Rating System - I've explained this before but I think periodically I need to refresh the blog... I've adopted my own 10 point rating system for wine.  1 is the lowest, 10 highest, and since 5 and 6 are in the middle I consider those average.  So the vast majority of wines I review end up in the 5 or 6 range because that's exactly what average means.  Things scored below or above that are exceptional - for either exceptionally good or exceptionally bad.  This system works for me, maybe not for you.  But I'm not convinced there's anything better out there.  The Robert Parker point system for example ranges up to 100 and is very useful when shopping for wines in a store, however, they only bother to mark the wines in the 87 to 97 point range so functionally you only end up with about 10 points of differential anyway even on that system.

1) Chateau du Plessis, Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie, 2006 (France) - This is the latest we tried in our wine samplings after work.  The Muscadet grape is not to be confused with Muscat.  Muscadet is a different name for Melon de Bourgone and instead of the super sweet qualities of Muscat we found Muscadet lives up to its own description of green apple, grass, lemon, and sea salt.  Nice.  We all enjoyed it.  I wouldn't say it was a big standout but I'd score it just about the exact middle of average (5 going on 6 out of 10).

2) Chateau Peyros, Vielles Vignes, Madiran, 2001 (Madiran, France) - I had given this as a gift to a friend without trying one first and was nervous whether it lived up to expectation, so I picked up a second one.  Wow and I glad I did.  This is an old vine wine from a very rocky section of Madiran.  It's a region famous for the Tannat grape which is one of the harshest grown and is often used in only small amounts in blends with other grapes.  Well, this one is 60% tannat and 40% cabernet franc.  And unlike the Uruguay tannat wine I tried which was too harsh, and the Brazil tannat wine which reminded me of dark thick beer, this tannat is quite pleasant.  The age of the bottle knocked down any harshness and yet the tannins still maintain a an ultra velvety powerful nature.  They glide smoothly across the tongue but then slightly sting it with tiny needles of flavor which last and last.  I'd say this has one of the longest finishes of any wine I've ever had.  In fact the next morning if I curl my tongue or scrape it across my teeth and I can still feel the tannins from the wine the night before.  Amazing.  And there isn't just tannins.  A mix of red fruits express here, but it's not a fruit forward wine so it instead incorporates it all into an Old World bordeaux-like style.  Really nice special wine.  And that's why I'm scoring this an 8 out of 10 for a really excellent wine.  In fact if I had more of a frame of reference for Madiran wines I'd be likely to score these even higher.

3) Hawk Crest, Merlot, 2003 (California) - I bought this because it's from the Stag's Leap Wine Cellars family of brands which were created by the famous Warren Winiarski, the same guy who did so well in the famous California vs. France wine challenges.  I'd hoped this would be a shining example of what Merlot should be.  Well, it's certainly good, I'd even say upper average, but it doesn't blow me away and that's why I'll just score it a 6 out of 10 for upper average.