today, which I also enjoy. This wine is a bit more of a Burgundian style bottle - mediuim bodied with restrained tannins. Have no idea how the Zin comes into play, because I'm not tasting any of it. A very well balanced and enjoyable wine, with plenty of complexity and a variety of flavors that will most likely have me picking up a few more bottles. VERDICT: Get it!!!