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Things are heating up - even Bobby's back, and he's throwing chairs this time...must have been a Quail Creek / Bronco Wine Company fan. Tough couple days for these two sub $5 wines from Whole Foods. But, I'll get to that in a minute...

Let's review where we started with the 2nd bracket of the first round:

1st vs. 4th seed

• 1st Seed ($12 - $20): 2006 Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel: I tasted this wine at the SF Chronicle Wine Competition and really liked it...but I was also two hours into a wine tasting extravaganza, so can't totally trust the taste buds. This is my Duke...already tested and clearly a competitor.
• 4th Seed (under $5): 2007 Quail Creek Shiraz: No option on this entry as Quail Creek is the only wine I could find at Whole Foods under $5. My true underdog, most likely to win only on a day when it's playing out of its brain and the other team can't seem to do anything right...

2nd vs. 3rd Seed

• 2nd Seed ($8 - $12): 2006 Stephen Vincent Crimson: This wine has haunted me for a while now...a fixture on the Whole Foods end cap, it's like an old friend that greets me every time I walk into the wine section...almost like going to a reunion. Being a UW graduate, only makes sense that the Crimson is my Huskies - top in the Pac-10, but when the ACC and the Big East roll into town, could have trouble holding its own.
• 3rd Seed ($5 - $8): HRM Rex Goliath California Zinfandel: One of the few in the $5 - $8 range at Whole Foods, so didn't have a lot of choices, but the label got me. Nice big rooster and ready for a fight, we'll see how this big ol' bird does against the heavies. This is my "liked the uniform" pick.

Once again, like yesterday, #3 and #4 struggled in these match-ups.

The Quail Creek Shiraz was clearly not just an underdog, but also, in the end, turned out to be #8 of all the wines in the Whole Foods bracket. Bottom of the bottom, last in line, trampled under its own inconsistent shooting and persistent fouls. This one was all overripe fruit and oak, but the two never came together in any sort of meaningful way - no teamwork at all. The tannins clearly came from the oak, not the grapes, and it lacked any real life for me. Lowest score of the bunch at a 79.

The HM Rex Goliath definitely came out much better and the Rooster put up some miraculous shots in the second half. Nice cherry, vanilla, nut and black pepper, this one I knew had a shot when I first tasted it. It was remarkably light in color for a Zinfandel, but still rich and textured for a wine under $8. In the end, though, the Stephen Vincent had better shooters, a deeper bench and clearly had run more drills during the week because it outlasted the Rooster at every turn. This wine shot a respectful 85, but just couldn't pull out the win.

So, feels like deja vu all over again with #1 and #2 moving on to the next round.

My top seed, The Klinker Brick, was no match for the Quail Creek and this was clearly not their day to lose to a Cinderella team. Well balanced nose of dark ripe cherry, menthol and cedar that followed through pretty consistently on the taste, with a little tobacco added for complexity. But, in the end, I couldn't escape the jamminess and plum of the wine. And not just ripe, slightly tart plum...this was dark, brooding plum that had fallen off the tree weeks ago and is quickly trying to make its way back into the earth. Had a decent balance, but for a #1 seed, I was surprised by how flat it was, like the entire team, or at least its best shooters, had the flu on gameday. Final score this round - 86.

The Stephen Vincent, on the other hand, came to play. Had a nice pre-game warm-up, heard some inspirational, but tough love words from the coach and came out shooting. This wine scored first and never lost the lead. Nice to see my old friend menthol on the nose, with cherry, a little cinnamon and some forest floor after a strong spring rain. Good fruit in the mouth, some citrus, plum and a sprig of mint, like the top of the glass was rubbed with the oil of the mint leaf. Good long finish and well balanced, this one kept fighting and got the highest score of Round 1 with an 89.

And that's where we leave it for today - good to be a #1 and #2 seed for this bracket. Tough rounds coming up, though, and I don't think either the York Creek or the Klinker Brick can afford to get too cocky.

What do you think? Any surprises today?