St. Amant 2008 Amador County Verdelho Miss Independent

Extremely pale color.

Clean cantaloupe smell, apple.

Dry cantaloupe flavor, hint of apple sweetness at the end.

Very good light-to-medium-bodied bottle for $19.99, this American interpretation of a classic Madeira grape shouts USA, USA, USA!

St. Amant 2008 Lodi Barbera Tools of the Trade

This is my first US entry in the festival of Barbera and temporarily ends it (I'm out of fresh examples.)

Dark purple red, not quite opaque. Violet at the edges.

Surprising pencil-box oak is the most noticeable smell, then dark stone-fruit.

I haven't run across a Barbera with a significant degree of new oak in the flavor before. Plum and prune fruit, seems particularly sweet at the finish.

Not a bad bottle for $19.99, but a tad bit flat, it seems to lack some of the food-friendly acid I'm so very used to tasting in Barbera d'Alba and Barbera d'Asti.

St. Amant 2007 Lodi Old Vines Zinfandel Mohr-Fry Ranch

With 4% Petite Sirah.

Very dark purple-red color.

Smells of blackberry, leather, and oak.

Ripe black raspberry and blackberry flavor, oak, big fruit from start to finish with a lot of alcohol warmth at the end. Velvety smooth, full-bodied.

Good bottle for $19.99: watch out for that fruit-bomb, the fuse is lit!