Amador Foothill, Katie's Cotie, 2004 (Shenandoah Valley, California) - This winery makes my favorite Zinfandel of all time (Esola) so although this sample was a blend of Syrah (57%) and Grenache (43%) I expected big things (and I like both of those grapes solo anyway).  This was fantastic.  The first glass was a big bold musky spicy fruit bomb and as I worked my way down the bottle over three days every glass was a delight.  I'd still give the Zinfandel sample an edge but for all practical purposes I'm going to score this the same - 9 out of 10, an extremely high score from me.  Great stuff.  Plus the Katie's Cotie usually costs a few dollars less than the Esola Zinfandel so it's relatively a value.

Alianca Particular, Palmela, 2005 (Portugal) - This is pure Castelao, a grape also known as Periquita, so I bought it mainly for the varietal trial.  I found this one very boring, just a basic weak red, although it does have a very deep color and I have a feeling when this wine is very young it probably has some interesting character.  Still, 2005 isn't that old of a sample, so I was rather disappointed.  This is simply a 5 out of 10 for lower average.

Lillet, Red (Podensac, Gironde, France) - This aperitif can be found in any liquor store near the Vermouth and costing in the $10-$20 range.  Let's be honest - it's really just a mixer, at least in the States.  I would probably have never bought it if it wasn't for the "Imbiber".  There's a columnist in a Boston paper who occasionally writes articles about different drinks and it's usually about some sort of hard liquor but occasionally there are wines.  He wrote a column very respectful of Lillet and calling it a classic.  Well, sorry Lillet but I'm not impressed.  This strikes me as cheap grape and wine samples which are uber-blended and then doctored with spices enough to cover the sins.  It's not "bad" - it's just a reliable simple blending base for making something else.  A classic?  Sorry, no.  Personally I didn't like it much.  With it's elevated alcohol content and ultrablend it reminded me of a poor excuse for Port and I'd personally think many standard dry red wines or even a Port itself would probably work better for whatever blending purposes you need.  Oh well, 4 out of 10 for below average.  And note Lillet makes a white too.  If I ever get around to trying that white it will probably be accidental.