Andrea's been traveling for work this week so I've had a couple of bottles I thought she wouldn't miss.
BLANKBottle 2015 Western Cape (South Africa) Pinot Gris, "Jean-Luc." Andrea actually got to taste a glass of this but I finished the bottle over a couple of nights. Pretty good: brisk and brassy, with a nice balance between weight and acidity. At $25, this isn't quite distinctive enough to make me go back for more, but it's well-made and satisfying, another positive impression from Pieter Walser.
McCay Vineyards 2011 Lodi Zinfandel "Contention Vineyard." 4th of 6 different McCay wines, mostly Zins, and still, nothing has quite risen to the standard set by his 2013 contribution to the Lodi Native project. This one's bigger and riper in style (though a perfectly reasonable abv for the region of 14.6%) with a touch of raisining surrounding a core of ripe blackberry fruit, but it's also nicely integrated, smooth, and balanced, with just a touch of vanilla and wood spice, not enough to smother the wine's natural structure. The trouble is, this was by far the most expensive bottle in the group, at $62, and wildly overpriced for what it is, IMO.