• Sharpe Hill Chardonnay 2007: Exceedingly well done -- balance between oak, green apple fruit and low alcohol. Not even an especially bad price at $18. Who would have thought it was from Connecticut?
• Saintsbury Chardonnay Unfiltered 2007: Well-made, oak-driven $20 Carneros chardonnay for those who like this style of wine.
• Waterstone Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2008: A surprisingly nice $12 rose, albeit one with some tannins and a touch more alcohol than most others. Made in the French saignée style, in which the juice is bled off the fermenting cabernet.
• Alma Rosa Pinot Gris 2008: Alma Rosa is the new winery from the much respected Richard Sanford, and this $18 wine is shows his skills as a winemaker. But it’s not for everyone – a fair amount of oak and 14.1 percent alcohol.
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