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February 1, 2001
13/20 points. 1998 Woodbridge, California  Cabernet Sauvignon. Price $6.00 at Winco. Dark red rose fading to bright plum at the edge. Generic nose of berries and wood. Very herbal on entry, followed by crisp acids, sour cherry, and light tannins. It's rather lightweight in mid- palate and could use a bit more body. Not a great wine, but it was good with burgers, which helped to bring out a little more complexity.

February 2, 2001
16/20 points. 1998 Laurel Glen Vineyards "Reds". Price $10.00 at Creekside Cellars. Medium ruby red with a purplish tinge at the almost clear rim. Very appealing nose of sweet berries and cassis. It follows on the palate with the same, but in a nice, elegant package. Chalky tannins follow providing good structure. This was an "86" in a well known magazine, but I think it is better, especially at this price point!

February 3, 2001
13/20 points. 1998 Bridlewood, Santa Barbara, Chenin Blanc. Price $10.00 at Creekside Cellars. Green-gold in color. Very different nose of hay, cut grass, and citrus. The grassiness follows on the palate, along with some herbal nuances. This is a fairly acidic wine that  made my mouth water, and thus should be very good with lighter food. It's a bit hollow in mid-palate and one dimensional, but still a good value for the money.

February 6, 2001
11/20 points. 1999 Piccini Chianti. Price $5.00 at Safeway. This is a wine the wife picked up at the supermarket for spaghetti sauce. Bright ruby red all the way to the rim. Slight nose of cherries. Pretty decent cherry and raspberry flavors follow. Not much body to this wine, but it does have decent tannins and acids to help with lighter foods. The score reflects the very light body, lack of complexity, and finish. Not a lot of flaws, just a very light red that should be more robust.

February 8, 2001
17/20 points. 1998 Blackstone Winery Cabernet Sauvignon. Price $10.00 from wine.com. This wine is a replacement for one I had complained about from wine.com. It turns out to be far and above the wine it replaced. Very dark burgundy red in color, and dark ruby red at the rim. Luscious nose of fresh black fruits and cassis. The same follows on the palate but with very strong raspberry in the mid-palate. Finishes with good long lasting flavors of cabernet fruit. Everything here is well balanced and very food friendly. At $10.00 from wine.com, you can't go wrong!

February 10, 2001
12/20 points. 1998 Trentino, Trentino Bianco. Price $7.00 through K&L Wine Club. Flaxen in color, it actually has pretty good "legs" for a white. Pleasant nose of melon and oak. On the palate, citrus dominates, but it goes rather hollow on the finish. Body is pretty decent and the acid level is on par. Not bad for a wine priced at $7.00.

February 17, 2001
17/20 points. 1998 B.V. Rutherford, Cabernet Sauvignon. Price $15.89 at Costco. Dark red to black core color, going to an almost neon red at the rim. The nose has gobs of raspberry, blackberry, and a hint of tar. The palate follows the nose but with more intensity. The tannins are good and chalky as they should be, but aren't as "dusty" as you would expect from a Rutherford. The tar flavor follows up with a medium long finish. It took quite a bit of swishing to bring this wine "out". So give it a few years to open up.

February 20, 2001
15/20 points. Villa Antinori, Chianti Classico, Reserva. Price $ 13.99 at Costco . Very dark red core going to violet at the edge with a slightly brown tinge. Very nice nose of dark berries and herbs. The berries follow on the palate, but with more raspberry and cherry flavors. Medium light bodied with light tannins and almost no acid to speak of, this is one to drink in the short term. We had this with my wife's spaghetti, and I have to say that food really brought out this wine! A little pricey at $14.00, it would be a better value at $10.00 or less.

February 22, 2001
18/20 points. Nevada City Winery, Rough & Ready Red. Price $9.00 at the Winery (Nevada City Winery 530-265-9463). If you are wondering about a vintage on this, it's stated as being bottled on 8/00! We got this at the wine tasting room and were told that the blend is about 55% petite syrah and the rest they didn't recall, sorry! However, this has got to be one of the best "cheap" wines I've had in a long time. This had much to do with its rating. Good, dark garnet color with a very strong nose of crushed red berries and underbrush. The palate is jammy and gushes with blackberry, boysenberry, berries, and more berries! Very hedonistic and well balanced. Can you tell I like this? If you can have this shipped or find it in a store, buy it by the pallet! (***wife's note.... I really enjoyed this wine and for the price it was excellent. I do believe it did rather well in the California State Fair judging last summer as well.***)

February 23,2001
13/20 points. Spaghetti Red, California Red Table Wine, Non Vintage. Price $5.39 at Safeway. Maroon color with a clear rim. Slight nose of sour cherry and wood. Good raspberry flavors fading to blueberry. It finishes with a somewhat raisiny aspect. A very good wine for the money. Don't go by the label (rather cheap looking). This would be a very good everyday wine, it even says so on the back label!

February 26, 2001
11/20 points. 2000 San Andre's Sauvignon Blanc, Lontue' Valley, Chile. Price $2.99 at Trader Joe's. Pale gold with a tinge of green. Surprisingly good nose of citrus, lemon drop, and nectarine. Not as much on the palate as there is on the nose. It's a tad short on flavor, mostly a light citrus and some acid. Medium light bodied. This is good as a pre-dinner wine, and besides its only $2.99!

February 27, 2001
15/20 points. 2000 San Andre's Cabernet/Merlot, Lontue' Valley, Chile. Price $2.99 at Trader Joe's. Good, dark bing cherry color, fading to a clearish purple at the edge. Very earthy on the nose with a hint of wood and cassis. This is pretty rustic with flavors of plum and cherries. Again like its fair-haired sister, it's one heck of a value.