New Year's Eve 2010

Well, I have lots of catch up reviews to do since Thanksgiving.

Scoring 7 out of 10 for above average:

Delaforce, His Eminence's Choice, Ten Year Old Tawny Porto (Portugal) - Good but it didn't blow me away for $25.

Osborne, Fine Tawny Port (Portugal) - Decent despite being a fairly generic brand and costing only $15. I'd repeat this one any time.

Scoring 6 out of 10 for upper average:

Valdo, Nerello Mascalese, Brut Rose (Italy) - It used to be you couldn't even find this grape in Boston for under $30. Here's a sample under $15, and pretty good too.

Mark West, Pinot Noir, 2008 (California) - It's fine but Nancy liked it more than I did.

Clean Slate, Riesling, 2009 (Germany) - Pretty good for an under $15 Riesling.

Scoring 5 out of 10 for lower average:

Las Rocas de San Alejandro, Garnacha, 2007 (Calatayud, Spain) - This was a star to me the year I first discovered it. Ever since it has been in decline and now is just any low average red in my opinion.

Blue Fish, Original Riesling, 2009 (Germany) - Beautiful bottle, bravado story on the back, low average Riesling. Nancy liked it better than I.

Morande, Reserva, Carmenere, 2008 (Maipo Valley, Chile) - A weaker version of the classic Carmenere flavors including chocolate and red berries. OK for the $10.

Cupcake Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008 (Central Coast, California) - A very cheap Cab dressed up somehow to smell and taste bigger than it actually is. It feels cheap and a little icky in my stomach.

Cupcake Vineyards, Sauvignon Blanc, 2010 (Marlborough, New Zealand) - A surprisingly low flavored Sauv Blanc from NZ. Disappointing.

Pacific Rim, Sweet Riesling, 2008 (Columbia Valley, Washington) - Just a cheap sweet Riesling for people who can't tell quality beyond sweetness. I almost scored it lower but Nancy defended it.

Arbor Mist, Chardonnay, Peach (New York) - Despite being a very cheap wine cooler of a wine it's still acceptable for the puny price range and the right consumer. But I think their Tropical Fruits version tastes more like Peach than this version.

Vinos Sin Ley SL, Afinus G2, Garnacha (Monsant, Spain) - A very cheap low flavor Garnacha. I've had a couple other variations on this brand in the past and have yet to be impressed. Tastes more likew $5 than the $10 it cost.

Scoring 4 out of 10 for below average (and several listed above were lucky they didn't end up down here in the basement too):

Lancers, Rose (Portugal) - This weird shaped sort of tear drop bottle contains a low flavor barely tolerable cheap wine. Even the wine coolers are probably better. No wonder it's one of the cheapest bottles in the stores.