Serra da Estrella Albarino 2007 (Spain)- $17
Tasting notes from wine/store  – notes of apricot, pear and honeysuckle
Colin – Aroma of pear and cantelope, tasting very astringent but fruit was still there.  Score 88.  I can picture drinking this with a light cheese plate, or even as a session wine on a hot afternoon.    I don’t know what would go with food-wise – maybe a very light whitefish.  Also maybe a white pasta sauce.
Mere – Crisp nose, tasting apricot and a honey/nectar taste. Score 89  Like a sauvignon blanc – knew it wasn’t, but if she tasted it blind she would have thought it was a sauvingnon blanc.  Mere likes sauvignon blancs, the balance between fruit and floral, and the crispness.

Life from Stone Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (South Africa) $18
Notes from wine – Red pepper and passionfruit, minerals and flint
Colin – Nose – floral, green pepper, Taste: Passionfruit, Watermelon, vegetable? Score 81  This was a very odd white.  I’ve never tasted anything with a flavor like this – it was almost like a salad in a wine.  I’m giving this an 81 because I think that it’s a well-composed wine and I think that many people would really enjoy it, so I’m not going to punish it because I don’t care for it.
Mere – Nose Grassy, passionfruit Taste: Passionfruit, flabby taste(soft on the palate) Score 75.  Flavors were not “done” and it seemed like it needed time to mature.  Did not taste at all like a sauvignon blanc.  Hardly any fruit.

Wild Yeast Chardonnay 2005 (South Africa) $21
Notes from Wine: Rich golden color and Pineapple and pear notes.
Colin – Nose: Red licorice? Cherry?  Flavor: Smooth, Banana  Score 85 Unoaked chardonnay and definitely tasted that way – great flavors coming across, great drinking and mouth feel.  Was hoping that the yeast would add an interesting component to the flavor but unfortunately nothing like that came across.  Would have with either whitefish or any fruity/tropical chicken.
Mere – Nose: Green grape Flavor: Banana Score 86 Mere wanted to say “Tropical/pineapple” on this but was afraid to because it didn’t “belong.”  Would be good with a rich white sauce dish like fettucine alfredo.

Campo Viejo 2006 Rioja Tempranillo  (Spain) $10
Notes from wine: Black fruit and vanilla
Colin – Nose:  Oak, leather, tobacco, Strawberry, pollen Taste: Wood, Apple, light body Score 88  With the wood nose on this I was expecting a lot stronger bite than it had.  I missed the vanilla notes first time around but went back and pulled them out.  Can imagine this with something like pork tenderloin, Mexican, light beef flavors, even something like a black bean soup.  A great flavor for the price.
Mere – Nose:  Earthy Taste: Earthy, woody, no fruit. Score 88  Mere didn’t have any more observations on this wine, other than that she really liked it.  Imagines it with classic red wine pairings, more of a paired wine rather than alone.

Oops Carmenere 2005 (Chile) $11
Notes from wine: Blackberry aroma underscored by white pepper and leather.  Rich in mouth feeling, black currant and plum flavors, spice, herbs, long soft finish
Colin – Nose: Slim Jim/ Pepperoni Taste: Wood, Nectarine, plum Score 50  The first thing that hits you is this insane slim jim/pepperoni odor, but this may be the pepper aroma that I’m supposed to smell according to the tasting notes.  However, whatever I’m supposed to taste is just being completely erased by this slim jim/perpperoni flavor.  I can’t envision drinking this.
Mere – Nose: Pepper, cough syrup Taste: Grass, sneakers.  Score 60.  Mere couldn’t put a finger on what the flavor/smell was.  She was reading it as a kind of cough-syrupy odor and flavor.  Did not like it and would not go back to it.  However, would not be out of the realm of possibility that someone would like it, and that some food would go with it.

La Zaret Chateauneuf de pape 2006 (France) $25
Notes from wine: Bouquet of spice and leather, Flavor of tannin, length, and ripe fruit.
Colin – Nose: Wood, currant  Taste: Smooth, firm tannins, strawberries Score: 90  This is a great body and flavor – I can imagine this going with beef/strongly flavored chicken/pork.  It’s also a great wine on its own.  Best wine I’ve tasted tonight.
Mere – Nose: Berries Taste: Smooth tannins, mystery fruit Score: 90

Borsao 2007 (75% Grenache, 25% Tempranillo) $12

Colin – Nose: Lots of tannins coming off the nose  Cherry AppleTaste: Starts very tannic little wood on finish.  Some kind of berry on the palate, either blueberry or strawberry.  After drinking for a while more fruits like plum came out on the palate.   We had this with wine and cheese.  Score:  87
Mere – Nose: Tannins and fruit Taste: Score: 88