Playing Catch Up

I started my list before I started my blog, so I'm behind. I'll try to normally blog once for each bottle but this one will deal with 6 different wines. Scuse.

Hanna Sauvignon Blanc
Holy smokes was this wine awesome. I'm talkin' smack yo' mama good. Get it. Drink it. Love it. I admit I generally like any sauvignon blanc but this one is just well above average. It has that fabulous balance of being not sweet but not too dry and leaves no funky aftertaste. Mercy. The Hanna vineyard where this type of wine is made is in the Russian River Valley area of Sonoma. What does that mean to you? I don't know. To me, I'm starting to get the feeling I like sauv blancs from Sonoma in general and the Russian River Valley in particular. I have plans to extensively test this theory.
Retail $19. I bought it locally at Raley's for $14.99 on sale. W00t.

Ravenswood Zinfandel
Sometimes you just need a hearty glass of red wine and it doesn't need to blow your socks off. This was that. I like zinfandels because they are really stand up wines -- they get the job done even in a cheaper bottle, like Ravenswood. I'm calling this one good, because it was good. It was no more and no less. Would I recommend it? Not if you can afford more. If you can't, why not. This is also made in Sonoma.
Retail under $10. I bought it locally for $7.

Sterling Chardonnay 2009
Call the Lord and get some chicken -- I loved this bottle of wine so much I considered drinking the entire bottle in one evening and then thought better of it. But, I did hastily finish the bottle on the following evening before my husband had a chance to steal any. Get your own bottle. The Sterling vineyard is a massive fortress of a place over in North Napa County -- Calistoga to be exact...I saw it across the way when I was visiting the Castle (more on that later). Anyway, this Chard is delish. It might even, in fact I think it does, trump my normal favorite Chard, Kendall Jackson. It just scored a crap load of points at the California state fair, which is why I noticed it. Not because I look for wines that score crap loads of points, but because my local grocer pointed out the state fair winners AND discounted them. Oh yeah. Get in my cart! If you like Chardonnay and don't mind the price tag, load up, my friend.
Retail $16-18. I bought it on sale for $8.99.

Gnarly Head Cabernet 2006
I am a fan of Gnarly Head's Zinfandel but I had never tried their Cabernet until last weekend. Yes, it was another California state fair winner (91 points if you care) so Raley's pointed this out, discounted the price and behold I was drinking it that evening. For the price, this is a great catch. It is what you want a cab to be-- at least what I want a cab to be -- big, powerful, strong, other adjectives that are synonyms. I drank it with a pot roast I slow cooked all day on Sunday and I was just pleased as poop with both. Is that even an expression? Who cares? You won't if you drink this wine.
Retails around $10. Bought it on sale for 8ish. I think.

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Cabernet 2008
I generally like anything Mondavi - especially their higher end stuff (DUH). The private selection wines are not the higher end stuff but they are a nice easy on the wallet compromise when you just need a decent bottle of wine. The Mondavi winery is in Napa -- haven't visited it yet, but I drove by and drooled at its sign. If you are wanting a nice big cab, this isn't it. For the same price, you can get the Gnarly Head cab and be lovin' life. This is a decent cab that most people who don't like the big cabs will probably find pleasing. It's nothing to write home about but you can finish your glass.
Retails around $10. I bought it locally for $7 on sale.

Dry Creek Fume Blanc 2009
I had the first glass of this last night. I've been intrigued by it for years because it has a sailboat on its label. Stupid? Yeah, so what? This is a really dry wine that could easily overpower a wimpy, bland meal. I drank it after eating tacos. Yeah, that is weird. I get it. I need to have another glass in approximately 25 minutes and then report on it later. I am not convinced how I feel about it yet. Fume Blancs are secretly sauvignon blancs, and it is from Sonoma, where I am rumored to like all sauv blancs so it seems highly likely this is a winner for me.
Retails around $12. Bought at retail cause I thought I remembered it normally costing more.