2005 Jackie Preys "Cuvée de Fié Gris" TOURAINE "Vieilles Vigne" (Loire Valley, France)

The Fié Gris is a varietal I've had neither heard of nor tried before, but apparently is an old variety still made in minuscule quantities in the Loire Valley. It was really good, and had a truly unique set of flavors and nice complexity.

Extremely pale gold. Enormously fun nose -- ripe grapes and peaches, lemon-lime, spearmint leaves, and chalky stones. Soft, dry, and light-textured, the wine featured focused, youthful (and remember, this is a 4-year old white!) grapey-herbal flavors, and a long chalky/stoney finish. Very nice sipper for this heat wave we're enduring. 89. Was $18 direct from North Berkeley Imports.

(Sorry, 2006 pictured).

Coupla Interesting Reds Drunk in Virginia

Was in DC for a deposition, had dinner with Liz's family there (thanks for the great pot roast, Jane!), and brought over a couple of interesting reds I picked up at Arrowine in Arlington (a store I love to visit when I'm in town).

2005 Domaine du Bel Air BOURGUEIL "Les Vingt Lieux Dits" (Loire Valley, France) -- a beautifully fragrant, flavorful, yet ethereally light-textured red, with scents of herby cassis and walnut oil and great length and balance. (Thomas Calder Imports). (Sorry, 2006 shown).

2006 Inama Carmenere "Piu" (Veneto, Italy) -- the French-born Carmenere grape isn't grown in France anymore, and probably reached its highest expression in Chile, but there are a few growers in this region of Italy that grow it. Herbal, dried leaves and dry blackberry scents. Full, deep, and featuring a fair amount of soft tannin, this wine had lengthy, low-toned flavors. Unique and flavorful. Imported by Dalla Terra Winery Direct.

NV Lolonis "Ladybug Red" Old Vines Cuvee VIII (Redwood Valley, Mendocino County, Cal.)

This non-vintage blend of Zinfandel, Carignane, and several other varietals is really fun to drink, just as previous editions of this wine had been.

Vibrant, dense dark ruby. Fun-loving, fruity nose -- shows a lot of Zinfandel spicy black raspberry, with sweet cream and smoky balsa accents. Round, lively, and mouthfilling. Loads of ripe, red fruit flavors. Good length, great balance and texture, with a bit of soft tannin to structure it. 89. Kind of like a California version of a ripe, lively Chianti Classico. $14 and change at Spec's on Smith. (Sorry, could only find a picture of Cuvee V).

2008 Espelt "Corali" GARNACHA ROSE (Emporda, Spain)

This is your dry rosé for what will be the long, hot Texas summer of 2009!! Really flavorful and refreshing.

Gorgeously vibrant bubble gum pink color. Exuberant nose of watermelon, cherries, sweet minerals and flowers. Round and full, yet lively and dry in the mouth, with great purity of flavors -- ripe mixed fruits and stony minerals. Refreshing as all get-out. 90. Was $13 at Central Market. Imported by Eric Solomon European Cellars.

2005 "Le Paradou" COTES DE LUBERON (60% Grenache, 40% Syrah) (Rhone Valley, France)

Yum! My kind of Rhone. Modestly-priced, full of flavor, and balanced.

Dark ruby with some garnet hues.

Intense, deep nose of fruitcake, sweet earthy/stony scents, and blackberry juice.Full, ripe, structured, and lively in the mouth. Intense, mouth-coating flavors of spicy, ripe blackberry/raspberry and balsa wood.Good acidity to balance, and a long, somewhat tannic (but not overly so) finish. Very good. Kind of a synthesis between old-style and modern-style Rhones. Drink before the year is up. 89. Although I lost the receipt, I think this was around $15 at Central Market. Imported by Jon David Headrick Selections, who seems like an up-and-coming young importer of naturally-made wines.

2007 Beckman Vineyards CUVEE LE BEC (44% Grenache, 28% Syrah, 20% Mourvedre, 8% Counoise (Santa Ynez Valley, Cal.)

This perennial good buy is a great buy in this vintage.

Dark blackish ruby violet. Big southern Rhone-like nose of earthy herbal scents over blackberries and pungent minerals. Big, deep-toned, and fleshy in the mouth, with intense "garrigue" (that's the French way of saying "earthy-herbal") and iodine/mineral-tinged blackberry fruit. Long, peppery finish with substantial but soft tannin. A big, satisfying mouthful of red. 89. Was about $17 at Spec's on Holcombe.

2007 La Quercia MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO (Central Italy)

This was a more modern-styled, but delicious, Montepulciano. Would pair well with lots of pasta and meat dishes.

Nearly saturated black ruby with vivid violet highlights. Deep and at the same time bright scents of ripe, tangy red and black berries and flinty minerals. Ripe, deep, and focused flavors of cherry and blackberry, with a clean minerals and balsa wood component. Gorgeous balance of ripeness and acidity. Not at all your typical rustic bruiser of a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, nor is it like some of the innocuous cheaper Montepulcianos that have recently appeared on the market. 89. Was under $8.99 on sale at Whole Foods on Bellaire. Imported by Small Vineyards Discovery Wines.

2005 Gerard Valee ST. NICOLAS DE BOURGUEIL "Les Perruches" (Loire Valley, France)

This wine was loaded with character. Not for everyone, but very good!

Dark blackish garnet. Intense nose of walnut oil/machine oil, tree bark, and black cherry skins. Bone dry, yet with concentrated, razor-sharp, focused and low-toned flavors of dark minerals and dry blackberry extract, with a hint of iodine. Excellent length, with some substantial yet soft tannin to provide structure. 88. Was $21 direct from North Berkeley Imports. (Yes, there have been a lot of North Berkeley wines on the blog recently. Yes, I bought a mixed case from them and am working through it.)

2005 Domaine Michel Rey JULIENAS "Tres Vieilles Vignes" (Beaujolais, France)

Very good, old-school Beaujolais.

Light garnet ruby color. Tart, intense cherry fruit and stoney minerals on the nose. Tight cherry and stone flavors too, with great balance and a very refreshing quality to it. Nice concentration and focus. Would be very good with a wide variety of foods. 87. Was $21 directly from North Berkeley Imports.

2007 Terrazas de los Andes MALBEC (Mendoza, Argentina)

Pretty good Malbec, with this varietal's trademark coarseness pretty well in check.

Very dark, mulled ruby color. Lots of ripe, plummy-blackberry fruit in the nose, with a sweet, earthy/woody note. Rich, deep-toned flavors, nice ripeness, with lots of tannic structure, veering over only slightly to the coarse side. Would be very good with rich stews and braises, which would tend to smooth out the tannins. 87. Got this at Whole Foods on Bellaire, I think, for around $14.

2005 Domaine de L'Espigouette COTES DU RHONE "Vieilles Vignes" (France)

A terrific, traditional styled Cotes du Rhone. Tastes like a baby Chateauneuf du Pape.

Black ruby color. Earthy, gravelly scents with spicy blackberry and raspberry fruit. Deep flavors of spicy, dark berries, earth, and iodine-tinged minerals. Lots of soft tannins and loads of minerals and herby-fruit in the long finish. 89. Good value at $15 at Spec's Outlet on Westheimer in Montrose. Imported by J et R Selections Mt. Pleasant, MI (an excellent importer specializing, I think, in Rhone wines).

2006 Willakenzie Estate "Pierre Leon" PINOT NOIR (Willamette Valley, Oregon)

Too much oak, too little concentration. At this price, I want some depth of fruit.

Black ruby with garnet highlights. Lots of high quality, toasty sweet oak, with sweet, earthy, caramelly scents. Sniffing carefully you can also pick up a little ripe, sappy cherry juice too. Soft and loaded with oaky flavors, but not that much in the way of fruit concentration. Pretty good finish. 86. Was $35 at Richard's on Weslayan and Bissonnet.

2007 "Velt.1" GRUNER VELTLINER (Koenigsegg, Austria)

Very minerally, crisp, citrusy, and refreshing.

Light straw gold. Demure nose of minerals, melted butter, dried herbs, and grapefruit peel. Crisp ans steely in the mouth, with a pleasant roundness. Bone -- and I mean bone --dry. Linear minerally and lemon-lime flavors. A hint of bitterness in the minerally, medium length finish. Refreshing with food on a hot day, but a little severe on its own. 86. I think I paid around $9 or $10 at Whole Foods on Bellaire for this. Imported by Winesellers Inc., Skokie, Ill.

(Sorry -- 2005 shown)

2006 Salinas "Mo" MONASTRELL (Alicante, Spain)

A rich, deep-toned wine.

Very dark black ruby. Meaty, beefy aromas with ripe blackberry and tomato juice scents. Round balsa wood and cigar box flavors overlay some ripe plummy fruit. Very deep-toned flavor profile. Low acidity and a long, softly tannic finish. 87. Was about $15 at Central Market. Imported by European Cellars (Eric Solomon).

2007 Casa d'Ambra AGLIANICO (Irpinia, Campania, Italy)

A bit on the thin, not-yet-ripe, and short side.

Black ruby color. Reticent nose of lemon-coated minerals and scorched earth, with a little (not much) spiced cherry fruit. Lean, almost spare in the mouth. Bitterish, peppery mineral flavors predominate. Some cherry brandy fruit underneath if you concentrate on it enough. Medium-bodied, with a short finish. 81. Was $15 from North Berkeley Imports (direct).

2005 Domaine Calot MORGON "Vieilles Vignes" (Beaujolais, Burgundy, France)

A pretty good Beaujolais.

Deep black garnet. Earthy, stony, hard cherry candy/plum candy scents. Lots of direct cherry fruit and hard stony flavors, bone dry, and very soft textured yet, strangely, tightly wound and austere feeling. Fully mature. 86. $23 from North Berkeley Imports (direct).

2005 Trimbach GEWURZTRAMINER (Alsace, France)

It's really hard to find a bad Trimbach white. They're not the upper echelon of Alsace, but they are consistently good and typical of their varietal and region. This was a good, flavorful, and classic Gewurz at a fair price.

Bright brassy gold color. Rich nose of lychee nuts, essence of pear, and sweet minerals. Full and broadly-flavored, with pear, lychee, rose petal and grapefruit components and a slight (but pleasant) bitterness in the long finish. Drink now, as this is an open, low acid gulper. 88. (A tad more acidity and this would have been a superstar.) Was $21 at Spec's. (Importer: Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines).

2005 Wine Guerrilla ZINFANDEL (Sonoma County)

Another winner from this Zinner. Boatloads of ripe Zin fruit.

Dark, sultry black ruby. Ridiculously fruity nose, with gobs of ripe, spicy, lush berry juice, a squeeze of ripe lemon, and some tangy spice. Broad, expansive mouthfeel, with a richness of flavor at odds with its light mouth weight. Lots of red fruit and gravelly earth flavors. Not very complex, but wonderfully fun to drink. 88. Was $20 at Spec's on Smith.

(Sorry, 2007 pictured)

2006 Rodney Strong "Chalk Hill Vineyard" CHARDONNAY (Sonoma County, Cal.)

Good, solid example of the basic, old-fashioned, oaky California Chardonnay.

Deep gold color. On the nose, spicy vanilla, intense ripe pear and apple skin fruit. Soft, viscous texture, with a bit of peppery heat, and featuring flavors of vanilla, caramel, and slightly bitter melon. Good acid balance. 87. Was a gift, but I think it's available for around $15 at Spec's.

2006 Fattoria Laila ROSSO PICENO (Marche, Italy)

Dang it. I expected more from this wine from my Italian ancestral region. It was overextracted and a bit pruney.

Fully saturated blackish blood plasma color. Pungent, sweet earthy scent over pruney fruit. Full and highly extracted, but also showing a bit of oxidation in the mouth. C. About $12 from North Berkeley Imports.