Purchased at Total Wine in Tempe AZ, $7.99, 12.5% alcohol. I liked the red blend a couple months back, although I tried it again recently and was disappointed. The white has an intriguing blend of Chard, Chenin Blanc & Gewurz, so I thought I'd try it. Pale gold in the glass. A touch of flint on the nose, apple blossoms, ripe melon, a hint of vanilla spice. Honey-apple on the palate, creamy fruit mid-palate leading into a spicy, fruity finish. Only one thing lacking, and it's a biggie: Acidity! Lots of juice but no tingle on the tongue, which is one of the reasons I love white wine. All the necessary ingredients, but a lack of execution in the end. Too bad, I love the blend.

Purchased at Sunflower Market in Tempe AZ, $8.99, 13.5% alcohol. Inky crimson in the glass, lighter purplish ring. Plummy nose with blackberry and cassis; faint fennel, pepper and earthy, spicy vanilla caramel. Herbal oak & tobacco. Kind of a dusty sand/seashore minerality. Good start. Very juicy on the palate, dark fruit and cherry initially; mid-palate of explosive spicy fruit, tannins lack a bit. Nice linger of dark vanilla, for lack of a better term. The nose is from heaven; the taste is a bit closer to earth but is still very good. The mid-palate is too short and there's kind of a void before the finish. Like the Cab, it opened up significantly after 3 hours; I didn't even like it much at first! Wonderful thing, oxygen... :)

Purchased at Sunflower Market in Tempe AZ, $8.99, 13.5% alcohol. Always nice to find CyT on sale. Pale gold with touch of green in the glass. Powdery minerality, mango & other fertile tropical scents, hint of nutty vanilla spice. Pineapple & honey initially on the palate, creamy mid-palate with subtle tart & tangy character, luscious finish & linger. This is SO not a big California Chard! Lots of elegance, refinement and subtlety.

Purchased at Sunflower Market in Tempe AZ, $8.99, 13.5% alcohol. Good ol' rckr1951 mentioned yesterday how good Bogle was, and lo and behold what do I find on sale today! Also bought the Petite Syrah, which is probably my favorite varietal. Deep crimson in the glass. Juicy nose initially: blackberry, cherry and cassis in an overall plummy kind of mix. Dusty earth, faint tobacco, pepper, some deep, herbal wood notes, something treacly, all well-balanced. Delicious dose of dark cherry on the palate, tannin and a bit of pepper emerge mid-palate. The finish is long and is like a vanilla caramel fruit smoothie. Solid structure. It took over 3 hours to really open up, but when it did...WOW! As always, rcker1951 was right.

Purchased at Total Wine in Tempe AZ, $12.99, 12% alcohol. My first Bordeaux blanc and first Rothschild; at this price I suppose it's considered "entry level." Clear, pale gold in the glass. The nose doesn't give away much at first; with warming, subtle mineral notes emerge. Faint lemony floral note. The palate is bright and focused, crisp and clean, good balance between the softness of Semillon (which is spelled "Semillion" on the label) and the tartness & structure of Sauvignon Blanc. Kind of like a firm mattress with a cushy top. Not much fruit except a slightly citric linger. Elegant and refined, a wine that doesn't jump out to get you, but invites you in.

Purchased at Sunflower Market in Tempe AZ, $8.99, 13.5% alcohol. This was my first CyT Merlot; always happy to find these wines on sale! Bright ruby-purple in the glass. Light herbal oak and wet sand on the nose first; blackberry, touch of fennel & cedar, something almondy like marzipan. Clean, luscious juice bursts on the palate with dark cherry & black raspberry. Herbal tannins support the mid-palate, as does the acidity. Lengthy finish with soft tannins and lingering fruit. GREAT stuff, and I love the deep herbal character throughout! Another winner for CyT, and given the vintage it should be even better in a couple of years.

Trader Joe's purchase, $4.99, 12% alcohol. It's a blend of 97% Riesling and 3% Gewurztraminer. Pale greenish gold in the glass. It's a bouquet on the nose...peach, quince, melon, honey, even a hint of almond. Some floral perfume in the background, and the delightful essence of a sandy beach. The palate is clean and "deep," for lack of a better word. Apple, honey, honeysuckle (again, I taste the aroma), honeydew (do I detect a theme?). It's somewhat sweet but the acidity provides a good balance and firm structure. There's a bit of spice before a long, honey finish. I guess it's a "honey" of a wine. Sorry, lame attempt at humor!

Trader Joe's purchase, $11.99 ($18 on the website), 14.5% alcohol. It's a blend of 87% Syrah and 13% Grenache. Two-thirds of a GSM! Clear, dark red in the glass. Blackberry, chocolate, caramel and spicy wood on the nose, along with pepper and hint of rich earth. There's a dark floral chracter, too. Fruit-driven palate, loads of berry and cherry; a nice dose of pepper enters mid-palate, but it's a bit hot. The finish lip-smacking caramel and good acidity, but has a little too much alcohol. It's very good now, but has the potential to be excellent in several years.