Wine

2009 Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough / $15 / B+ / mild, good for the money

2007 Lynmar Chardonnay Russian River Valley / $30 / B/ huge oak

2009 Kavaklidere Egeo Roze Aegean Turkey / $19 / B+ / tart, curious

2007 De Tierra Pinot Noir Silacci Vineyard Monterey / $32 / B / skunky

2008 Cru-Monterey Pinot Noir Appellation Series Santa Maria Valley / $35 / B- / too herbal, off

2008 Wrath Pinot Noir Quasi Mulla Monterey / $38 / B- / funky notes

2008 Sequana Pinot Noir Sarmento Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands / $32 / B

2008 Sequana Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch Green Valley / $40 / A-/ solid pinot, authentic

2009 Jazz Cellars Pinot Noir Lone Oak Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands / $45 / A-/ rich and intense

2006 Paradise View Malbec Sonoma Coast / $32 / A- / surprisingly good for Cal malbec, big herbal finish

2007 Cameron Hughes Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 172 Atlas Peak / $22 / B / hugely tannic

2007 Halter Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles / $28 / B-

2007 Millarium Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley / $75 / A-/ rich, has aging potential

2007 Valley of the Moon Cabernet Bland, Cuvee de la Luna Sonoma County / $30 / B

2007 St Helena Road Winery-Maier Family Meritage Sonoma / $34 / B

2007 Niner Wine Estates Fog Catcher Paso Robles / $58 / B+ / rich blackberry notes

2006 J. Lohr Cuvee Pau, Paso Robles / $50 / B- / overdone

NV Gonzalez Byass Oloroso Sherry Solera 1847 Superior Selection / $18 / B+

Spirits

Rokk Vodka, Sweden / $NA / B+ / traditional, light sweetness

Pisco “O” Torontel, Ica, Peru / A- / $35 / intense lemon notes, a surprise

2009 Germana SOUL Cachaca, Brazil / A- / $29 / light and easy

Germana Tradicional Cachaca, Brazil / B+ / $34 / bolder, lightly aged

2009 Germana Heritage Cachaca, Brazil / B / $79 / even more aged, but unbalanced

Tequila Blu Reposado, Mexico / B / $38 / a tough rough

Tequila Cinco Blancos Anejo, Mexico / B- / $23 / rough attack, harsh

El Zacatecano Anejo Mescal, Mexico / B+ / $NA / almost no smoke – this is mescal?

Rum Vizcaya VXOP Solera Rum, Dominican Republic / B+ / $38 / overwhelming sweetness

Isle of Jura Single Malt Scotch, Prophecy, Scotland / B+ / $70 / massive peat bomb, big iodine notes

Pere Magloire Calvados VSOP, France / B- / $40 / tough and rough

Pere Magloire Calvados XO, France / B+ / $75 / huge apple character (as one would hope)

Comandon Cognac XO, France / B+ / $145 / tasty, but needs better balance, off finish

Tempra Tantrum (get it?) takes cabernet sauvignon, merlot, grenache, and shiraz, and blends them in 40% concentrations with tempranillo (60%), in each of the four versions of this wine. All are from the 2008 vintage and hail from the Tierra de Castilla region of Spain.

And you know what: All four pretty much taste the same. Indeed, as vintner Rocio Osborne desired, these wines are all fruit forward and easy to drink, pleasant as all get-out with cherry notes and light herb character — but, to be honest, lacking much real character. In fact, tasting through all four varieties, I was hard pressed to find much difference among them. The cab blend might be a little chewier than the lighter merlot and grenache, and the shiraz has a touch of spicy raciness to it, but if you served this quartet blind, you’d be hard-pressed to pick out much of a difference.

For a $10 wine, they’re pretty high-quality and represent amazing values, but, on the whole, none of them are entirely memorable.

all varieties: B / $10 / tempratantrum.com

Staking its claim as the first USDA Organic tequila available in the U.S. — although 4 Copas is also organic, it’s not USDA certified to that effect — Tierras comes in the usual three varieties, all 80 proof and, until distribution expands a little wider, all tough to find for now.

Tierras Blanco – Fairly mild for a blanco, and quite enjoyable. Good agave notes and a deep, finish. I’d swear there’s oak in here, but it’s crystal clear. Perhaps it’s more of a root-like earth flavor that comes across so clearly. (Which would be appropriate: “tierras” means “earth” in Spanish.) Difficult to put one’s finger on the subtle notes here, but quite enjoyable as a sipper. A- / $40

Tierras Reposado – Continues that mild, easygoing streak that the blanco began. The company specifies 8 to 10 months are spent in oak, but that’s hard to believe based on the light color and smooth body. Still, this is a perfectly serviceable reposado, but I think it loses some of that curious earthiness that the blanco has. Wholly worthwhile, though. B+ / $43

Tierras Anejo – Ups the color with 18 to 20 months in wood, but retains a lot of the earlier expressions’ character. It’s more flavorful than either of its predecessors, with agave surprisingly showing stronger than in the younger tequilas. The woody vanilla and agave don’t meld as seamlessly as I’d hoped here, leaving this tequila a touch out of balance. But that’s largely made up for with an interestingly minty/wintergreen finish. B+ / $45

castlebrands.com

Four Vines (seen at right) had some interesting pours, but nothing was as charming as the Bailey Vineyard Syrah from, of all places, Amador County, rich with blueberry notes and wholly drinkable. Perhaps the best bottle of the whole event.

Also a serious highlight from the show: Longboard’s 2005 Dakine Vineyard Syrah, a rich blend of 91% Syrah that includes all kinds of juice in small proportions, including 3% Zinfandel and 2% Malbec(!). Very complex but easy to drink. Definitely worth seeking out, along with its other bottlings.

Greatly enjoyed the opportunity to meet both Tim Olson and John Ogden of Olson Ogden Wines. Really nice guys with three great, fruit-filled wines. My favorite was the 2006 Stagecoach Vineyard Syrah.

Andy Peay of Peay Vineyards was kind enough to correct a long-running Internet misconception about his winery. His name is really pronounced “Pay.” Remember that when ordering his wines. They were excellent, with the lighter La Bruma (“the fog”) Syrahs edging out, in my mind, the meatier, heftier Les Titans (“the giants”). All were great.

Met a very nice group at Prospect 772, whose “The Brat” and “The Brawler” earned their names. The raisiny Brat was my favorite, as the appropriately-nicknamed Brawler came across as a bit too young to be drinking today.

Rosenblum has long been known as a Zinfandel shop, and I was surprised to see they had a half-dozen Rhone style wines on sale now, too. In fact, they showed me a list of their full wine lineup, which stretches to about 70 different wines they are now producing, most very affordable and all pretty good. When I asked how they keep them straight, the woman behind the table just shrugged and said, “We just keep making more.”

Also had a nice chat with the Australian transplants from Summerwood Winery. Their “Diosa” Red Blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre was my favorite from their Paso Robles winery.

Complete ratings for what I tasted follow. Cheers!

2006 Four Vines Paso Robles Syrah, $20 – B+
2006 Four Vines “Peasant” Red Blend, $40 – B+
2006 Four Vines “Anarchy” Unconventional Red Blend, $40 – A-
2004 Four Vines Syrah Amador County Bailey Vineyard, $38 – A+
2005 JC Cellars Caldwell Vineyard Syrah, $45 – A
2005 Justin Winery “Savant” Red Blend, $45 – A
2003 Longboard Vineyards Russian River Valley Syrah, $28 – A
2004 Longboard Vineyards Russian River Valley Syrah, $28 – A-
2005 Longboard Vineyards Dakine Vineyard Syrah, $48 – A+
2006 Miner Family Vineyard Simpson Vineyard Viognier, $20 – C+
2006 Miner Family Vineyard Stagecoach Vineyard Syrah, $48 – B-
2005 Morgan Winery “Tierra Mar” Syrah, $40 – B-
2005 Novy Family Winery Judge Family Vineyard Grenache, Bennett Valley, $26 – B
2005 Novy Family Winery Page-Nord Vineyard Syrah, $32 – B+
2005 Novy Family Winery Christensen Family Vineyard Syrah, $29 – B+
2006 Olson Ogden Wines Sonoma and Napa Syrah, $28 – A-
2006 Olson Ogden Wines Unti Vineyard Syrah, $38 – A
2006 Olson Ogden Wines Stagecoach Vineyard Syrah, $52 – A
2004 Palmeri Van Ness Alexander Valley Syrah, $53 – B-
2004 Palmeri Stagecoach Syrah, $53 – B+
2003 Palmeri Stagecoach Red Blend, $53 – B
2006 Peay Vineyards La Bruma Estate Syrah, $45 – A
2006 Peay Vineyards Les Titans Estate Syrah, $45 – A
2005 Peay Vineyards La Bruma Estate Syrah, $45 – A
2005 Peay Vineyards Les Titans Estate Syrah, $45 – A-
2005 Prospect 772 “The Brat” Red Blend, $36 – A-
2005 Prospect 772 “The Brawler” Syrah, $36 – A-
2006 Red Car Winery “Speakeasy” Syrah, $55 – B
2005 Red Car Winery “Shake Rattle and Roll” Syrah, $NA – B
2005 Rocinante Wines Palindrome Vineyard Syrah, $35 – A-
2007 Rosenblum Cellars Kathy’s Cuvee Viognier, $18 – A-
2006 Rosenblum Cellars Fess Parker Vineyard Roussanne, $25 – A-
2005 Rosenblum Cellars Abba Vineyard Syrah, $25 – A-
2005 Rosenblum Cellars England-Shaw Vineyard Syrah, $35 – A
2005 Rosenblum Cellars Kick Ranch Reserve Syrah, $45 – A-
2005 Rosenblum Cellars Pickett Road Petite Sirah, $35 – A-
2006 Summerwood Winery Reserve Roussanne, $40 – B+
2006 Summerwood Winery “Diosa Blanc” White Blend, $45 – B+
2005 Summerwood Winery Red Blend GSM, $40 – A-
2005 Summerwood Winery “Diosa” Red Blend, $58 – A
2007 Summerwood Winery Viognier, $30 – A-
2006 Tablas Creek Vineyard “Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc” White Blend, $40 – A-
2006 Tablas Creek Vineyard “Esprit de Beaucastel” Red Blend, $45 – B+