2003 Saint-Cosme COTES DU RHONE (France)

This schizophrenic wine was both over-the-hill and youthful at the same time. Clearly displaying the weirdness of the historically hot 2003 vintage.

Deep ruby garnet with some browning. Interesting nose of brown sugar, pepperoni, and lemon peel, with peachy-plummy fruit buried down under those initial notes. Tangy in the mouth, with bizarre flavors of earth, raw meat, and, in the mid- and end-palate, nutty (pecan) and rancid butter notes. Very high acidity. Not unpleasant, but quite bizarre. 78. I bought this at Spec's over a year ago and it's been in the wine closet since. Was around $10 if I remember correctly.

2006 Cousino-Macul SAUVIGNON GRIS (Maipo Valley, Chile)

This was a very distinctive and flavorful white.


Very light, bright straw gold. Broad nose of earth, ripe honeydew melons, and mowed grass and herbs. Broad, dry, and deeply flavored, with concentrated herby, minerally, peachy flavors, and an almost oily texture. Very long finish. Maybe not for everybody, but I thought this to be a very good value in a character-filled white made from a rare varietal. 89. Was $11.50 at Spec's on Smith.

2003 Fattoria di Vetrice CHIANTI RUFINA (Italy)

This wasn't bad, but reflected its origins in the historically hot 2003 vintage.

Medium ruby color with a hint of garnet. Elegant nose of roasted pork and sweet berries, with some earthy, old leathery notes as well. Very high-toned flavors of old wines barrels, cherry syrup, and minerals, with a distinct, astringent prickle on the tongue (seemingly not from dissolved CO2 but from something else). Short, drying finish. 82. Was about $12 at Spec's a year ago (it was sitting in my wine closet for a while -- I would expect the 2004s and 2005s that are currently available to be better), but I've seen this at Richard's stores too.

2005 Falset MONSANT (Spain)

This 50% Garnacha, 30% Carignan, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon was a good value. Lots of fruit for the money.

Dark black ruby color. Big fruity nose with lots of berries and pungent stony minerals. Straightforward, big, fruity flavors. Good concentration but not a lot of complexity. At this price, however ($10), who really cares? Would be good with a very slight chill, and will go with lots of summer dishes and cookouts. 87. Available at Spec's on Smith. Drink this right away, as this style of wine is best for immediate consumption.

2004 Casa Emma CHIANTI CLASSICO (Tuscany, Italy)

I liked this so much when I tried it in New England that when I saw it here I wanted to try it again to see if I liked it as much outside the context of a fun family dinner. I did.

This is a very youthful, vibrant, aggressive Chianti.

Very bright, dark ruby color. Extroverted nose with lots of ripe chokecherries, licorice, earth, and fragrant wood smoke scents. Forceful, vibrant flavors -- cherries, leather, and stony minerals predominate. Bright acidity and lots of youthful tannin lend an attractive if not soft texture. A nice wine to have with Italian braised meats and stews, as well as pasta with tomato & meat sauces. Should be even better in a year or two. 88+. Was $19 and change at Spec's on Holcombe (and I've seen it at other Spec's stores).

UPDATE 1/31/08: Sorry -- I had inadvertently listed this as the 2005 vintage, when it in fact was the 2004.

2006 "Balandran" ROSE "Les Mugues" (Costieres de Nimes, France)

This was a delicate, dry rose.

Very light pink-peach skin color. Nice nose of strawberry, bubble gum, and sweet, smoky minerals. Bone dry, refreshing, and light-bodied in the mouth, with austere flavors of chalky minerals and dry strawberry extract. Crisp, balanced finish. Very refreshing on this 100 degree+ day. 88. $10.47 at Spec's on Smith, making it a good value.

2005 Mommessin FLEURIE "Les Roches" (Beaujolais, France)

Mommessin is a Burgundy house that has been increasing in quality lately, and this is one of its reserve bottlings. That said, I expected more from this wine.

Dark, crystalline ruby with purple highlights. Medium intensity nose, very austere and minerally. Lots of stones, spicy underbrush notes, and scorched earth in the mouth. The cranberry/blueberry fruit that is there is nice, but it is overshadowed by the austere non-fruit aspects of the nose. Intense but austere in the mouth too. Good length and acid balance, along with a soft texture, but more fruit would have been nice. I'm no winemaker, but I get the feeling that if they had just waited a bit longer to pick the grapes that this wine would have been the better for it. 86. Was $19.50 (pricey for a Fleurie/Beaujolais) at Spec's on Richmond.

A Has-Been and a Star

I brought a coupla French whites the other day to a dinner at the home of my good friends, the Finleys. The food was phenomenal (as usual), but the wines I brought were a mixed bag. Here are my short "from memory" notes:

The Has-Been: 2002 Verget CHABLIS "Terroirs de Chablis" (France) -- I thought this one would be peaking, but I had the wrong tense: it is on the decline. Light and minerally, to be sure, but with noticeable maderization (oxidation) on the nose and palate.

The Star: Château La Bidière MUSCADET DE SEVRE ET MAINE Sur Lie "Vieilles Vignes (Loire, France) -- this was a beautiful, textbook Muscadet. Fragrant, with fresh, minerally and lemon-lime scents. Intense, lively, balanced, refreshing, and pure tasting, with nice concentration and length. Bone dry. Spec's has this for about $12, making it a good value.

2005 Sebastiani Sonoma County ZINFANDEL

Not bad, and a good value for an under $10 Zin, but not up to the standard set by the 2004 version, previously reviewed here.

Dark ruby color. Gentle nose of sweet cream, brambleberries, blackberries, and gingerbread. Soft, medium bodied flavors of mulled berries and vaguely minerally notes. Lacks the concentration of the 2004, but still a decent value, true-tasting Zin. 85. Was $9.72 at Spec's on Smith.

2005 CARRO (Southeast Spain)

While the 2005 edition is still a good value, I liked this wine less than the phenomenal 2004, previously reviewed here.

Dark ruby color. Sweet, fruity nose of fruit salad and milky, earthy scents. Soft, ripe, straightforward flavors, with good concentration for this price point, but not much complexity. This wine would be great for summer cookouts and parties, and could take a little chill. 86. Was about $7 at Spec's on Smith.

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.