Forty Bottles of Ringboree

2009 Thomas Henry Pinot Noir
Napa
10 Bottles of Ringboree

Disappointing. $14 for a Pinot that was completely uninteresting. It tasted like a red wine. It had no finish, and no striking aromas. This only gets a 10 because the company was wonderful. Apparently one has to spend a lot more on a Pinot for it to be worthwhile.

If I'm wrong, please direct me to a Pinot that's worth drinking in the $15 range.

2004 Herederos del Marqués de Riscal Rioja.
38 Bottles of Ringboree

Yes, 38. I don't usually give anything a score that high, unless there's a good reason. And the good reason is usually that I've found something unexpected and delightful in the wine.

This one had an aroma of freshly tanned leather, like that leather mailbag that you just got mail-order from south america, or the wonderful hand-stitched pouch that my brother brought me from Paraguay, or a brand-new leather jacket. Yeah, that smell. Pretty amazing. That, by itself, earned it the high score.

But it was also delightful to drink, with flavors of blackberries, freshly turned earth, and freshly cut grass. Amazing. Amazing by itself, and amazing with home-made fajitas.

I think we paid about $16 for this.

2008 Franciscan Chardonnay
Napa, California
$21.99
33 bottles of Ringboree

We had this with snow crab, which makes any wine better. The fruit and the butter was drawn out beautifully by the sweet crab and the drawn butter. It was very fruity - melons and pineapples - but not overly sweet.

A little pricier than we tend to spend for Chardonnay - it was a gift - but probably priced about right for the value.

Highly recommended. Will try to get this one again.

2007 Wolf Blass Yellow Label Shiraz Cabernet
$12 (Liquor Barn, Lexington, Kentucky)
32 Bottles of Ringboree

Another wine that used to be a standard house wine around here, but I haven't had in several years. All the big bold flavors that you expect in an Australian Shiraz - leather and dust and peat and pepper - along with the big backbone of a good Cab - tannin and blackberries and smoke.

In a word, mmmm.

With wines like this, I always find myself wondering if it wouldn't be better with a steak, or perhaps a red sauce. We sipped it with a movie, and it was yummy, but it's so bold that it feels like it needs something to stand up to it.