Camp Viejo Rioja Tempranillo 2010 (Spain)--- excellent, not super-complex but lots of bright cherry fruit and some vanilla, yet not cloyingly sweet; a modicum of tannin helps out here.  This was not one of my contributions, but I'm pretty sure it's reasonably priced---has been in the past. Probably 8 points on my scale, 85 or so on a Robert Parker / Wine Advocate style 100 point scale.  Just basically delicious; I'm delighted to find out about this.  I enjoyed some Campo Viejo pretty well years ago (the 1979 and 1983 I think)...the basic flavor profile is still similar but this seems fresher and a bit fuller-bodied and more tannic, perhaps due to a more modern winemaking style nowadays.  I recall being impressed with the vanilla and caramel notes and smoothness, but ultimately finding the wine a bit simple and uninspiring when I tried more bottles (perhaps of later vintage).  Traditional Rioja style involves holding the wine in very large oak casks, often until quite a bit of tannin has dropped.  Also it sometimes involves strong flavors of American oak, which are probably providing the vanilla notes here just like they did in the eighties, but seem to be under better control now or at least have more fruit and tannin to balance them.  So I'm very glad to have rediscovered this in improved form thanks to our Thanksgiving hosts.

Rosemount "Diamond" Shiraz, 2010 (Australia).  Tasty enough, somewhat similar to the Campo Viejo in having a reasonably rich, fruit-forward style, but a bit less polished and balanced, and the flavors slightly less appealing.  A little too sweet for my taste too.  Drinkable enough though, and perhaps it would be fairer to retry this with food (I had it before dinner and did not come back to it).  Perhaps 6.5 points on my scale, maybe 75-78 on a Parkeresque one.  I'm guessing it and the Campo Viejo are in a similar $10ish price range, and the Campo Viejo definitely beats it in my mind.

2001 Faller Riesling Geisberg Grand Cru (Alsace, France).  Really excellent Alsatian Riesling from the Geisberg, a Grand Cru vineyard in the village of Ribeauvillé that I brought back from a visit to Alsace.  It's aged nicely, comes across as honeyed but still reasonably crisp, with some slight floral notes and hints of minerality, good balance, maybe some slight hints of Brett at first that blew off quite quickly.  Good length finish, too. Definitely ready to drink. I'd say 8.5-9 points or so on my scale, maybe 87-89 on the Parker scale.  Perfect Thanksgiving wine, too.  I would definitely seek this out again if I'm in Alsace, and am quite happy that I have a few more bottles of miscellaneous Rieslings from Faller in the cellar.

2001 Perrin "Les Sinards" Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  Excellent, the 11 years of age having mellowed it to where it's much more approachable than a young Chateauneuf usually is, but still with enough tannin to give it good structure.  Medium full bodied, with a good balance of fruitiness and some autumn leaf kind of impressions.  With the Faller, the most complex and interesting wine of the afternoon.  Probably near its peak but should be good for another 4-5 years at least.  Very tasty; I'm afraid this may be my only bottle but I will keep an eye out for other vintages.  Perrin's Côtes du Rhône and Vacqueyras tend to have a house style that I find slightly glyceriny in mouthfeel and smoother and less tannic than the average while still quite flavorful...not necessarily a bad thing.  This wine doesn't really have that style, though: the texture is pretty much classic Chateauneuf, though toward the mellower and more approachable end of the range.  I'd say probably 8.5 points on my 10 point scale; 87 on a Parkeresque 100 point scale.