My good luck run with Spanish wines has come to an end.  Thin and lifeless which reminded me of the Pump House pinot.  Pass on this one.

Score: 65

Pump House Pinot– Quite possibly the most tasteless wine I have tried.  Welches has more character.  Did not get any better the second day.  Poured out what remained.

Score: 65

Tamas 2010 Double Decker Red- Blend of cab, petite sirah and barbera.  A pleasant surprise and my favorite of the three.  I expected dry fruit but got fresh berries instead.  I would have guessed sangiovese and been way off.  No percentage on the blends but my guess is the barbera steals the show.  I’ll grab a few more of these.

Score: 87

Jekel 2009 Merlot- Simple would be the best description. One and done.

Score: 83

On a postive note, the GO in Santa Maria cleaned house in the wine section.  The majority of over the hill inventory (2007 rose) is gone.  I thought it looked much better.

Selection at the Santa Maria store was meh.  A boat load of Chilean Espiritu for $2 which was not what I was hoping for.  The middle white wine aisle still contains some old product that needs to be moved.  It appears some GO’s to the north have a far better selection.  Might have to try the GO in Atascadero.  Anyone been there yet?

  Lazy Creek Vineyards 100% Pinot Noir Red Table Wine.

The Magical World of Wines from GO said this effort was respectable and I concur.  Rather opaque with lots of cherry cola.  Not bad but rather forgettable.

Score:83

Buon Appetito 2008 Nero D’ Avola

Might just be my first Sicilian wine and my favorite so far.  Reminds me of a nice Chianti.  Good dusty fruit but not too dry.  I’ll be back for more.

Score: 88

 Mendocino Farms 2006 Redvine Series

No blend listed but it pours thick inky black, like a PS.  Dense boysenberry, wood, and leather.  Lots of sediment coating the bottle.   Makes you want a steak.

Score 85

I’m always curious about Spanish wines as I find they usually deliver good QPR.

Back of the label says:

The 2010 Spanish Vines Sauvignon Blanc blends aromas of kiwi, tangerine, and honeydew melon with mouth-watering acidity. An ideal combination of Old World structure and New World fruit. This is a medium bodied wine bears a remarkably focused finish. Drink now.

I agree with the kiwi but I get more white peach than tangerine.  Underripe honeydew and a mid level acidity is my description.  At $3.99 a bottle its a decent find.  I picked up a half case and found it went well with simple pasta/olive oil dishes.  With the unusual warm weather we have been having on the central coast I’ve been drinking a lot more whites.

Score: 85

I keep reading about the upcoming 20% off sale but have yet to see anything official???

80% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo Nero, 5% Trebbiano Toscano, and 5% Malvasia del Chianti.  Hopefully the last 20% makes more sense to you than me.  Around $5 at the Santa Maria GO and well worth the price.  Chianti has never excited me but this was a nice change of pace and a nice old world effort.  Pours the traditional ruby red with good dusty fruit and a short finish.  Went well with some arribiata sauce and pasta.  I’ll grab a few more bottles the next time.

Score: 86

Nice Russian River Valley effort from a now defunct winery.  According to a Wine Spectator article DO was bought up by Harlan.  A cross between creamy and soft tropical fruit.  Not sure if they have any left at the SM GO, but at $4.99 it is a nice way to ease into fall.

I did try the Diamond Oaks cab but it was just meh.

Score: 88

Green Truck zin and cab. Good weekday wine. Priced less than the Red Truck which is strange because the Green Truck’s MSRP is more. $5 if I remember correctly. Scooped up a case of the zin before Mary at SM GO could shelve it. Score: 86

Tria Petit Sirah. Usually not a big Lodi wine fan but this was a pleasant surprise, with the only drawback being a little too much oak. Not your typical chewy, stain your lips PS. $3 or 4.
Score:86

Grabbed two bottles of this and two of the same vintage in pinot grigio at the Santa Maria Gross Out ($3.99).  About a year ago I enjoyed my way through a case of Pepi Sangiovese, so I picked these up based on my prior experience.  Wine Spectator scored this an 89 and made comments about an a nice blend of old world and new.  While I don’t totally agree with the score, (the Patianna is better) the description is spot on.  It is nice to find a California SB with some minerality.  Also some sour stone fruit present.  The PG is good as well and I like both of these wine equally.  The wine maker, Bob Pepi, is doing a great job.

Score 87

Found on the end cap barrel at the SM Gross Out ($6.99) and subsequently on the shelves too.  RS makes some quality wines but I was most happy to see some local juice back at GO.  My wife and mother-in-law enjoyed a bottle of this exact wine at The Swiss restaurant priced at $20.  I grabbed all they had left and two weeks later they had more, so I grabbed another case.

Not too sweet but not a dry Riesling either.  Lychee, white peach, and some pear flavors dominate.  Great addition to some lighter foods and, after plenty of red wine over the holidays, a nice change of pace.

Score: 88

Hit the Santa Maria GO Friday afternoon and, after the dissapointing selection during their bi-annual wine sale, was pleasently surprised by many new offerings.  I wanted to get a few quick reviews up for those who are looking for holiday wines.

Four to Avoid:

1. Roblar 2006 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills– Pours medium light in color.  Nose of strawberries but none of the earthy funk I like in Pinots.  Intial full strawberry fruit but finishes with a cheap cough syrup/alchohol aftertaste.

Score:75

2. Roblar 2010 O Pescador 50% Sauvignon Blanc and 50% Semillion– A white wine with a major personality disosrder.  It trys to be everything to everyone; somewhat dry and somewhat sweet (hence the blend) but fails miserably at both.  Each time a took a sip I would look at the glass and say “What the hell is this stuff?”

Score:75

3. GV Cellars 2005 Silhouete Red Wine– Clearly over the hill.  I could tell there was once some good fruit character, but quite lifeless now.

Score:79

4. GV Cellars Napa Valley Merlot Reserve: I had high hopes for this one, but it too was over the hill.  No tannins to speak of and the oak and fruit have so integrated it had no character at all.

Score:75

Four strikes your out?  I still have the GV syrah to try and I did pick up the Novella cab and zin, and the Bassetti cab which I will review later.  Hope your luck is better than mine.