#103 Coda di Volpe

From a distributor: "Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio is so named for the legend of Christ's ascension into heaven and his emotion upon seeing the beauty of the Bay of Naples beneath him. The grape, Coda di Volpe, refers to the foxtail shape of the grape bunches."

It has a dry minerality and a layer of lemon rind which adds a level of tartness to the dry finish. It is a $12 steal.

#102 Roussanne

Roussanne is not an easy grape to find on its own (or to grow). It is most widely used as one of the accepted grapes for the production of white Chateauneuf du Pape. This one from Renard, a California grower of French Rhone varietals, exhibits the characteristics that make this a better blending grape than a stand alone varietal.

It has a slight barnyard nose (not a fault) strong acidity a floral mid-palate and a dry empty finish. It has its strengths but it needs help rounding out the overall experience. The website goes into great depth describing the fruits that are to be found by analytical tasting but sadly I just didn't sense them. I appreciate the growers effort but I would save the $20 and use it on a white CDP.

#101 Petit Verdot from Lapis Luna

Tonight we tried a 1991 California Cabernet that was excellent on a number of levels. Unfairly we followed that wonderful bottle with this Lapis Luna Petit Verdot. (label reads "petite" verdot)

Primarily a blending grape in Bordeaux, Petit Verdot is used globally to add backbone to many blends. It has also found a following as a single varietal. This example shows berries, smooth tannins and a woody finish. At first taste it was "undrinkable" due to the wine that preceded it. Two days later it was more approachable but still a far too simple $21 wine.

#100 Furmint from Limerick Lane

Limerick Lane Furmint is our official wine #100. The little guy is home and the first visitors have trickled in as we have finally gotten over our colds. Of course this gives me an excuse to sneak in a few more quest wines. In this case this wine has been beckoning to be opened for many months now.

Furmint is the principal grape of the famous Tokaji dessert wines from Hungary. This one is made in California by an excellent Zinfandel producer. Hint of apples on the nose. Sweet on the palate but not at all cloying. Nice warm finish. The winery recommends serving this with non-sweet deserts. Now our quest has reached a milestone but it has not reached its conclusion!

#100 delayed due to offspring

#99 Brachetto

From Wine Geeks: "A grape that produces a truly distinctive red wine that is a treasure to behold but seldom seen outside of Italy. Brachetto d'Acqui is a fizzy and fragrant red made from Brachetto grown in the hills of the DOCG Acqui in the Piemonte region in northwestern Italy. Low in alcohol and slightly frizzante (sparkling) Brachetto d'Acqui is famous for its light and elegant body and heavily perfumed foam. Production is low, so this highly sought after dessert wine is hard to find. This grape produces wines of a light body but heavy in strawberries, cherries and raspberries."

$21, fruity, slightly effervescent and sweet but with a dry finish. This would be a fun wine to pour as the first round at a wine party and at 5.5% alcohol it won't put your guests under the table too early.

#98 Marzemino

The wine is most noted for its mention in the opera Don Giovanni of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ("Versa il vino! Eccellente Marzemino!"). It is said to have been Mozart's favorite wine.

This has a lot of acidity but almost no tannins. Its very dry, slightly metallic and has a fast clean finish. No fruit. At $16 I probably wouldn't buy it again but it does have a cool back story.