Weekly Twitter Wine Mini Reviews Round-Up For April 16, 2011

06 Dry Creek Vineyard "The Mariner" Meritage (Dry Creek Valley): A black currant, chocolate & spice sea that sails as smooth as silk. $40 B+ #
09 Smith-Madrone Riesling (Napa Valley): Dear Germany – enjoying Napa; showing off my green fruits; think I’ll stay; Luv U! -Rheingau $27 B #
10 Casa Silva Pinot Noir Reserva (Colchagua): Tart, chewy & short on finish, but long on velvety red berry fruit (& on value). $12 B- #
09 Casa Silva Pinot Noir Reserva (Colchagua): Way too much green matched w/ those red fruits, & it sure ain’t X-mas time yet! $12 C #
06 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): The fruit is beautifully complex, but they’re playing w/ boozy fire here $135 B+ #
09 Volpi Gavi (Gavi): Starts a little austere, but flashes just enough of the citrusy, tropical leggings to make things enticing. $13 B- #
07 Banfi Belnero (Toscana): Ripe, plush, structured & serious Sangiovese, but the oak flag might have been flown just a bit too long. $39 B #
08 Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve (Valle de Aconcagua): Red/black, viscous/tannic, savory/vibrant high-tension-wire balancing act. $100 A- #
07 Seña (Valle de Aconcagua): Starts too green, but is saved by the power of crazy amounts of blue, black & red fruited complexity. $110 A- #
09 Errazuriz Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Valle de Aconcagua): Starts tangy & pruney, but give it a chance if U dig on tobacco. $25 B #
09 Arboleda Carmenere (Colchagua): Green, lean & peppery; but once it’s in your mouth the vibrant fruit might just make U a believer. $25 B #
10 Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay (Casablanca): Get past the cream & toastiness & it kicks all kinds of complex Chard ass 4 the $. $20 B+ #
10 Errazuriz Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (Casablanca): Lemongrass, starfruit, chili, limes, minerals – a damn, bit of everything! $20 B #
07 Kinien Don Raul (Mendoza): Like chocolate mint & chocolate-covered cherries; it celebrates its own uniqueness (or "eccentricity"). $65 B+ #
08 Kinien Malbec (Mendoza): Black, vibrant, meaty, densely-packed & so concentrated that it demands, well, *concentration*, dammit! $44 B+ #
09 Ruca Malen Petit Verdot (Mendoza): Like a cup of spicy Mexican hot cocoa comin’ right off of being heated by an aromatic wood fire $18 B- #
08 Ruca Malen Malbec (Mednoza): Dark, spicy, savory & S. American in presentation; elegantly floral & (very) French in spirit. $18 B #
10 Yauquén Cabernet Sauvignon (Mendoza): Those nice cherries feel kinda trapped in a stemmy, herbal & tightly-tannic cage. $12 C+ #
10 Ruca Malen Chardonnay (Uco Valley): More tropical than a coconut drink on Caribbean holiday vacation (and probably less expensive). $18 B #
08 Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): So rich, so fruity, so flowery, so velvety, so tasty; but so friggin’ BIG. $40 B+ #