| 14071 | 14070 | US | Tastes vegetal and tired. The wine is losing its pineapple and pear fruit, and there's not much to replace it except alcohol and oak. | | 83 | 40 | California | Russian River Valley | Sonoma | | | Derbes 2006 Chardonnay (Russian River Valley) | Chardonnay | Derbes |
| 14072 | 14071 | US | Smells and tastes not quite ripe. Now that the wine is softening and resolving at the age of 3-1/2 years, it's showing a streak of veggie green behind the cherries. | Odyssey | 83 | 34 | California | Russian River Valley | Sonoma | | | Enkidu 2006 Odyssey Syrah (Russian River Valley) | Syrah | Enkidu |
| 14073 | 14072 | US | Oak completely overwhelms this wine. All you can smell and taste is char, caramel and wood spice, and the tannins, which are partly from oak barrels, are dense and hard. It's difficult even to discern any underlying fruit flavors, although if you try hard, you stumble across blackberries. | | 82 | 50 | California | Napa Valley | Napa | | | Faust 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Faust |
| 14074 | 14073 | Argentina | Not bad on the nose, where you get some tropicality, buttercup and flower blossom. But once you get onto the palate things go south. The acidity is high, creating tangy, lemony flavors, and all totaled there's not much here besides generic citrus and water. | | 82 | 6 | Mendoza Province | Mendoza | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Funky Llama 2009 Sauvignon Blanc (Mendoza) | Sauvignon Blanc | Funky Llama |
| 14075 | 14074 | Spain | Candied on one hand but also gassy, barnyardy and less than clean and pure on the other. A basic mouthfeel is probably the high point, while flavors of underdeveloped berry fruit are more salty and leathery than anything. Fails to impress. | | 82 | 9 | Northern Spain | Toro | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Bodegas Copaboca 2008 Toro | Tempranillo-Garnacha | Bodegas Copaboca |
| 14076 | 14075 | US | Sweet and simple. Tastes like a supermarket fruit juice blend of mango, peach and orange. | | 82 | 11 | California | California | California Other | | | McManis 2009 Viognier (California) | Viognier | McManis |
| 14077 | 14076 | US | Pretty dark for a rosé, and heavy in the mouth, with the density almost of a red wine. Shows soft cherry and spice flavors. | Rosato | 82 | 18 | California | Santa Barbara County | Central Coast | | | Mosby 2009 Rosato Rosé (Santa Barbara County) | Rosé | Mosby |
| 14078 | 14077 | US | Too soft, lacking vital structure, and too sweet for a dry table wine. Shows candied flavors of berries and cherries. | | 82 | 18 | California | Cienega Valley | Central Coast | | | Pietra Santa 2006 Sangiovese (Cienega Valley) | Sangiovese | Pietra Santa |
| 14079 | 14078 | US | The texture's all wrong on this wine, because the ripeness levels and tannins are unbalanced. The cherry and wood flavors have streaks of green and jalapeño pepper, and there's some funkiness. | Mountain Cuvée | 82 | 30 | California | Sonoma Valley | Sonoma | | | Spotted Owl 2007 Mountain Cuvée Red (Sonoma Valley) | Red Blend | Spotted Owl |
| 14080 | 14079 | Spain | Funky smelling and unfamiliar, with sweet, candied spice notes and strange candied cherry aromas. Vibrant and bouncy in terms of feel, but follows the nose by tasting sweet and weird. Weak on the finish as well. | Rojo Granrojo | 82 | 9 | Central Spain | Tierra de Castilla | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Bodegas Navarro López 2008 Rojo Granrojo Garnacha (Tierra de Castilla) | Garnacha | Bodegas Navarro López |
| 14081 | 14080 | Portugal | Attractive crisp raspberry fruits, with a creamy texture, but spoilt by a sweet caramel edge. | Fita Azul Passion Rosé Bruto | 82 | | Vinho Espumante de Qualidade | | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Borges NV Fita Azul Passion Rosé Bruto Sparkling (Vinho Espumante de Qualidade) | Portuguese Sparkling | Borges |
| 14082 | 14081 | Argentina | Jammy and murky smelling, and lacking clarity and zap on the nose. Surprisingly, the palate is jacked up with acidity, and thus it's sharp in the mouth and strained. Flavors of red fruits are made creamy by forced oak, yielding a milk chocolate note to the finish. | | 82 | 6 | Mendoza Province | Mendoza | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Funky Llama 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (Mendoza) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Funky Llama |
| 14083 | 14082 | Argentina | Light, tropical but ultimately dilute, with chalky, drying, tart flavors that run toward lemon and underripe pineapple. Lemony on the finish and monotone. | | 82 | 7 | Mendoza Province | Mendoza | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Funky Llama 2009 Pinot Grigio (Mendoza) | Pinot Grigio | Funky Llama |
| 14084 | 14083 | Argentina | Incredibly candied and sweet smelling, much like cotton candy or pink marshmallows. The palate has a cloying, sticky mouthfeel and flavors of raisin, milk chocolate and herbal, tart berry fruits. Creamy and carob-like on the finish. Tastes and smells affected. | | 82 | 8 | Other | Famatina Valley | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Santa Florentina 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (Famatina Valley) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Santa Florentina |
| 14085 | 14084 | Chile | Light green aromas of melon and lime are nice, while the palate is solid and full of lime and pithy grapefruit flavors. Like many Chilean SBs, this is salinic, citrusy and pithy, but also round as well as clean. Drink right away. | Reserva | 87 | 12 | Casablanca Valley | | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Chilensis 2010 Reserva Sauvignon Blanc (Casablanca Valley) | Sauvignon Blanc | Chilensis |
| 14086 | 14085 | US | This unusual blend of Petite Sirah and Teroldego is very rich and ripe, brimming with blackberry, grilled mushrooms splashed with balsamic, cassis, pepper and cedar. It has lovely tannins, soft and refined. The only problem is excessive heat from high alcohol. | Sorcerer's Stone | 87 | 45 | California | California | California Other | | | Cinnabar 2008 Sorcerer's Stone Red (California) | Red Blend | Cinnabar |
| 14087 | 14086 | US | With alcohol at just 12.7%, this is one of several under-13% Pinots tasted recently that seem to be setting a new trend in Oregon. The elegance is welcome, and gives the flighty grape some room for nuance and even terroir. Light berry, watermelon, hints of earth and a fine balance make this an excellent quaffer. | | 87 | 28 | Oregon | Rogue Valley | Southern Oregon | Paul Gregutt | @paulgwine | Del Rio 2009 Pinot Noir (Rogue Valley) | Pinot Noir | Del Rio |
| 14088 | 14087 | US | Lots of crisp, jammy Meyer lemon, lime, vanilla, honey and creamy flavors in this Rhône-style blend. It's a little too sweet and forward, especially for the price. | Venus | 87 | 45 | California | Sonoma County | Sonoma | | | Donelan 2009 Venus Roussanne-Viognier (Sonoma County) | Roussanne-Viognier | Donelan |
| 14089 | 14088 | Italy | Caiatì is an interesting and unique expression of Pallagrello that does an excellent job of offering both aromatics and structure. Notes of melon, peach and apricot are followed by smooth creaminess and density. | Caiatì | 87 | | Southern Italy | Campania | | | | Fattoria Alois 2009 Caiatì Pallagrello (Campania) | Pallagrello | Fattoria Alois |
| 14090 | 14089 | Germany | Huber's entry-level bottling comes across as somewhat conflicted in 2008, with aromas of mushrooms and twigs, but flavors more reminiscent of ripe cherries; plump and round in the mouth, but crisply acidic, almost zingy on the finish. | Malterdinger Trocken | 87 | 50 | Baden | | | Joe Czerwinski | @JoeCz | Huber 2008 Malterdinger Trocken Pinot Noir (Baden) | Pinot Noir | Huber |
| 14091 | 14090 | Italy | Made from a very old clone of Falanghina (a grape whose history spans back to the Roman Empire), this bright and tonic wine bursts open with green notes of kiwi, lime and freshly cut grass. Those background citrus and white mineral aromas would make it perfect to pair with lightly fried calamari. | | 87 | | Southern Italy | Falerno del Massico | | | | Villa Matilde 2009 Falanghina (Falerno del Massico) | Falanghina | Villa Matilde |
| 14092 | 14091 | US | Made in the modern way of very ripe fruit and lots of oak, this Chardonnay certainly delivers plenty of pineapple jam, tangerine, Meyer lemon tart, vanilla and buttered toast flavors. It's fortunately balanced with crisp acidity. Designed for the Chard crowd that likes this popular style. | San Saba Vineyard | 87 | 49 | California | Monterey | Central Coast | | | Wrath 2008 San Saba Vineyard Chardonnay (Monterey) | Chardonnay | Wrath |
| 14093 | 14092 | US | A bit rustic and rowdy, in the way of Malbec, with big, edgy tannins and a scour of acidity. Whatever elegance it lacks, it makes up for in the sheer power of its blackberry and coffee fruit flavors. Will probably age forever, gradually mellowing and sweetening, without ever showing much complexity. | | 87 | 42 | California | Sonoma Valley | Sonoma | | | Arrowood 2007 Malbec (Sonoma Valley) | Malbec | Arrowood |
| 14094 | 14093 | France | With its layers of wood, the wine has weight. Herbaceous characters are mixed with ripe pear flavors. There is a good, tight final texture. | Thomas Barton Réserve | 87 | 15 | Bordeaux | Graves | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Barton & Guestier 2010 Thomas Barton Réserve (Graves) | Bordeaux-style White Blend | Barton & Guestier |
| 14095 | 14094 | US | This is a dry, earthy Chardonnay, with an herbal taste behind the orange, kiwi and cream flavors. Crisp acidity makes it clean and zesty. | | 87 | 18 | California | Napa Valley | Napa | | | Black Stallion 2009 Chardonnay (Napa Valley) | Chardonnay | Black Stallion |
| 14096 | 14095 | France | A crisp, clean, fruity wine, tangy and lemony. This is a really attractive wine, a classic of its kind. Screwcap. | | 87 | | Bordeaux | Bordeaux Blanc | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Bonnet 2008 Bordeaux Blanc | Bordeaux-style White Blend | Château Bonnet |
| 14097 | 14096 | South Africa | The mouthfeel of this wine is full and round despite lean flavors of tart tropical fruit and melon rind. The nose offers aromas of fresh herbs and green fruit that reappear on the finish. Drink now. | Professor Black | 87 | 19 | Stellenbosch | | | Lauren Buzzeo | @laurbuzz | Warwick 2010 Professor Black Sauvignon Blanc (Stellenbosch) | Sauvignon Blanc | Warwick |
| 14098 | 14097 | Chile | Nice aromas of floral berry, creamy vanilla and smoky spice work well. The palate is zesty, tight and forward, with saucy red berry flavors and olive. Long, zingy, zesty and saucy on the finish, with herbs, spice and chocolaty flavors. A nice and eager blend of 60% CS and 40% Syrah. | Aliwen Reserva | 87 | 12 | Rapel Valley | | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Undurraga 2009 Aliwen Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah (Rapel Valley) | Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah | Undurraga |
| 14099 | 14098 | Chile | For as long as Chile has been taken seriously for its SBs, Veramonte has been a value leader. This wine is a bit softer and less pungent than previous efforts, but it's still tangy and shows good green apple and melony flavors. Finishes more flat and fleshy than in the past, so drink right away. | Reserva | 87 | 12 | Casablanca Valley | | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Veramonte 2010 Reserva Sauvignon Blanc (Casablanca Valley) | Sauvignon Blanc | Veramonte |
| 14100 | 14099 | Italy | Donnachiara offers a bright and cheerful expression of Falanghina that is packed tight with exotic fruit, citrus, stone fruit and jasmine flower. It offers enough density in the mouth to pair with scallops or oysters. | | 87 | 16 | Southern Italy | Beneventano | | | | Donnachiara 2009 Falanghina (Beneventano) | Falanghina | Donnachiara |