Vine Hill, Chardonnay, 2009, Santa Cruz Mountains, California

Dammit Vine Hill, I just can't quit you.  You went out of business in a shroud of mystery and then this random Hawaiian grocery store chain grabbed your entire inventory and I can't stop buying everything you have to offer.  Your Zin made me scream for joy and your Pinot left me crying in the corner.  Now it's time for you higher end Chard.
The Vine Hill is uniform medium gold in color.  The nose is dominated by chemical bretty poop with just a hint of spicy apple sauce.  I kept hoping the agent orange would blow off but it didn't.  I will say that there were some nice yellow apple notes on the flavor profile of this medium body wine.  Still I am such a nerdy smeller of wine, every single taste was tainted.  I don't think this bottle was corked and I do think something went wrong in the wine-making process or with the wine-making facility itself.  One shouldn't talk smack on the dead but this shit is still for sale and I care about my fellow island wine drinkers.  Seriously, you'd be better off spending a night alone on the KJ rez.

Vine Hill, Gatos Locos Pinot Noir, 2007, Santa Cruz Mountains, California

You can't go home again.    I though I found a secret little steal a few weeks back.   R. Field had probably purchased the entire Gatos Locos catalog when Vine Hill Winery went under and were selling bottles for half price.  The Zin was great but this Pinot most certainly was not.  It was dark in color and dark red fruits dominated the nose with hints of spice, salinity, and a shit ton of sugar.   The ripeness of the fruit really overwhelmed the flavor profile.  It tasted like cherry fruit filling of cheap danish or cranberry juice concentrate sans water.  The oak imparted some decent sandlewood undertones but the finish was quite short.  At 14.3% alcohol, I think these grapes were picked a too late.  Maybe you can't find a better Pinot than this for less than 10 bucks.  But if you only got 10 bucks, what the hell are you doing looking for Pinot anyway?  With the new year just around the corner, you'd be better off with a 6 pack of this.