2004 Santa Ema MERLOT "Reserve" (Maipo Valley, Chile)

I'm not usually a big Merlot fan, but this was an awesome value.

Deep ruby purple color. Luxurious, complex nose of rich, spiced blackberries, smoky creosote (clay-ey, earthy), and stony minerals. Deep, forward flavors of blackberry, cassis, graphite, and metallic minerals. Long, powerful finish, with lots of very fine, soft, integrated tannins. A superb wine at a bargain price. Was $9.79 at Richard's on Shepherd, but I've seen this at other places too. 90.

UPDATE (10/3/07): Whole Foods on Bellaire still has this for $9.88.

2005 Cono Sur CABERNET SAUVIGNON "Vision" (Maipo Valley, Chile)

Saturated blood-like ruby color. Spicy nose of cassis, smoke, and menthol. Rich flavors of dark cassis liqueur, cigarette ashes, and chalky earth. Fairly good concentration, with some firm tannin showing through a bit, suggesting that this wine could age and soften a few years. Good value. 87. Was $10.75 at Spec's on Smith.

2004 Borsao "Crianza" (Campo de Borja, Spain)

This garnacha blend was a pretty decent wine.

Soft, blackish ruby color. Ripe, fragrant nose of smoke, pencil shavings, blackberries, and rosemary. Soft, ripe entry in the mouth, but it firms up quickly with some tannin and bright acidity showing through in the back half of the palate. Flavors were of blackberry, chocolate, and scorched earth. Lean but fairly long on the finish. 87. Was about $11 at Spec's on Holcombe.

2005 "Mano a Mano" (100% Tempranillo) (La Mancha, Spain)

A very good buy -- lots of clean fruit and character.

Dark, black ruby. Fairly saturated color. Intensely grapey-blackberry scents leap from the glass, with undertones of smoke and stony, steely minerals. Forceful flavors too, with intense minerals and dry blackberry extract. Medium-full body, and a long pure finish. A nicely, balanced, athletic wine with plenty of soft, ripe, well-integrated tannins. 89. Was $11.93 at Spec's on Smith, but I've seen this available in lots of other stores at about the same price.

2005 Torbreck "Woodcutter's SHIRAZ" (Barossa Valley, Australia)

This was a superb bottle of wine.

Dense, saturated black ruby with purple highlights. Rich, sweet nose of charcoal, fragrant high-toned (balsa?) wood smoke, and spicy blackberry and cassis extract. Rich, densely concentrated flavors delivered in a light, almost weightless chassis. The almost inky flavors were redolent of balckberries and hot sandstone. Long, soft, perfectly balanced finish. 91. Was $16 at Spec's on Richmond.

2005 Saintsbury Carneros "VIN GRIS DE PINOT NOIR" (California)

A well-built rose that's holding up nicely.


Light, bright pink color. Lively, yet subdued nose of strawberries, flowers, and tomato skins. Fairly rich and minerally in the mouth, with deep flavors, and bass notes of strawberry and watermelon. Long, pure finish. 87. Was $13 and change at Spec's on Smith.



In the summer, I usually like roses from the previous year's vintage, but this one is still drinking very well despite its additional year of age.

2004 Matua Valley PINOT NOIR (Marlborough, New Zealand)

Took a chance on this because it was so cheap for a P.N. ($11.99 on sale at Whole Foods on Bellaire, down from $14.99). It was so-so.

Light garnet ruby. Sweet, yet sharp nose of sappy cherry juice, maple syrup, and scorched earth. Somewhat bitter flavors of cherry and minerals, with some excess heat and acidity showing through in the finish. Not bad -- like a decent generic Bourgogne. 82.

2004 Rancho Zabaco Sonoma County ZINFANDEL "Sonoma Heritage Vines" (California)

This was a good value Zin.


Dark blackish ruby garnet. Deep, reserved nose of spicy blackberries, charcoal, and rock dust. Ripe, round, deep fruit in the mouth, with lots of concentration, length, and body. Not the most complex Zin I've drunk, but for around $14, this is an excellent buy, particularly in face of the trend toward ever-thinner Zins with ever-higher prices. 87. Available at wine shops, supermarkets, Midas Muffler shops, doctors' offices, and FedEx/Kinko's everywhere.

Wines from Our Vacation

Here are some truncated notes, mostly from memory, concerning wines we had on our trip to visit family in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

2005 Alois Lageder Chardonnay (Alto Adige, Italy) -- This was a VERY minerally, unoaked, refreshing and dry Chardonnay from a region in extreme northeast Italy known for its crisp whites.

2004 Plantate Lunghe ROSSO CONERO (Marche, Italy) -- This was an outstanding red from a region in Italy that nearly every store in Houston overlooks. Probably mostly or all Montepulciano grape, this wine had a complex perfume, and deep, winey-earthy flavors, with a leathery component, and was soft and concentrated.

2003 Bodegas Carrau TANNAT Reserve (Uruguay) -- This grape is used in FRance to make the usually-too-tannic-and-astringent wines from Madiran, and apparently is also used to make too-tannic-and-astringent wines from Uruguay as well.

2005 Poggio Argentiera MORELLINO DI SCANSANO "Bellamarsilia" (Tuscany, Italy) -- Medium-bodied, soft and perfumed, but not that concentrated.

2004 Casa Emma CHIANTI CLASSICO (Tuscany, Italy) -- For a non-riserva Chianti, this was fabulous. Concentrated and tight, yet with a forceful nose of candied cherry syrup and smokey, earthy notes. Very concentrated, with a soft texture despite substantial tannic backbone (the tannins were ripe and soft). Excellent length. Got this one for $16.99 at Spiritus, on Main Street in Hartford. Spiritus used to be one of my favorite wine stores when I lived in Connecticut, and I used to stop in just about every time I had a hearing or conference at the U.S. Courthouse in Hartford, as it is almost right across the street from it.

2005 CARRIL DE COTOS (Tierra de Castilla, Spain)

Another excellent value Tempranillo (100%) from Castilla in Spain.

This wine is stylistically akin to a high quality Beaujolais. Blackish crystalline ruby color. Bright nose of grape and raspberry jam, granite, and sweet cream. Lots of crunchy fruit and stony minerals in the mouth, with a long, dry finish containing only a wisp of soft tannin. Very nice wine for summer cookouts and tomato-ey pasta dishes. 87. Was about $8 at Central Market.

2004 Ercavio TEMPRANILLO Roble (Tierra de Castilla, Spain)

This was a flavorful, balanced wine.

Dark black ruby. Sweet nose of fresh plum and blackberry juice, lemon peel, charcoal, and sweet cream. Concentrated, medium-bodied, with ripe, balanced flavors of black fruit and smoky, chalky minerals. Long, balanced finish. An elegant wine at a bargain price: $9 at Central Market. 88.

1 + 1 = 3 CABERNET SAUVIGNON ROSE (Penedes, Spain)

A very powerful, intense rose.

Deep pink/garnet color. Terrific, forceful nose of strawberries and cold plums, tomato skins, and minerals. Vigorous, lively flavors of cherries and chalky minerals. Big but balanced, this wine was also crisp, dry, and refreshing. Loaded with character. 88. Great for summer cookouts.

2003 Chateau Signac COTES DU RHONE VILLAGES-CHUSCLAN "Cuvee Terra Amata" (France)

This was pretty good, but not worth the price.

Dark black ruby. Light intensity nose of scorched earth and mixed berries. Round and full in the mouth, with nice but subdued flavors -- blackberries, chocolate, charcoal. Balanced, mellow finish. A very "laid back" wine. 86. Was about $17 at Spec's on Richmond.

2001 Marchesi di Barolo BAROLO (Piemonte, Italy)

This was so cheap for a Barolo -- $18 at Kroger's at Buffalo Speedway -- that I had to try it. It wasn't bad, but, objectively speaking, it wasn't worth the money.

Medium light garnet color. The first night I opened it, the nose and flavors were very tight and closed. I put it under a Vacu-vin closure and then didn't get around to re-tasting it until 4 days later. It was much better then. Lots of chokecherry and menthol on the nose. Not very concentrated, but correct Nebbiolo flavors (winey cherries & minerals). Pretty good finish. Would have been good if it were a generic Nebbiolo d'Alba appellation, but for a Barolo, it was disappointing. 86.

2005 Peachy Canyon "Westside" ZINFANDEL (Paso Robles, California)

From one of my favorite regions for Zinfandel (Paso Robles), this wine was good, but not quite up to expectations.

Dark ruby color, but not as saturated as I like. Classic Zin nose of briary, spicy raspberries, with lots of Paso Robles minerality. A tad on the lean side, but still fairly concentrated, this wine had dark, ripe, minerally fruit and full body. Fairly long, balanced finish. Were it a bit lush and concentrated, this could have been very special. 87. Was $19.99 at Central Market (and I've seen it at the Richard's at Welayan & Bissonnet for the same price).

Is it just me, or are Zinfandels getting leaner and less concentrated across the board? My current thesis is that this varietal's gain in popularity over the last 10 years has led growers to increasingly overcrop (so they can sell more grapes or wine), leading to thinner, less concentrated wines.

2004 Alto Moncayo "VERATON" (Campo de Borja, Spain)

This 100% Grenache (Garnacha) wine was amazing.

Deep black ruby. Nose roars out of the glass with deep scents of vanilla and gingerbread, fragrant woodsmoke, and richly oozing blackberries and raspberries. Rich, massive, and balanced in the mouth, all at once. Intense flavors of ripe cassis and blackberry, roasted coffee beans and smoke, and a minerally undercurrent. Very long finish.

Reminded me of a top-notch Pomerol (yes, I know those are largely Merlot, but that's what this tasted like). This is a very special wine for the price (around $20 at Spec's on Richmond). 93.

2005 Gallo Family PINOT NOIR "Sonoma Reserve" (Sonoma County, California)

This was kind of thin and undernourished. Bright crystalline ruby. Light intensity nose of minerals, vaguely gingerbready spice, and tart cherries. Pleasant, but rather thin flavors of cherries and bitterish minerals. Finish fades quickly, with too much acid showing through. 78. About $13 at Spec's.

2005 Artazuri GARNACHA (Navarra, Spain)

A pretty good value. Deep ruby with magenta at the rim. Bright nose of crushed rock dust and spicy raspberries. Lively mouthfeel, with flavors of raspberry, cherry, and stony minerals. Not complex,but very pure-tasting. Would go well with a wide variety of foods: pasta dishes, braised meats, grilled burgers, pizza, etc. Think of it as a Spanish version of a Brouilly or Fleurie with a tad more tannic structure. Drink over the next year. 86. Was $8 or $9 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2005 Alfred Merkelbach Kinheimer Rosenberg RIESLING Kabinett (Mosel, Germany)

Very light, bright, silvery-gold. Fresh nose of flowers, peaches, and ripe, crisp apples, with a lightly minerally undertones. Soft, ripe, and balanced in the mouth, with light body, and fairly straightforward but refreshing flavors of crisp apples. Fairly sweetish, rather simple finish. 85.

2004 Casa Castillo JUMILLA Monastrell (Spain)

A pretty good, kinda funky wine.

Deep, saturated ruby garnet color. very deep-toned nose of scorched earth, and roasted fruit and meat. Massive in the mouth, with lots of very dark, black fruits, unsweetened dark chocolate, and iodine flavors. Some heat and a fair amount of tannin (not coarse) in the finish. The grapes were probably picked just a tad too ripe, resulting in a huge wine -- on the verge of being overly-extracted and overblown, but still pretty good in a unique way. 85. Was about $12 at Spec's on Richmond.