Lagone 2008 Aia Vecchia IGT Toscana

A blend of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, and Merlot.

Deep dark cherry red appearance.

Cassis smell, plum, new oak.

Dry fruity plum and black cherry flavors, oak, long acid finish.

Very good full-bodied bottle, $16.99.

A note from my friend, Marjorie Partch:

We have been reluctant to intrude with this tragic story, but also hoping that this community would rally around one of its longtime members in her time of dire need. Mrs. Dorothy Partch taught English at Brien McMahon High School for 20 years, retiring in 1994. In 2003, she suffered a mild stroke, and her daughter Marjorie (Class of 1975) moved back home to take care of her. Last year, Mrs. Partch had a more severe stroke, and Marjorie, her POA, Health Care Representative, etc. etc., brought her to a nursing home for rehab. She was due to come home last Summer. But when the nursing home learned that the house was still in Mrs. Partch's name, they decided instead to bypass her daughter's legal authority and keep Mrs. Partch against their wishes. They had a real estate attorney appointed as Mrs. Partch's Conservator (guardian), seized all their joint accounts, and are trying to take all their belongings and property to keep Mrs. Partch isolated, neglected and abused (according to the Dept. of Public Health), rather than letting her come home, where she would be treated by her own neurologist, therapists and her loving daughter.

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Melville 2009 Santa Barbera County Viognier Estate - Verna's

Greenish-yellow color. Petillance is quite evident on the glass.

White pepper smell, river rocks, just past-ripe pears, a bit of wildflower bouquet at the end.

Off-dry apple, pear, orange, honeysuckle flavors, bits of warmth and bitterness at the end.

Excellent medium-to-full-bodied bottle. $24.99

Santa Rita 2007 Colchagua Valley Carmenere Single Estate

Extremely dark near-opaque purplish red.

Blackberry and oak smells.

Blackberry flavor, blueberry, oak and tannins at the end.

Very good medium-to-full bodied bottle. $19.99

Carpene Malvolti nv Sparkling Kerner Brut

Very pale yellow, many streams of small bubbles.

Smell of honeysuckle and of ripe peaches.

Off-dry to slightly sweet flavor of ripe apples, ripe peaches. Occasionally it seems thin and tastes of nothing so much as club soda.

Good-to-very good light-bodied bottle of fizz. My first experience with Kerner. $23.36.

Sigalas 2008 Santorini "Barrel"

As Krakatoa was to the late 19th Century AD/CE, so Santorini was to the 17th century BC.

Rich golden straw color.

Smell of peaches, oak, lemon pledge(!), alcohol.

Dry flavors of apple, butter, oak, minerals.

Excellent medium-bodied bottle, $26.50. Word has it that this greatly rewards aging, but I can't testify to that.

A.Diehl 2009 Pfalz Dornfelder

Medium-dark cherry red, a bit petillant.

Smell of sweet blackberry soda.

Taste of strawberry, red cherry, not a smitch of oak. Slightly petillant on the tongue, but only slightly.

Good light-weight bottle, I think it'd work well with the Indian food (Example: Potato Samosas. Yum. Saag Paneer. Bet that'd work just fine too.) that I've found to be a good match with unoaked cru Beaujolais. $14.50 / 1 liter