2006 Ravenswood Sonoma County Old Vine Zinfandel

Have you ever heard the term Jammy? I know it's dumb and sounds like a name you'd call your Maw Maw, but I gotta say this Sonoma County is a Jammy friend of mine. It's a really solid Zin that paired well with a spicy Lentil soup. A mostly simple wine with some nice spiciness on the back end. Retailing for $14.99 at BevMo, it's a little steep for an everyday type wine (which is how I'd classify this wine) My suggestion would be to definitely pick this up if it's a 5 cent sale, If not, I'd say pick up something a little cheaper for the everyday.

Capricorn Dark Guatemala

Have you ever been down to the Ghirardelli store down by the wharf? You know the one where you go to eat a huge bowl of ice cream and you leave with sticky hands and diarrhea. I know what your thinking. "Yeah!! why do I always leave with sticky hands and diarrhea?" Well this coffee will bring you back to that magical place without the diarrhea, hopefully. It reminds me of the dark chocolate free sample that you get from the Ghirardelli woman standing with a full bag of already opened chocolates. Like it's really that hard to open the chocolates yourself. They don't want you to wait another second before you devour the little dark chocolate. To put the icing on the cake a friend bought me the bag of beans making them the same price as a free chocolate but with way more benefits. I love dark brews and I absolutely loved this Capricorn roast.

Van Ruiten Ancient Vine Carignane 2005

Riddle: It's got white make-up on, but dressed in all black. It's light, but somehow very dark. Answer: The girl that checked us out at whole foods and this wine. Kinda scary I know, but don't be scared. The VR Carignane will treat you right, just make sure to have a few friends around to finish the bottle because the second day this wine looses the brightness and just becomes a very dark wine without the interestingness. This '05 produced in Lodi, CA made for a great pairing with a white pizza and also was great on it's own. I don't often drink Carignane's but I would strongly consider throwing this one in the rotation. Overall a really great wine. I think it's winning some awards as well. Go check it out.