2011 Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon, Yountville - Napa Valley (California)

We wanted to splurge on a big Napa Cab, and this Charles Krug certainly does it.  It has all the classic cab black cherry, cocoa, hints of tobacco & cedar, still plenty of tannin.  The 2011 is still available, and it looks to be $25 - $30.  This one is not a rockstar, but a very good value in a big market.

This ribeye needed a big wine, we also had steamed sugar snaps & a baguette.

2012 Vintjs Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County (California)

Lovely little Sauv Blanc from Sonoma, cooler fruits prevail over the typical grapefruit of tropical southern hemisphere.  Citrus & pear notes, clean & crisp, adds up to a very nice effort.  Trader Joe's $8.  We finally found a tomato worthy of caprese, and had a chicken breast & baked potato on the side.

2009 Turley Old Vine Zinfandel, California

Turley Old Vines is a big elegant zin made from small lots of estate fruit from some prime regions of California.  We visited the winery several years ago in Paso Robles, and have looked out for these Zins ever since.  We also recently had the Old Vine 2011, which is quite nice, and when you can  fine it, runs about $25. 

Had a bite of aged gouda with it to start, then it was spot on with a big juicy ribeye, asparagus, our first corn on the cob of the season, and baby artichokes.

2012 Marques de Cacares Verdejo, Rueda (Spain)

Lovely, crisp peach and tropical flavors, big mouth feel, but not heavy.  Will go with a wide variety of lighter or spicy foods.  Another find from Trader Joe's, $8. 


We had it with shrimp remoulade, steamed baby artichokes, Tomato & Blue cheese salad & Garlic bread.

2012 Cooper Station Pinot Noir, California

Cooper Station is a yummy, inexpensive but classic spicy-cherry cola pinot.  It doesn't fit my search for the best pinots under $10, but I did find it at Total Wine for $12.  No appellation other than California on the bottle, but the address for the winery is in Graton, California, in the Russian River Valley.  Not much on the web about the winery, maybe a second label?

We enjoyed it with grilled lollipop lamb chops, cremini mushroom risotto, and steamed haricots verts.

2012 Five Rivers Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County (California)

New favorite Pinot Noir under $10!  Five Rivers is made by Fetzer according to a google search.  This has the smoky-dusty nose, bright cherry cola flavors, nice mouthfeel and decent finish that I look for in a Pinot.  And it's from Total Wine for $7.99!   The real tipoff that it was going to be a winner is the appellation:  There are some very fine pinots being made in Santa Barbara County.

Now I probably won't be able to find it again...

We had it with grilled shrimp with garlic, parsley & breadcrumbs, braised fennel, haricots verts, and multigrain ciabatta.