2009 Alvarez de Toledo BIERZO "Mencia Roble" (Spain)

This is a great buy.  I got it for $9, and it tastes like  $20-$30 wine.

Dark black ruby.  Very nice nose of blackberry extract, dusty sandstone and baking spices.  Mouthfilling and softly-textured, it got very pure blackberry and ripe black cherry fruit, with a darkly smoky component.  Loads of very soft tannin help it cling to the mouth and linger.  Medium-full body.  Very nice acidity.  Basically, a wine in nice balance.  A fantastic choice for casual dinner parties and weekday dinners.  A-.  Imported by Monsieur Touton Selections.  I got this at Wegman's in Fairfax, VA.

2010 Domaine La Bastide "Les Genets" SYRAH Vieilles Vignes (Rhone Valley, France)

A terrific value in a deep-flavored, complex, well-balanced Syrah.  Very linear, and not a hint of flabbiness.

Saturated dark, plasma-like ruby.  Nose features smoke, dark minerals, roasted herbs, meat, and cassis fruit.  Flavorful on entry, with lean, clingy, iodiney/minerally notes overlaying dark, dry blackberry skins.  A fair amount of fine-grained tannin and a surprising level of acids lends structure and liveliness.  Full-bodied, bone dry.  All muscle with not fat.  This went very well with braised lambs shanks and grits.  B+/A-.  Imported by Paul Young Wines, Los Angeles, and purchased from Winex.com for a ridiculously low $9.99.  Get some of this.

PS -- I believe I had this wine in Houston several years ago (a different vintage, obviously, and liked it a lot).

PPS - It occured to me after I posted this review that this wine is basically a "Poor Man's Cornas."

2011 Heinz Eifel "S" RIESLING SPATLESE (Mosel, Germany)

This is an excellent value in a slightly sweet, bright Riesling.

Very pale greenish-gold color.  All sorts of ripe fruit in the nose, with white peach, juicy pear, and ripe apple scents, augmented with a light dried tea note and some extraordinarily high-toned slatey/stoniness.   Fills the mouth with ripe, juicy fruit, yet has enough acids to keep it fresh and interesting.  A very mild bitter tea component comes through at the end.  Light-bodied and round-textured.  Not super complex, but really fun to drink.  B+.  Was $9.99 from Winex.com.  Imported by Winesellers, Ltd. of Niles, IL.

Viña Alarba GARNACHA Viñas Viejas (Calatayud, Spain)

I haven't had this wine in 10 years or so.  It used to be a ridiculous bargain.  This one is still cheap, but it's thinner than I remember it being than the vintages I drank in the early 2000s.  Eh.

Dark ruby violet color.  Light intensity nose of raspberry and rock dust, with a teeny note of dried tarragon.  Bone dry in the mouth, with slightly bitter raspberry/cherry fruit, and loads of rocky minerality.  As it lingers it gets more bitter, and some medium-grained tannins show up.  Not very concentrated, and the texture isn't great either.  C.  Was $7.99 from Winex.com.  Imported by the Artisan Collection, NYC.

2011 Tilia BONARDA (Mendoza, Argentina)

This is a terrific value.  Vibrant, loaded with fruit, and balanced.  Buy cases of this to have on-hand for cookouts this upcoming summer (if it ever gets here).

Very dark, blackish ruby.  Fantastically lively nose with loads of bright, ripe raspberries and mixed red berries, along with rock dust.  The attack is intensely fruity, with excellent concentration.  Lots of pure dark and red fruits in the mouth, turning a bit minerally as the finish progresses.  A fair amount of soft tannin gives some structure.  It's not complex, but it's very flavorful and nicely-textured.  B+.  Was $7.99 from Winex.com.  Imported by Winebow, Inc., NYC.

PS, note that Bonarda in Argentina isn't the same thing as Bonarda in Italy.  It's actually the grape called Charbono in this country.

2012 "Le Paradou" GRENACHE (Southern France)

This is a very food-friendly everynight wine.  It was actually like two different wines on night one and night two.

Very dark, nearly saturated ruby-violet.  On night one, the nose was very typical of a wine bottled early without any oak aging -- tight, slightly reduced pungent berry extract.  Night two (after being under a Vacu-Vin enclosure for 24 hours), it was much softer and loose-limbed, displaying richly fruity scents of blackberry, plummy juice, and a bit of rhubarb. A pungent, metallic minerally note was present too.  Rich, concentrated enough, and bone dry in the mouth, with flavors of slightly dried raspberry skins and lots of stony minerality.  Relatively full bodied, this wine had lots of soft tannin, and a very clean finish.  There's no complexity, but it's got nice flavor and texture, and it avoids the high alcohol/low acid issue that is a risk with Grenache.  B.  I got mine for $9.99 from Zachys.com.  Imported by IPO Wines, NYC.

2011 Tres Ojos GARNACHA (Calatayud, Spain)

This wine packs a wallop, though it is quite simple.  Hard to quibble, however, at $7.99.

Very dark ruby with violet overtones.  Nose features lots of black raspberry skins and dark cherry fruit.  Some stony mineraliness as well.  Highly extracted (for a Grenache), it blasts the palate with tannins and bone dry, slightly bitter black cherry fruit.  Very full bodied.  Finish leaves lots of puckery tannins.  This wine tastes very young and blunt right now.  It actually may soften a bit over the next 18 months, though I wouldn't keep it longer than that, as the high alcohol may start to burn through the fruit.  B-.  I got this a Whole Foods in Arlington.  Imported by Kysela Pere et Fils, Winchester, VA.

2012 Nostrada GARNACHA (Campo de Borja, Spain)

I reviewed the 2011 earlier this year (I liked it), and this one is a very nice cheap wine as well.

Crystalline dark ruby with a bit of magenta (get out your damn 64 pack of Crayolas if you don't know what that is) at the rim.  Straightforward but very nice nose of dark, ripe raspberries and dark stony minerality.  Pure and richly fruity in the mouth, with loads of powdered stone minerality and a vigorous, athletic mouthfeel.  Nice weight and concentration, and a very nice, balanced finish with good acids counterbalancing full body.  B.   Was $9 at Total Wine in Mclean, VA.  Imported by Saranty Imports, White Plains, NY.

2011 Jean-Marc Burgaud BEAUJOLAIS-VILLAGES "Les Vignes de Thulon" (Burgundy, France)

A great value in a crisp, flavorful Beaujolais.  Clean, fruity, crisp, minerally.  Gulp this sh*t down!

Crystal clear dark ruby violet color.  Fun, exuberant nose of crunchy berries, cold plums, and clean, stony minerals.  Very lively in the mouth.  Not a lot of concentration, but it's doing somersaults and ricocheting around with crisp berry fruit and stoniness, good acids, and a tad bit of tannin.  Very clean finish that invites sip after sip.  B+.  Fantastic value that I got for $9.99 at Table & Vine in West Springfield, MA.  Imported by Ideal Wines, Medford, MA.

2009 AnimaLibera MORELLINO DI SCANSANO (Tuscany, Italy)

This is a very outgoing Sangiovese, showing the darker side of the varietal.  Fully mature, however, or even a bit past its prime, so it needs to be drunk up.

Dark ruby with tawny hues.  Scorched earthy and closed at first pour, it quickly opened up to show a nose of deep-toned dark cherry fruit and an intense minerally streak.  The next day, the fruit was beginning to fade and be replaced with medicinal and oxidized notes on the nose.  Full-bodied yet quite soft, the wine has a very nice texture.  Not sure if it's just ageing rapidly or whether it was a bit heat-damaged.  Either way, I get the sense that this was better several months ago.  B on the first day. B-/C+ on the second.  Was $9.99 from WTSO.com.  Imported by Superior Wines, Cranford, NJ.

UPDATE (2/8/14):  subsequent bottles are oxidizing fast.  Using my remaining two bottles for cooking.  Revising score to D.  No excuse for making a Sangiovese that tanks this fast.  My comment about "fully mature" above?  Forget that.  This one's at the retirement home and too tired even for shuffleboard.

2010 Buti Nages COSTIERES DE NIMES (Rhone Valley, France)

This excellent value red is fruity, deep, balanced, and soft.  A fantastic choice for summer cook-outs.  45% Grenache, 45% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre.

Deep ruby with purply highlights.  Lively, straightforward nose of crunchy, ripe dark berries and clean stony mineraliness.  Lovely, tight, ripe berry fruit in the mouth.  Very soft.  Decent acids, and some very fine tannins for a bit of structure on the finish.  Not complex, but fun to drink and flavorful.  Calls out for mesquite-grilled grilled burgers.  B/B+.  Was $9.99 at Total Wine in Fairfax.  Imported by Saranty Imports, White Plains, NY.

2009 Chateau L'Ermitage COSTIERES DE NIMES (Rhone Valley, France)

A really good value in a tasty, mature, flavorful, balanced, soft Rhone red.  50% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache.

Dark, black-ruby.  Nose full of ripe, rich blackberry essence and pungent, slightly scorchy minerally-stony scents.  Very soft and mouthfilling, with nose-paralleling, bone dry blackberry and scorched gravelly flavors, along with a dry underbrush component.  Full-bodied, but with good balancing acids.  A bit drying as the latter half of the finish, but this is a minor quibble, particularly if, like me, you're using this wine to wash down a bowl of pasta-and-meat sauce, or some such dish.  B/B+.  Was $9.99 at Total Wine in Fairfax.  Imported by Saranty Imports.

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.

2011 "Honoro Vera" GARNACHA (Calatayud, Spain)

A nice, very soft, fruity, weighty, varietally-true Grenache.  The only complaint I have -- and it's a minor one for a $9.99 bottle -- is a just barely perceptible bit of residual sweetness.

Inky ruby-violet color.  Open and inviting nose of oozing raspberries, plum jam, and some clean, stony minerality.  Mouthfilling, richly fruity, and full-bodied, this offers loads of ripe plummy, raspberry fruity, leaving behind a vaguely bitter-tinged liquid rock taste at the very end.  Low acidity. As I said, it's got a barely perceptible bit of residual sugar, and it's pretty simple, so this gets a little tiring to sip on its own, but it's a nice accompaniment with casual weeknight fare (it went well with a simple roast chicken).  B.  Was $9.99 at Total Wine in Fairfax.  Imported by The Country Vintner, Ashland, VA.

2011 Tarima Monastrell (Alicante, Spain)

Dirt cheap and very good.  A great weeknight dinner choice.  Simple but varietally true and satisfying.

Fully saturated black ruby/violet.  Straightforward scents of ripe, sweet, perfumey blackberry and a nice classic Mourvedre (Monastrell) scent of tree bark.  Lots of oomph entering the mouth, with loads of smoky blackberries, full body, some nicely integrated if not super-soft tannin, and surprisingly good acidity.  A bit of heat, but not intrusively so, on the finish (which is long and fruity).  B/B+.  Was only $7.99 from B-21 Wines in Florida, but it's pretty widely available (including being available at Total Wine in Fairfax at the same price).  Imported by Jorge Ordonez Selections.

2010 Espelt GARNACHA "Old Vines" (Emporda, Spain)

A young wine that needs a lot of air to show its stuff.  Definitely on the darker, more-extracted end of the spectrum.

Impenetrable, fully saturated black black black ruby.  The first night the nose was very scorchy and burnt, showing zero fruit.  I was unimpressed and put the Vacu-Vin on it.  The next night was a different story.  Still smoky and low-toned, but oozy-ripe raspberry syrup fruit was insinuating itself into the equation.  Very full-bodied and a bit hot in the mouth, with a somewhat coarser texture than expected for a Grenache.  Clearly the winemaker was going for intense extraction here.  I prefer Grenaches with a more fluid, less macho feel.  Still, it had a lot of low-toned berry and scorched stone flavors.  Low acids.  It's a B-, but only if you can appreciate this intensely ripe, ambitiously-extracted, massive style.  If you don't, it's just a heavy mouthful of bricks.  Imported by Eric Solomon-European Cellars.  $8.99 from B-21 Wines in Florida.

2010 Bodegas Olarra RIOJA CRIANZA "Cerro Anon" (Spain)

This is probably the cheap wine value of 2012.  I like it even better than its more expensive, older sibling, which I reviewed a couple of weeks ago.  This is akin to a balanced, soft, deep, very drinkable non-oaky Cabernet from California (or a newer style Bordeaux).

Deep, intensely red ruby color.  Deep and pure on the nose, with very ripe, rich cherry/berry fruit, augmented with very subtle smoky gravelly quality.  Ripe, pure, soft and intense on the attack, with excellent balance, and good cling.  This would pair well with lots of foods, and is also really nice on its own.  A-.  This was ... wait for it ... $9.99 from WTSO.com.  If and when they list it again, get some.    Imported by Classic Wines, Stamford, CT.

2010 Porta RIESLING Reserva (Bio Bio Valley, Chile)

A fantastic value in a crisp, zingy, fragrant, bone dry Riesling.  Can easily compete with entry-level Alsace Rieslings costing 50%-100% more.

Very light silvery-gold color.  Vivid nose of crisp white grapes, lime, and petrol-inflected minerals.  Flavorful, dry, and with mouthwatering acids, there are loads of citrusy, green apple fruit and lots of clean minerality.  Medium-bodied, with a very clean, refreshing, and fairly long finish.  I'm very impressed this wine was this good at $9.99.  B+.  This tastes very young and should continue to drink well for 1-2 more years.  Got this at Total Wine in Fairfax.  Imported by Saranty Imports, Harrison, NY.

2009 Chateau d'Estang CASTILLON-COTES DE BORDEAUX (France)

This 70% Merlot/30% Cab Franc was direct, fruity, and very soft.  At $9.99, it was a very good value weekday dinner wine.

Dark ruby-garnet.  Friendly nose of plummy, ripe, black cherry fruit, along with a hint of some fragrant dry gravelly/nutmeggy scents.  Very soft in the mouth, with sultry, direct black cherry skin fruitiness, no tannin whatsoever, and a nice, pure, if not particularly lengthy, finish.  Medium-full body.  Drink over the next two years.  B.  Was $9.99 from Wine Exchange (winex.com).  Imported by Jeffrey M. Davies Selections, Illinois.