Shannon Ridge Petite Sirah 2008

Served With: Shish Kabobs

Five Things: inky, dusty, dark berries, spice, mossy evergreens and cedar

COO: North Coast, Lake County, California

Notes: A journey through a dark old temperate deciduous forest pays off with a juicy and spicy petite sirah that played off the smoked paprika on all of the kabobs elements quite nicely. This would be great for your next late night grilling session.

Website: Shannon Ridge

Rating: Very Good

Tags: Shannon Ridge, Petite Sirah, 2008, North Coast, Lake County, California

Hess Select Chardonnay Monterey 2008

Served With: Fava Bean Fettuccine

Five Things: pale gold, grapefruit, granny smith apple, low acidity, rounded

COO: Monterey, California

Notes: This started with a classic chard nose, moved onto a nice rounded mouthfeel, but the low acidity left the fruit a little short on the landing. Paired well with the fava beans and pasta however, so it wasn't a total loss.

Website: Hess Collection

Rating: Good

Tags: Hess, Chardonnay, Monterey, California, 2008

Jean-Luc Thunevin Mauvais Garcon 2006

Served With: Beef and Lentil Stew

Five Things: sandlewood, dark berries, tobacco, hot (on open), garagiste

COO: Bordeaux, France

Notes: Probably should have waited another five years as this... took... a... long... time... to... open. But, as with all good things, worth the wait. A nice pairing with the deep, rich stew.

Website: Jean-Luc Thunevin

Rating: Very Good

Tags: Jean-Luc Thunevin, Mauvais Garcon, 2006, Bordeaux, France

Torii Mor Pinot Noir 2007

Served With: Grilled Wild Mushroom Risotto

Five Things: light ruby, earthy evergreen, youthful tannins, cedar, strawberry

COO: Willamette Valley, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon

Notes: This soft, young Pinot Noir from Dundee, Oregon was a great match for the smokey grilled mushrooms. It was opened about an hour ahead of time, which allowed it to cozy up to the creamy risotto without getting lost.

Website: Torii Mor Winery

Rating: Very Good

Tags: torii mor, pinot noir, 2007, Willamette Valley, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon

Weingut Setzer Gruner Veltliner 2007

Served With: Ricotta and Parsley Ravioli with a Butter Sauce.

Five Things: topaz, mineral, granny smith apples, rounded floral tone, vegetal

COO: Niederösterreich, Weinviertel, Austria

Notes: Usually we'll go with a Chard when it comes to ravioli, but this Gruner Veltliner was a very well balanced wine. It had a a juiciness that complimented the creamy ricotta filling and nicely picked up the vegetal parsley notes. It also had enough roundness to play well with the butter sauce. That's about all you can ask from a wine...

Website: Weingut Setzer

Rating: Very Good

Tags: Weingut Setzer, Gruner Veltliner, 2007, Niederösterreich, Weinviertel, Austria

Stama Syrah Ma-Sa-Ga 2007

Served With: White Beans & Rosemary

Five Things: vegetal, green pepper, blackberry, bramble, tight

COO: Sierra Foothills, Calaveras County, California

Notes: With supposedly only 200 cases produced, this one is a bit of a mystery. Picked it up at my local Heinen's grocery store, but there doesn't seem to be much any info on the interwebs about it, or on Stama's website. It needed time to open up, as it was a little tight at first, became more rounded with the pairing of the smokey white beans and rosemary.

Rating: Good

Tags: Stama, Syrah, 2007, california, calaveras, sierra foothills