I have for you two wines whose names naturally go together - Grace (score 88)  and Faith (score 90).

This was a delightful evening we shared with friends.  Lynn and I had our friend Fr. Brendan over to help us discern the proper scoring of our wines, and the wines were perfect for the occasion - what could be better than grace and faith in the midst of good friends sharing good food and good wine.

Grace, properly speaking is a Chianti Classico made by Il Molino di Grace (the windmill of grace). It has an exceptional Chianti character that  is well worth the enjoyment.  The wine impresses from the pour with a deep opaque red.  The nose was rich in spice and fruit. The wine was well balanced and was appropriately firm with soft tannins providing a good backbone.

Rating: 90

Today we have for you a tasty Italian treat. This time it is the 2007 Banfi Chianiti Classico. This wine was delightful to drink at a summer wine tasting picnic, and we highly recommend it.  I think it is one of the better Chianti's I have had.

This wine makes it onto our list because of the label art which shows Pope Pius II, who was Bishop of Sienna in the image depicted. Here he is meeting with soon to be Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III and Eleanor of Portugal.  The bishop was instrumental in arranging the marriage as an emissary for Frederick to the King of Portugal. The future pope accompanied Frederick and Eleanor to Rome where the two were wed, and Frederick was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

Rating: 86

Lacryma Chrsti is a wine from grapes grown on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius in Italy. It comes in both red and white.  We have a 2006 white Lacryma Christi from Sannino Herculaneum winery. I picked this bottle up at the Wine Exchange for $14.

Lacryma Christi means "tear of Christ", and according to Wikipedia is named for a story that Christ cried when Lucifer fell, and that the tears fell on the slopes of Vesuvius and gave inspiration to the wines that came from there.  While the story is mythical, the name nevertheless drew my attention.  I must say, though, that a wine with such a name holds high expectations.

Rating: 91

A good friend brought me this wine to share.  I told him about my endeavors with the site and so he offered up this Franciscan 2005 Magnificat. I must say that it is one of the best bold reds I have had in a good long time.

In terms of the goals of this site, this wine hits my target on two fronts – the Franciscan and the Magnificat.  The winery is not owned by the Franciscan’s but appears to be named in their honor.  The Franciscans were the first to plant wine vineyards in California, but it is not clear if that is the source of the name (if anyone knows the history of the winery’s name, please share).

Rating: 85 points

So how does this treat end up on our rating list? A couple things to know about me - not only do I love beer, wine, food, the Church and God, I also love Latin - which I am certain stems from my love of the Church. So my interest was piqued by the medieval Latin on the bottle.

Rating: 89 points

For a site like this, it is only appropriate that the first item rated is named "Genesis."  Genesis, of course, is the first book of the Bible and covers the first things; from creation, through the Noah and the flood, to Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, and ends with the story of Joseph.  Here we consider the 2005 Genesis Merlot from Hogue Cellars.