Atrea "The Choir" Rhone Blend

This wine is beautiful and well balanced.I love white Rhone Valley wines.
This is from Mendocino California but, it's good!

J.J. Müller 2005 Liebfraumilch

I can't pronounce it, but I sure can slurp it. Label says it pairs well with spicy foods so I tried it last week with a Spicy Penne with Shrimp and Mint recipe. I usually take about 4 days to finish a bottle of wine. I put this one down in 2.

Flavors of Pear, Apple, a touch of citrus and round butterscotch notes. Off-dry.

Wine shopping journal - 12/15/07 - Hennepin Lake Liquors

I should have skipped Surdyk's and gone straight to Hennepin-Lake to do my holiday wine shopping. They had more of the items on my "wines to try - best bargains" list that I culled from my Food and Wine 2007 Wine Guide (it's a year old and starting to go out of date), and generally better prices. Having to use cash or check is a pain as is navigating those narrow aisles, but the deals were great. Here's what I bought:

Boony Doon Vin Gris de Gigare - Rose 2006 - $12.95
Carmen Camenere Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005 - $13.95
Dry Creek Vinyard Sonoma County Fume Blanc 2006 - $10.99
Argyle Willamette Valley "Extended Tirage" Sparkling Wine 1996 - $32.95 (in very limited supply and this is an incredible price - sorry I only bought 2 bottles)
E. Guigal White Cotes du Rhone 2005 - $10.95

Still trying to find the following:

Vinum Cellars White Elephant 2004 (California)
Oops Camenere Rose 2006 (Chile)
EQ Sauvignon Blanc 2006 (Chile)
Boony Doon Vinyard Le Cigare Blanc 2004 (mimics a much more expensive Chateauneuf du Pape)
Sea Smoke Pinot Noir (California)
EDGE Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (California)
Frederic Mabileau Les Ruoilleres 2004 - St. Nicolas de Bourgueil (Loire Valley)

Punta Final Malbec - not so "green"

I'm on a mission to better understand Malbec. Went to Toast Wine Bar in the Minneapolis warehouse district and tasted a delicious, smooth and complex Malbec from a label called Punta Final (Medoza Provence, Argentina). The server/barkeep told us that she generally doesn't like South American wines as they tend to be "green and vegetal" whereas this one was different and among her favorites It was delicious with my polenta with Parmesan cheese and roasted mushrooms. Even better with a slice of pizza with pesto, olives and cheese.

There is a divergence of opinion on this wine depending on the year but it will be on my list when I return.