2008 Porerra "Black Slate" "Vi de la Vila" (Montsant, Spain)

I have a bad cold, yet even through my severely compromised taste buds and sense of smell, I can tell this is dynamite.  Unbelievably concentrated and long.  Without being ponderous!  Stay tuned.  I'll do a more detailed post when I drink my second bottle.  Or better yet, go get some right now.  Was $18 from Winex.com.  Imported by Eric Solomon.

2010 Chateau Duplessis (Moulis-en-Medoc, Bordeaux)

A decent, modestly-priced Bordeaux.  68% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, and some Cab Franc and Petit Verdot.  Very shy and reserved now, it may well be significantly better in  a few years.

Gorgeous color:  deeply-saturated and luminescent ruby-violet.  Very shy nose that reluctantly gives up a little whiff of brambly twigs, lightly charred oak, and cassis.  But you really have to work the sniffing to get it.  Tightly-wound flavors of lightly-scorched earth, minerals and a bit of cassis.  Dry, tight, and with a fair amount of tannin.  Medium full body, and pretty good acids.  Pretty good length.  This is a wine that needs at least 2-4 years of age to open up.  Right now, it's a B-, but with potential to come in higher after it opens up.  Got it on sale for $14.99 at Total Wine in Fairfax, VA.   Imported by Saranty Imports, White Plains, NY.

2011 Vinademoya BIERZO (Northern Spain)

This is an outstanding wine and a ridiculous value.  Loaded with dark flavors and with a nice sense of elegance.  Apparently composed of very old vine (many over 100 years) Mencia.

Fully saturated, impenetrable violet-ruby.  Intense nose of low-toned, ripe, black cherry, crushed dark stones, and smoke.  Very dry, with lots of very fine-grained tannin, this wine immediately coats the entire mouth and the finish just hangs around and hangs around.  The concentration of dark cherry fruit is remarkable, yet it's in no way over-extracted or too jammy.  It's almost freakish that a wine this intense could have a sense of elegance, but this does.  The acids are pretty low, but, again, the wine seems in perfect harmony despite this.  This could probably improve over the next 2-3 years, but, really, why wait?  A.  Was $9.99 from WTSO.com.  Imported by Classic Wines, Stamford, CT.

2011 Nostrada GARNACHA (Campo de Borja, Spain)

Tasty, balanced, and cheap.  A great weeknight dinner wine.

Bright, luminescent ruby color.  Laid-back nose of ripe, raspberries and raspberry syrup, along with powdered stone dust.  Fairly full-bodied, bone dry, with intensely minerally dry raspberry fruit along with a smoky, bitter-root thing in the finish.  The bitterness at the end probably nixes this as a cocktail/party wine, but it went really well with Thai take-out.  B.  Was $8.99 from Total Wine in Fairfax, VA.  Imported by Saranty Imports, White Plains, NY.

2007 Ottimino ZINFANDEL "Biglieri Vineyard" (Dry Creek Valley, Cal.)

Of the three Ottimino Vineyard Zins I've had (the other two from vineyards in the Russian River Valley), this is the best.    Ripe, but with claret-like structure.  Really fine.

Very dark black ruby, with just a hint of lightening at the rim.  Complex nose of pure black raspberry syrup, sandstone, and baking spices.  Ripe, yet bone dry in the mouth, with nice structure and still quite a bit of soft tannin remaining.  Lengthy, pure finish that goes on an unusually long time.  Good acids yet quite full.  This is one of the best Zins I've had in a long time.  A.  I got this over a year ago from WineAccess.com . . .  but I don't remember how much I paid (sorry!).

2011 Adissat CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE "Isabelle" (Southern Rhone, France)

A simple, gutsy, large-scaled red.  Maybe a couple of years will bring a bit more complexity, but right now it's like a big, gangly teenager.

Very dark ruby/violet.  Intense, straightforward nose of  black raspberry fruit, and smoky minerality.  Huge and ripe in the mouth.  More like a Spanish Garnacha or big Cali field blend than a CDP or anything else from the Rhone.  Loads of soft tannin , and massive body.  Lowish acids.  I'd let this sit a year or two to lose its galumphy directness, but not much longer, as the alcohol is likely to start burning through the fruit.  B.   Was $26.99 from WTSO.com, which, given that this is comparable to a good $12 - $15 old vine Spanish Garnacha, makes this a poor value.  Imported by Serge Dore Selections.

2007 Guigal GIGONDAS (Southern Rhone, France)

Since I started blogging many years ago, I've come to appreciate Guigal's labels:  very simple; no need to type out vineyard names, special cuvee names, or "vieilles vignes."

This wine is very good, if not rising to the level of his exceptional 2005 Gigondas, which still stands as the best Gigondas I've ever drunk.

Not-quite-fully-saturated black ruby color.  Sultry nose of ripe plums, blackberries, iodiney/molten stony minerals and a hint of warmed sandstone and fruitcake.  Mouthfilling, with mellow but intense, low-toned flavors of blackberry syrup and liquid minerality, along with a dark gravelly earthiness.  Full-bodied, with lots of fairly soft tannin leaving the mouth a little puckery in the finish.  This is drinking well now but will improve over the next 2-3 years (maybe a little more).  Very classically structured.  B+/A-.  Was $17.99 from Wine Exchange in L.A., making it a good value.

2007 Oberto Marco BAROLO "Ciabot Berton" (Piemonte, Italy)

This is a fragrant, richly fruity, varietally-true Nebbiolo.  It's drinking wonderfully now, but should improve over the next two years, and then hold nicely for a few more.

Medium ruby color with a distinct brickish tinge.  Classic Nebbiolo nose of slightly sourish cherry and dried cherry, couples with some gravelly earthiness and a nice cedary streak.  The fireworks really kick in in the mouth, where it's got that quiet but surprising power that Barolos can have.  Tons of liquid minerals but they seem in harmony with the chokecherry fruit.  Very full, but with no heat, and pretty decent acidity to keep things lively.  Long, lip-smacking finish.  Maybe not the most complex Barolo I've ever had, but a real treat.  A-.  Was $27.99 from WTSO.com a few months ago.  Imported  by Superior Wines, Cranford, NJ.

2010 Cantina del Taburno FIANO "Beneventano" (Southern Italy)

This was a large-scale, flavorful if slightly inelegant white that reminded me of a highly-extracted, unoaked Maconnais wine like a St. Veran.

Sparkling dark gold color with a slight greenish tinge.  Intense nose of ripe apples and a hint of peach, along with bags of crushed stone.  Loads of flavor, mostly of slightly bitter apple skin and waves of clingy minerality.  Very full-bodied with acidity correspondingly a tad on the low side.  Very pleasant, slightly viscous texture.  Bone dry.  Long, bitterish finish.  B+.  It's not going to get any better, and should be drunk over the next 6 months.  Was $14.99 from Total Wine in Fairfax.  Imported by Marco deGrazia Selections.