I must protest. It is indeed a lighter bodied Champagne, which makes it a wonderful aperitif. It should be noted that Champagnes come in many shapes and sizes and they needn't all be full-bodied. I have begun many a wonderful meal with this wine.

White flowers and fresh mint on the nose, as well as vanilla, ripe peaches and lychee. The palate yields a panarama of flavors from super fresh stone fruits to dark spices and honey with a super long finish. Pleasantly sweet and well integrated.

Some pleasant aromas and flavors, flowers and white peaches. Finishes poorly. Way over-priced.

Tobacco, cedar and stewed black fruits. Powerful but with finesse, this wine is luxury in every sip.

Dark in color with auburn tones, hinting at perhaps a touch of oxidation? The nose is absolutely beautiful. Aromatic, complex and expressive, with plums, raisins, red cherries, blueberries, asphalt and tar. The aromas go on and on. The palate was a bit of a disappointment, with more of the red fruits, blueberries, black plums and tar mixed with high-toned acids and a slightly hot feel from the higher alcohol content. Not bad, but if it tasted half as good as it smelled it would have been great.

Big, bold and dark coloration with only the slightest bricking around the edges of the rim. Perhaps a hint at the flavors to come? Right up front on the nose there is a whiff of cheese rind and white truffle, but this is quickly overcome by ripe, dried and baked red fruits, as well as a distinct raisiny characteristic so common in Amarones. The palate is huge! Red currants, black cherries, blackberries, caramel, dates, figs and bruleed sugar all dance together in one big Amarone celebration. There is a bit too much heat from the high alcohol content, but this is minor when compared to a big, long and complex wine. Excellent stuff!

This Cayuga-Riesling blend features a nice acidity, with grapefruit, pear and apple peel as the dominant flavors. The texture is different (reminiscent of okra innards), and the finish is almondy.

Fleshy with firm tannins. Black fruits, tar, black pepper and fresh thyme leap from the glass in great balance followed by a fantastic finish that goes on for minutes. This is one for the cellar.

Very nice. Lots of earthy terroir on the nose followed by sweet baked fig and raisin with a smokey, gamey character and a velvety texture.

Wow! Gorgeous Pinot Noir. Earth and stewed fruits on the nose with baked plum, Asian spices, tobacco, leather and black truffle on the palate. Very balanced and focused with a staggering complexity.

Aromatic and complex. White truffle, forest floor, white truffle, vanilla bean and white flowers. Some lime and green apple on the palate. The finish is long and dynamic.

Honeysuckle and stones with some lemon and green apple.

Expressive and pure. Honeyed on the nose. Lychee, stewed pear and lemon confit on the palate offset by interesting minerality and petrol. This Riesling exhibits great aging potential.

Great flavors of dried apricot, candied lemon, honey, vanilla, caramel, almond and baking spices. Well balanced with a very long length. Yum!

Prominent smoke and leather flavors subside mid-palette to allow deep black fruit and raisin to shine through. Has a velvety texture, robust spice characteristics and a nice finish.

A complex wine showing pear, baked apples, pineapple, honey, vanilla bean, thyme and mint. Expressive, with a high acidity balanced by nice fruit and acidity, followed by a very long finish.

Notes of black cherry, berries, smoke, pepper and hints of French oak. Has a nice, thick texture, but lacks integration. A little green and underripe, due to an unusually cool August in 2000.

Great fruit flavors of stewed peaches, dried apricots, lemon, lime and orange peel that are well integrated with floral and mineral notes. Great weight and depth, with a length that keeps going and going (and going)...

The bouquet of caramel apple, baked peaches, honey, autumn spices and hints of roses will make you salivate. Each sip provides its own unique experience via complex flavors, including honey, baked apple, pear and lime zest, and an array of spices (vanilla, clove, cumin, cayenne, eucalyptus).

Light bodied, with prominent cranberry juice, red cherry and orange juice flavors. Notes of asparagus, green bean, mineral and yeast. A nice, simple wine.

Tart lemon candy and lime zest provide a high acidity. Edible flowers and significant terroir (chalk, metal and slate) make this a good wine, but a lack of fruit keeps this from being a great wine.

Toasted oak flavors add a twist to the fruit notes to give you hints of key lime pie and apple pie. Clay and white flowers add to the flavor profile, which is topped off by a great, creamy texture that's fit for a king.

Floral perfume on the nose. Minerals provide a wet stone, mineral flavor that turns the fruit characteristics into overripe mango and canned peaches. The texture is oily, the body flabby, and the lime-alcohol finish lasts too long.

A good concentration of cherry and plum zest up front. Spices arrive mid-palette, with pepper spices, smoke and leather nearly cloaking the fruit flavors. The finish is lengthy with some fruit, but strong oak and petrol flavors makes this rather harsh and unenjoyable in the end.

Black raspberry and cherry, with bold tannins and mineral notes.

Notes of nectarine, green apple, grapefruit and a touch of grass. Crisp and refreshing.

Baked cherries, red plum and raisin on the palette. Herbaceous, with notes of eucalyptus, thyme, pepper, paprika and bay leaves. Very tannic, so ahead before drinking to let it settle.

Jammy red fruits and a little spice complement supple tannins with a little white pepper on the finish.

Raisin, fig, chocolate, wild mushrooms and bell pepper carry through the finish with a touch of cayenne at the end for accent.

Simple with lots of red raspberry and boysenberry, a little tobacco and a hot, metallic finish.

Tar, tobacco, and herbs dominate any fruit character. Slightly metallic on the finish.

A little funky and a little green, this wine could use a tad bit more fruit. Tulip bulbs on the nose with a metallic, peppery finish.

Very perfumed with delicious raspberry, strawberry, and baked pineapple accented by honeysuckle and a slight creaminess. Oak on the finish.

Funk on the nose, no fruit on the palate, alkaline on the finish.

Medium body, some black cherry and blackberry, but more wet stone and mineral qualities characterize this Côtes du Rhône.

Lots of concentrated, but well structured black fruits yield soft vanilla bean and a pleasantly oaky finish.

Bubblegum and artificial cherry aromas on the nose. Medicine and overripe fruit show up on the palate, followed by a finish like a bad practical joke.

Intense, rich and a mile deep. Earthy, Loads of baked fruits and raisin with licorice and chocolate and a finish that will change your life. This wine is at its peak.

Lots of structure and character on this one, but also lots of young combative tannins. The tannins mask much of the fruit, but with all of the spice, earth and tobacco and a surprisingly delicate finish, we see some serious aging potential here.

Some mild black fruit up front quickly turns to dried fig and raisin. The finish is dry and somewhat spicy, but predominately under ripe and vegetal. 2000's bipolar temperatures in Sonoma were not kind to these unfortunate Merlot grapes.

Opaque and black-rust appearance, we suggest with this Zin that you pour it and then throw the steaks on the grill. This is a big, powerful Zin that needs time to calm down. Otherwise its tannins will push you down and take your lunch money. It eventually opens up as a super rich, chewy, jammy red. There's a little barrel spice and black pepper throughout, yielding a finish of blackberry jam, oak and alcohol.

A great value choice from Northern Rhône, this Crozes shows lots of juicy black fruits, Fall spices and a nice minerality. Well structured with a mid-long finish.

This Cornas shows nice, bright red fruit up front offset by well structured earthen qualities. Just a touch of tar and cedar give great character. Although beautifully balanced now, we don't recommend this one for your cellar as its tannins are slightly faded.

Powerful nose with jammy fruits. This wine has it all: lots of concentrated fruit, spice, oak and enough funk to make George Clinton proud. Concentrated, jammy fruit carries through a long, dry finish.

Intriguing. There is a roundness to the flavors of this wine that makes it rather difficult to enumerate them. Just as you take notice of the green apple it turns to cantaloupe, then to orange oil, and then finishes with oak. Its velvety texture coats the palate yielding a long, complex finish.

This wine has a light straw color and a lot of citrus and orange zest on the nose. The palette confirms ample citrus along with a crisp acidity and a dry slightly oaky finish.

This is a nice, fresh and round Cabernet Franc, with bright red raspberry on the nose and some red plum and blueberry on the palette, backed by a good acid. Light tannins and make this a good wine to enjoy now.

Right off the bat this wine has a lot to say. A powerful nose speaks of grass, hay and a very distinct French funky, mustiness. Soil and truffles pour off the nose. Upon tasting, this Sauv Blanc makes its mark as a very distinct and complex vin de terroir. Bright acidity upfront, a long grassy finish and citrus throughout make this a very expressive wine.

This clean, light off-dry Chenin Blanc shows light tropical fruits on the nose. Notes of pineapple, peaches, honey, and lavender make this a good summer wine, even though the distinct qualities of a sur lie don't really present themselves very well in this wine. This results in a nice simple Vouvray with a medium finish.

Citrus and tropical fruits such as starfruit and pineapple show on the nose. Distinct limestone mineral notes counterbalance the citrus and green apple very nicely on the palette with a very slight grassiness- a very well constructed Sauvignon Blanc.

Anyone who has fallen in love with Loire Valley whites should appreciate this wine thoroughly. A rather subdued bouquet of light citrus and papaya disguises ample fruit on the palate. A long complex finish, carried by all the wonderful limestone, mineral notes and a nice, slightly chalky texture, this wine is a brilliant example Sancerre's mastery of Sauvignon Blanc.

Awesome aromas of fresh fig, honeymelon, orange blossom and candied chestnut follow through a rich finish with candied ginger and almond. With a honey-like viscosity and a light frizzante, this wine is absolutely delicious.

Rather herbaceous and dry, this Chardonnay kind of begs for fruit. The lime leaves and apple peel with some herbes de Provence don't really flesh out a great finish.

Intense gun flint right off the nose almost makes you afraid to taste it. Notes of burnt citrus and old hay show up on the palate followed by a slightly awkward finish.

Concentrated aromas of dried apricot and mango carry through a well balanced slightly gravelly finish of tropical fruit and burnt sugar. Delicious and intense.

A nose full of Bourbon and artificial vanilla extract, followed by intense, offensive wood and alcohol flavors make us wonder if this was even damaged. This wine is a shameful defeat for Mount Victory, Ohio. As one of our tasting panel noted "I got a hangover just smelling it!"

Lovely aromas of orange zest, vanilla bean, light tropical fruits, toast, hazelnuts and honeysuckle build beautifully up front only to be let down by a slightly short finish.

A little almond, apricot and even some light vegetal qualities drop off quickly. Not much going on here.

A full mousse and a wonderful light salmon color give this sparkling an instant visual appeal. Aromas of white peach, tropical fruits and cherry blossom come off the nose. A full body, gala apple, carrot cake spice, cranberry and nice clean finish-this is all that we could expect from a Brut Rosé from Champagne.

Buttery with a hint of lemon, this Blanc de Blancs is true to its appellation. Though if you still have one of these tucked away, do not delay popping it. Though still enjoyable it is a little faded.

Some promising citrus notes and crisp acidity upfront fade rather awkwardly on the finish.

A nice refreshing and lightly frizzante Prosecco, showing light fruits and floral notes of orange and peach blossom. Finishes cleanly and simply with a little green apple and grapefruit.

A slightly underripe sauv blanc, chive flowers and light green apple peel on the nose. Sharper fruits appear on the palate with a little bell pepper on the finish.

A blend of Alsatian grapes, this wine offers a pleasant acidity, cool fruits and a clean finish. Simple and delicious.

Weak notes of raspberry and strawberry barely hold this wine up. Flabby and watery, with a weak and slightly foul finish.

Wow. The aromas from this muscat are light but unyielding. Honey, grilled pineapple, lemon zest, rose, baked apple and fresh ginger all mingle together. A great viscosity carries a long finish of lavender, honey and crème brulée with a touch of oak and cayenne at the very end.

Tree bark and alcohol are first to present themselves on the nose followed by some black fruit, mint and brioche. On the palette it yields loads of black plum and cherry, minerals and firm tannins. A nice texture compliments a long finish. Beautiful.

The alcohol is immediately apparent on the nose along with aromas of strawberry, pomegranate and sage. The raspberry jam upfront fades in its medium finish of clove and cedar.

The fruit notes of black currant, stewed black plums and raisin are shadowed by the earthy tones of wet leaves, moss, cedar and warm earth. These are accented by a little white pepper on the nose. Deep and concentrated, this is a complex wine with a nice finish.

Black fruits and spice are matched with a pronounced earthiness though vegetal, bell pepper and eucalyptus notes throw this wine ever so slightly off balance.

Red berries and spice (black pepper, star anise and a little clove) come off of the nose. On the palette this is a light, rather simple wine with a refreshing acidity and short, yet pleasant finish.

Ruby-red in color, this is a very basic red table wine that provides the taste of black cherry, with subtle hints of green pepper and paprika. A slight frizzante adds a sharpness up front.

A deep earthy bouquet is offset by black plum on the nose. Upon opening this Burgundy yields loads of stewed black fruits, toffee and chocolate. All of these remain in perfect harmony with a slight smokiness through its long finish.

This is indeed a delicious Amontillado. It is a perfect aperitif. Also their standard $13 or so basic Amontillado is a great buy.

Overwhelming toast and barrel spice (primarily cloves) on the finish make this wine less than enjoyable.