2009 Cameron Hughes lot 224 high valley syrah

This was not a very good wine. Disjointed, and a funky taste. I'm gonna let this one sit quite a while before opening the next one, although I'm guessing it wont help. Only drank half yesterday between a couple people, and will give it another try later today to see if there is any difference.

OK, day two was much better for this wine, really mellowed out. Next time, I will decant for a couple hours...

2009 Cameron Hughes lot 230 chalk hill cabernet sauvignon.

Nothing special about this one, but not terrible either. Prolly not a rebuy though..

2004 la rasina brunello di montalcino

Very nice wine with good long finish. A little leather on the nose with red fruit.Good mouthfeel, and tannins on the finish, but not overpowering. For a $25 wine, I would re-buy.

2009 robert mondavi p.s. meritage

OK, so this wine was around $10 bucks, so I wasn't expecting anything great, and I wasn't disappointed. Not a rebuy.Wasn't terrible, but not much to brag about either...

chateau niagara cayuga (NYS)

This winery is just about a year old, and there were only 5 wines to taste. Normally I would not even have tasted the cayuga, since it is usually just a sweet grapey taste. But, since there were only 5 wines on the list, I decided to taste them all. What a pleasant surprise! Not grapey at all! I blind tasted this with some friends and they all agreed it was a very good wine. One guess was a voignet, and one did have a sense of the grapiness, which I did not detect. We had this wine with some salmon with a spicy topping on it and everyone agreed it went very well! This winery is supposed to come out with a meritage very soon, and  I am looking forward to going back and trying that, and purchasing some more of this Cayuga!

2007 Ravines meritage (NYS)

This was a very good wine, with general agreement among three friends I tasted this with. Nice nose, good flavors and a decent finish. Even though this was a $20 wine, which is a bit expensive for a NY red, will rebuy for sure.

2008 Freedom Run pinot noir(nys)

This absolutely blew me away in the tasting room. There was a 08 and a 09. I thought the 08 was far superior. However, popped this at a friends house and it was a bit harsh and generally not that good. Not a rebuy for sure...

2009 the immortal zin, old vine

So, I prolly reviewed this before, and my own personal notes were this was a good wine. Today, I opened this as I was making some pasta, and it was very good. A few hours later, I had another glass without the food, and I wasnt so sure. So I had some cheese and crackers and it came back. bottom line, this may be one thats better with a bit of food.... For $11, a no brainer for a rebuy!

The Messenger (telegram red wine # 2) red blend

Lightly oaked on nose, black fruit, good mouthfeel, nice finish. For a $12 wine, this was a winner.

seven daughters red blend

For a $10 wine, not impressed. Seemed a bit young, and slightly harsh. Not a rebuy.

2007 meridian vineyards cab sauv

Lightly oaked, red fruit, light spice on finish. I would buy again..especially for 8 bucks.

2007 columbia valley merlot ecole #41

Let me start by saying, I am NOT a merlot fan, but am trying to find at least one or two I like. Having said that, so far, my favorite is one from the north fork of long island. So, this one advertises rich with spicy aromas, shows red berry fruit and black plum wrapped in a peppery black cherry finish.....Ok, I get the red fruit on the nose, there is absolutely no pepper on this finish. For a $14 wine, a major pass....I'm still looking......

2008 sol special bordeaux

For an $11 bottle of wine, not bad at all. Kind of a leather smell on the nose...nice taste and good flavors. Had with some beef stew (which had a bit if the wine in it) and it paired well.