Dry Creek Zin

I found a new Zin at Trader Joes that shows some promise. This 2013 Painted Cave Dry Creek valley Zin is very good for $ 11.95 and a rare treat at this price from one of Sonoma's leading appellations. The wine is not overly jammy or sweet, just a nice balanced red that is better with food than a lot of Zins. I'll give it 7 1/2 swiggs and say that it will probably drink even better in a couple of years. It's no Ridge Geyserville but it is barely a third of the price.

Local red of note

A few days ago I was reading the local paper and found a review of this wine. I have been a fan of this winery since the early '90's when I knew the owner at that time and got to sample a lot of the reds from that vineyard. The quality was usually very good but every once in awhile they would make something really special. Many years later the winery now has a tasting room just a few blocks from where I work and the wine is more widely available.
I picked up this 2012 Pierce Ranch Petit Sirah yesterday and we had it with dinner last night. While it might not be the biggest wine from this grape it is still really robust and flavorful. It isn't overly sweet or alcoholic , it strikes a really nice balance between a dry and fruity version of this intense varietal. I'll give it 8 1/2 swiggs. You can generally find this for $ 19.95 at New Leaf markets or at the tasting room on the west side of Santa Cruz.

A taste of an oldie

I bought a bunch of this Sagelands Columbia valley cab a number of yeas a ago from the local Shopper's Corner market for $ 8.99. I was really happy with the '99 but when they ran out of it they got in a shipment of '02 which I was not as keen on. It was still a good value but I put a bottle away and pretty much forgot about it until a couple of nights ago. This bottle sat in my cellar for over 10 years-I had just watched a show about sommaliers that had a part about drinking older wines. Now this wine is not as old as the wines featured in the show but at nearly 14 years old it should have been well past its prime, not having a reputation for being an 'ager'. I was rewarded with a very nice wine with some pruny port-like tastes and richness that was not there when the wine was young.
So......if you run across this wine you might want to get a few bottles and try drinking it over a period of years rather than months to really see what time can do with it. I'll give it 8 1/2 swiggs and say that it is far better now than it was back when I bought it.