| 29551 | 29550 | France | An attractively simple, fruity Pinot Noir. It has ripe wild strawberry and red plum flavors, spiced with a gamy edge. The wine has a light structure, and is not for aging. | | 84 | 12 | Burgundy | Bourgogne | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Manuel Olivier 2009 Bourgogne | Pinot Noir | Manuel Olivier |
| 29552 | 29551 | US | Too much acidity in this dry wine, making it almost sour. Yet it has an enormous core of red and black cherry fruit, with a tasteful application of smoky oak, and a lovely, silky texture. Seems too unbalanced to age, so drink up. | Regan Vineyards Reserve | 84 | 40 | California | Santa Cruz Mountains | Central Coast | | | Bargetto 2008 Regan Vineyards Reserve Pinot Noir (Santa Cruz Mountains) | Pinot Noir | Bargetto |
| 29553 | 29552 | US | Brisk acidity provides a bracing balance to the ripe pineapple, pear and peach jam flavors, and there's a nice streak of minerality. However, the wine is far too sweet, and is cloying in the sugary finish. | Signature Selection El Camino Vineyard | 84 | 15 | California | Santa Barbara County | Central Coast | | | Bianchi 2009 Signature Selection El Camino Vineyard Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County) | Chardonnay | Bianchi |
| 29554 | 29553 | Argentina | Crimson in color but also translucent, with a candied, slightly green nose. Overall this is a simple quaffer with no excess weight and reasonably good flavors of berry and plum. Bland on the finish, but for $4 who's caring about finish? | Red | 84 | 4 | Mendoza Province | Mendoza | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Broke Ass 2009 Red Malbec-Syrah (Mendoza) | Malbec-Syrah | Broke Ass |
| 29555 | 29554 | Italy | The Il Tralcetto line (pretty bottles fastened with a snippet of grapevine on the neck of the bottle) continues with this bright, ruby-colored Pinot Nero. The wine opens with wild berry and forest floor aromas and offers bright, easy freshness on the close. | Il Tralcetto | 84 | 12 | Veneto | Veneto | | | | Cescon Italo Storia e Vini 2008 Il Tralcetto Pinot Nero (Veneto) | Pinot Nero | Cescon Italo Storia e Vini |
| 29556 | 29555 | France | This is a full-bodied rosé with soft red berry and tart cherry flavors intertwined with notes of white chocolate. The finish could last a bit longer. Drink up. | | 84 | 16 | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières | | Lauren Buzzeo | @laurbuzz | Château Ollieux Romanis 2009 Rosé (Corbières) | Rosé | Château Ollieux Romanis |
| 29557 | 29556 | Argentina | Smells sweet and artificial, with chemical notes and overwrought vanilla. Juicy in the mouth, with flesh and freshness. But the flavors are oaky, so much so that the wine's citrus and apple quality is masked. Finishes with grapefruit and bitterness. Weird and all over the map. | Don Nicanor | 84 | 18 | Mendoza Province | Mendoza | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Nieto Senetiner 2008 Don Nicanor Chardonnay-Viognier (Mendoza) | Chardonnay-Viognier | Nieto Senetiner |
| 29558 | 29557 | Georgia | A winemaking history in a bottle, this Georgian wine made from Rkatsiteli grapes is an unusual peek into techniques tracing back 8,000 years. Deep gold in color due to an extended maceration on grape skins, this wine was aged in buried clay vessels, then oak, giving it a smoky, earthy profile with notes of butterscotch and roasted nut skins. There's not a lot of acidity, but it's refreshing with pretty orange peel notes and a grape tannin astringency on the finish. | Satrapezo 10 Kvevri | 84 | 35 | Kakheti | | | Anna Lee C. Iijima | | Telavi 2007 Satrapezo 10 Kvevri Rkatsiteli (Kakheti) | Rkatsiteli | Telavi |
| 29559 | 29558 | US | Unripe, with strong lemongrass, green pea and feline spray flavors accompanying more pleasant lemons and limes. Acidity is strong, and the wine is totally dry. | | 84 | 22 | California | Napa Valley | Napa | | | Kissos 2009 Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley) | Sauvignon Blanc | Kissos |
| 29560 | 29559 | Italy | This Refosco (a native grape of northeast Italy) opens with plush, ripe fruit flavors and then follows with bitter acidity that comes as quite a surprise. Pair this wine with butter- or cheese-based dishes that will help diminish that sharp acidic bite. | | 84 | 14 | Veneto | Veneto | | | | La di Motte 2007 Refosco (Veneto) | Refosco | La di Motte |
| 29561 | 29560 | France | Light Pinot Noir, with crisp raspberry flavors. The very fruity wine has an edge of bitterness to go with the acidity. | | 84 | 14 | Burgundy | Hautes Côtes de Nuits | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Manuel Olivier 2008 Hautes Côtes de Nuits | Pinot Noir | Manuel Olivier |
| 29562 | 29561 | Spain | Pungent and grassy on the nose, with a strong nettle and green herb character. The palate is soft and playful, with pithy white fruit flavors and then a soda-like dry finish. Plump, wayward and a bit green overall. | | 84 | 24 | Northern Spain | Rueda | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Reina de Castilla 2009 Sauvignon (Rueda) | Sauvignon | Reina de Castilla |
| 29563 | 29562 | US | A bit murky, the herbal and spicy flavors of Malbec are softened into a smooth but diffuse wine, with a plastic note in the finish. | | 84 | 20 | Washington | Rattlesnake Hills | Columbia Valley | Paul Gregutt | @paulgwine | Roza Ridge 2008 Malbec (Rattlesnake Hills) | Malbec | Roza Ridge |
| 29564 | 29563 | France | Lemony, fruit-driven wine, very crisp in character, with lightness and delicacy. Acidity and a touch of pear flavor offer balance. | Loire Valley Demi-Sec | 84 | 15 | Loire Valley | Vouvray | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Sauvion 2010 Loire Valley Demi-Sec (Vouvray) | Chenin Blanc | Sauvion |
| 29565 | 29564 | US | Fairly light and innocuous; you really have to make an effort to draw anything from the nose. The palate is sweet and sugary, especially for Pinot Gris, which should be more dry and snappy. And that sweetness carries onto the finish and all the way out the back door. Not offensive, but overly sweet and thick given the grape and origin. | | 83 | 14 | Oregon | Oregon | Oregon Other | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Silvan Ridge 2001 Pinot Gris (Oregon) | Pinot Gris | Silvan Ridge |
| 29566 | 29565 | US | Like a photocopy of a good Chardonnay, this wine is indistinct. There are some decent peach and apple flavors and what tastes like a dose of oak, but it's really thin and watery. | Barrel Aged | 83 | 8 | California | California | California Other | | | Woodbridge 2001 Barrel Aged Chardonnay (California) | Chardonnay | Woodbridge |
| 29567 | 29566 | US | Sweet and simple, with pleasant peach, apple and spice notes. Fresh and clean on the finish. | | 83 | 7 | California | California | California Other | | | Woodbridge 2002 Johannisberg Riesling (California) | Johannisberg Riesling | Woodbridge |
| 29568 | 29567 | US | A thin, uninspiring wine with citrus and apple sauce flavors and lots of acidity. Tastes watered down, but will do in a pinch. | Private Selection | 83 | 11 | California | Central Coast | Central Coast | | | Robert Mondavi 2001 Private Selection Chardonnay (Central Coast) | Chardonnay | Robert Mondavi |
| 29569 | 29568 | Spain | Grainy, unfocused aromas start it off, and the wine just never gets back on track after that. The palate is bulky and overdone with plum and prune flavors, while the finish seems sweet and raisiny, and without a lot of harmony. As a whole it's chewy yet neither here nor there. | Crianza | 83 | 18 | Northern Spain | Ribera del Duero | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Pradorey 1999 Crianza (Ribera del Duero) | Tinto del Pais | Pradorey |
| 29570 | 29569 | US | Borderline translucent in color, and equally light in the nose. The aromas are of cranberry and chlorine. The palate is all strawberry and some bitter oak, and while it picks up steam and fills out with time, the initial impression is hard to overcome. | Umpqua Cuvee | 82 | 39 | Oregon | Umpqua Valley | Southern Oregon | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Henry Estate 2001 Umpqua Cuvee Pinot Noir (Umpqua Valley) | Pinot Noir | Henry Estate |
| 29571 | 29570 | US | A bit weedy in the nose, with notes of pepper and salsa. The flavor profile runs sour, with rhubarb and pie cherries sticking out. The mouthfeel is where the wine suffers most; it's hard and aggressive, with piercing tannins and acids that combine forces to starch out your palate and cheeks. | White Bluffs - Estate Grown & Bottled | 82 | 21 | Washington | Columbia Valley (WA) | Columbia Valley | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Claar 1999 White Bluffs - Estate Grown & Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley (WA)) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Claar |
| 29572 | 29571 | Australia | Offers cracker and wheat aromas, and light white stone-fruit flavors that seem coated in confectioner's sugar, or talc. Perhaps it's the “unwooded” designation talking, but this wine seems a little light, and not much like Chardonnay. | Promised Land - Unwooded | 82 | 10 | South Australia | South Australia | | | | Wakefield 2002 Promised Land - Unwooded Chardonnay (South Australia) | Chardonnay | Wakefield |
| 29573 | 29572 | US | While not smelling much like typical Viognier, this southern Oregon offering is round, sweet and ripe, with honey and apple flavors. The finish is sweet and honeyed, and also quite short. A chunky, full-bodied mouthfeel is the most typical characteristic of the wine. | Del Rio Vineyards | 82 | 18 | Oregon | Rogue Valley | Southern Oregon | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Silvan Ridge 2001 Del Rio Vineyards Viognier (Rogue Valley) | Viognier | Silvan Ridge |
| 29574 | 29573 | US | Quite viscous, with creamy peach, melon and pear flavors at its core. An odd mineral note sticks out, though, while the finish could use a touch more acidity. | | 82 | 10 | California | El Dorado | Sierra Foothills | | | Madroña 2001 Riesling (El Dorado) | Riesling | Madroña |
| 29575 | 29574 | US | Dry, bright and light, with simple, modest fruit flavors and a short clean finsih. | | 82 | 15 | California | Napa Valley | Napa | | | Trefethen 2002 Riesling (Napa Valley) | Riesling | Trefethen |
| 29576 | 29575 | US | A bizarre wine weird-aromas and flavors. Smells smoky-sweet, like cotton candy, with mint and peach puree, and has similar flavors. Hard to tell if it's dry or sweet. | Blanche's Vineyard | 82 | 18 | California | Livermore Valley | Central Coast | | | Cedar Mountain 2000 Blanche's Vineyard Chardonnay (Livermore Valley) | Chardonnay | Cedar Mountain |
| 29577 | 29576 | Australia | Fruit on the palate is yellow but flat; you'll find more yellow fruit on the nose, where it shows a little more life. Finishes with some chalk and herb. | Lightly Wooded | 82 | 18 | South Australia | Southern Fleurieu | | | | Mt. Jagged 2001 Lightly Wooded Chardonnay (Southern Fleurieu) | Chardonnay | Mt. Jagged |
| 29578 | 29577 | US | Tastes and smells hot, with a burnt rubber note that persists through the tart, peppery finish. The wine is very dry, with little fruit. | | 82 | 14 | California | California | California Other | | | Hawk Crest 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon (California) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Hawk Crest |
| 29579 | 29578 | Australia | The mixed plum fruit is unremarkable but fine. In terms of texture, there's not much, until some powdery-woody tannins pop up on the back end. | Kanga's Leap | 82 | 8 | Australia Other | South Eastern Australia | | | | Riverina Estates 2002 Kanga's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon (South Eastern Australia) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Riverina Estates |
| 29580 | 29579 | US | Flat but clean, with very light and distant apricot and celery aromas. The flavors veer toward green apple and lemon, while the finish is bland. From a texture standpoint, it's watery, with only modest fruit quality. | | 82 | 13 | Oregon | Willamette Valley | Willamette Valley | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Willamette Valley Vineyards 2001 Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley) | Pinot Gris | Willamette Valley Vineyards |