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January 1, 2001 - January 7, 2001
Hello all and Happy New Year. I have started out my new year with a head cold. Sadly to say, I have not done any reviews this first week of the new millennium because of it. My sense of smell and taste are shot, so I thought rather than writing raving reviews about Boone's Farm, I would wait until I could once again taste and smell. See you all on Monday!

January 8, 2001
15/20 points. 1994 Renaissance, North Yuba ,Cabernet Sauvignon. Price est. $20.00 from winery. First, I would like to thank my father for "donating" this wine from his private cellar. My best guess at price would be around $20.00 from the winery. Very dark garnet, almost black at the core, this wine's color would not tell you it's 7 years old! Very good nose of crushed berries and earth. These same flavors follow on the palate with great intensity. Additional flavors of licorice, leather, and sour cherry follow. The tannins are fairly soft, but the acids are very crisp. A good wine, interesting, complex, and very food friendly. Slightly rustic and rough around the edges, it's not an elegant wine, but given its age, it may soften with a few years. Also, I wanted to mention that I have seen their wines at Long's Drugs, but if you can take shipments, you can reach them at (916) 692-2222.

January 11, 2001
14/20 points. 1999 Domaine De La Leuraudirere, Muscadet, Loire Valley, France. Price around $7.00. This wine is one of a mixed case I received for Christmas ( I have a great mother in law), you know, the one from wine.com. Simple but nice, it doesn't do anything wrong. Slight nose of apricots leads to the same on the palate with the addition of a bit of grassiness on entry and it finishes with just a touch of lemon drop. Very nice pre dinner wine and at 12% alcohol, you won't get slammed before dinner.

January 16, 2001
17/points. 1999 Mantel Blanco Sauvignon Blanc. Price @ $12.99 (a guess). A free bottle to "try" from a friend. Very lightly colored, almost clear, like dirty water. Good nose of citrus, citrus, and citrus! Very brisk acids on the palate. Good mouth feel. Slightly viscous with flavors of lemon zest. Finishes with extraordinary amounts of grassiness. Top notch wine for under $15.00?

January 17, 2001
14/20 points. 1999 Fetzer Echo Ridge California, Sauvignon Blanc. Price $4.99 at Winco Foods. Clear, almost white in color. Decent nose of citrus and lemon zest. Same follows on palate with a slight bit of grassiness. Good mouth feel and weight. This is surprisingly good for the money. Still it is a bit one-dimensional and finishes slightly sweet. This should be available at almost any supermarket. Enjoy!

January 23, 2001
17/20 points. Schug 1999 Carneros Pinot Noir. Price $10.99 at Costco.
Dusty rose color fading to an almost pink rim. Very good nose of raspberries and forest floor. The same follows on the palate, with the addition of currants and some barnyard, a good thing! The acids and tannins blend well with each other and maybe with some time they may become seamless. The finish is long and well balanced. Surprisingly good for the money. A best buy!

January 31, 2001
10/20 points. 1998 Sutter Home Signature Cabernet Sauvignon. Price $5.99 at Winco. Blood red with a somewhat clear rim. A fair nose of currant and raspberry. The first day the palate was very candied, and it bore a resemblance to cherry cough syrup! We couldn't finish the bottle the first day, so it was corked and put in the fridge. The second day it actually shaped up a little. It now tastes more like a cabernet should, but is still too candy-ish for my palate (sugar?). If you like sweet styles of wine, this may be up your alley, but not mine.