The 2006 Argyle Pinot Noir Reserve is from the Lone Star, Stoller, and Knudsen Vineyards in the Willamette Valley AVA, Willamette Valley, Oregon.

This 2006 Reserve Pinot Noir is a blend of wine components from their best vineyard blocks, meticulously selected and blended to produce a wine of superior balance between grace and concentration. The key words for this wine are balance and grace. There is a sensuality to this wine that really brings unique excitement to one’s highest calling for the grape, Pinot Noir. Look for rose petal powered red fruit like cherry and raspberry fruit aromas. The mouth-feel is seductive and creamy textured with red fruit, spice, and violet floral perfumed flavors. Rich, long, and enticing this Pinot Noir keeps on giving.  The finish sails on with minimal impediment from tannins.

92 rating from both Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator.

Drink now through 2014.

This timber-lined Syrah vineyard is perched high above the Russian River just beyond the town of Forestville, on the steep southeastern slope of Black Mountain.

The spiciness of this cool vintage is expressed in the nose, with lots of white pepper, black olive, grilled meat, candied violet, maple syrup, blackberry and black plum aromas. There’s gorgeous purity of fruit, offering a range of ripe, sappy core of blackberry and black plum fruit anchors the showy nose, which also exhibits violets, black trumpet mushrooms, roasted chestnuts and smoked pork belly.

The prodigious midpalate hides fruit and minerals behind a wall of chewy tannins, but they emerge again with high toned violet, white pepper and sage on the long, supple finish.

Drink through at least 2014.

This is a great Syrah from winemaker Eric Sussman. This is truly one of my favorite Syrahs and I highly recommend it.

93 rating from Robert Parker.

Cueva de las Manos is produced at a state-of-the-art winery, built with the purpose of achieving outstanding quality. The estate spreads over 741 acres in Agrelo and Lujàn de Cuyo, 34 km south of the city of Mendoza, Argentina at 950 meters above sea level.  The winemaking process is focused on treating the grapes with great care and with strict control of every stage.

Cueva de las Manos (Cave of the hands) is a pre-historic site in southern Patagonia featuring a very early form of human art.  The cave, a UNESCO world heritage site, derives its name from the paintings of hands made by the indigenous inhabitants between 9,300 and 13,000 years ago.  The images of hands are often negative (stencilled) and painted in colors ranging from red to white, black or yellow.

These wines are a tribute to the legend and legacy of the ancient Patagonian indigenous groups; a history of independence and perseverance.

Made from 100% Malbec, manually harvested from 35 year old vines. Aged for 12 months in oak barrels (50% French and 50% American); aged in the bottle for a minimum of 6 months.

Deep red color with violet hints. The nose reveals dried plum and dark fruits, exotic spices, hints of violet and chocolate. Fruity flavors; well balanced, elegant tannins. Excellent with roasted and smoked meat, seasoned dishes. Bright deep ruby. Blackberry, licorice and spicy oak on the nose. Moderately dense and concentrated, with brisk acidity framing the black fruit, licorice and herb flavors. Finishes fairly intense but a tad dry, with notes of chocolate and pepper.

Priced at around $12.99 this is an outstanding wine at a great price.

The 2007 Herman Story Viognier, from the White Hawk Vineyard, located in the Los Alamos Hills in Santa Barbara County, is intense and well balanced, with flavors of honey and tropics.

Gorgeous floral, spice white and tropical fruit nose. For a full throttle white this is very light on its feet with plenty of zippy acidity providing grip and freshness. Holds its alcohol quite nicely. The palate is massive but still holds everything together. A massive effort from Russell From, the winemaker and proprietor at Herman Story Wines.

This is one of the finest Viogniers I have ever tasted.

The 2007 Alto Moncayo Veraton is the producer’s entry-level wine and comes entirely from old-vine Grancha (Grenache), ranging in age from 35 years to some nearly a century old. After fermentations completed the wines aged in American and French oak for about a year and a half and then bottled without filtration. The wine comes from the Campo de Borja part of Spain, which is about 50 miles from the French border and a little more then half way closer to the Mediterranean then the Atlantic. The area received its DOC (appellation) in 1980, while the winery that made this wine Alto Moncayo is relatively new and is a joint venture between the wine importer Jorge Ordoñez and the meat packer Dan Philips – while production is in the hands of a noted and long respected winemaker Chris Ringland.

Opaque violet. Sexy aromas of red and dark berries, sandalwood, spicecake and fresh rose. Spicy, concentrated raspberry and blackberry flavors are given spine by zesty minerals and pick up a smoky quality with air. Impressively lively for such a rich wine, with strong finishing spiciness and lingering notes of licorice and red berries. This is an absolutely beautiful expression of Grenache wine.

Scored 92 points from Stephen Tanzer.