2007 di Lenardo REFOSCO "Dal Vigneto da Lis Maris" (Friuli, Italy)

A very interesting wine and a good value. Very chameleon-like, changing dramatically as it aired out.

Dark black ruby. Closed at first, but with air and poured through a Vinturi, it developed a gorgeous nose of cinnamon-scented, warm, moist, intensely minerally gravel, along with very nice blackberry and plum fruit. Very soft and mouthfilling, yet with a certain weightless character. Medium-bodied, nicely balanced, with lost of ripe berry fruit and spiced sandstone in the finish.

(The next day, it was still very good, but had developed an incredibly intense dried herbal streak, and with some noticeable green bell pepper flavors in the mouth.)

89. Was about $12 at Central Market. Imported by Virtuoso Selections, Austin.

Note: There is some debate whether Refosco is the same grape known as Mondeuse in the Savoie region of France.

Rosé Time!!

I love good rosé in the Houston summertime. It gives some of the flavor of a light red, but you can drink it well-chilled on days when it's just too damn hot to pop a red.

But make sure they're fresh. 99% of rosés need to be drunk young. By summertime, rosés from the prior year's vintage should be arriving in stores. So be looking for the 2009s, and avoid any more 2008s or older. I've finished off a few of my remaining 2008s recently, and they have been flat and starting to taste over-the-hill, so I haven't written them up. I've just picked up a few 2009s and plan to be reviewing them in the next month.

Cent anni!

2009 Yalumba SANGIOVESE ROSÉ (South Australia)

A solid, fresh, nicely-textured rose. Good value.

Vivid bubble gum pink color. Richly fruity nose -- grape, watermelon, cherry, and peach. Hint of minerals. Round and ripe, with medium-light body and lots of fleshy fruit. Just off-dry, but with decent enough acid to keep it from being cloying. Shortish but soft and clean finish. A nice, easy-going summer quaffer. Was $9.99 at Houston Wine Merchant. 86.

2006 Domaine Louis Jadot PERNAND-VERGELESSES "Clos de la Croix de Pierre" Premiere Cru (White Burgundy, France)

A superb and very distinctive white.

Light pewtery-tinged gold color. Intensely mineral-infused, smoky, earthy nose, with clove and peach pit notes. Soft, broad, and slightly viscous (in a good way) in the mouth, yet with a lovely, light feel. Rich, long flavors of butter, minerals, stones, and slightly bitter-edged peach/pear fruit. Lots of the clove notes throughout. Love the texture and the unique flavors.

Pernand-Vergelesses is, in my view, one of the most underrated white burgundy towns in France. Very near the much more expensive and famous Corton-Charlemagne vineyard, the best Pernands share some of the distinctiveness of its more expensive neighbor's expression of Chardonnay fruit. 90. Was $29 at Spec's on Weslayan (and on Smith). Imported by Kobrand.

2006 Ross Estate "Old Vine" GRENACHE (Barossa Valley, Australia)

I love Aussie old vine Grenaches, be they the massive, ultra-full-bodied style, or the more restrained yet still substantial style. This is more of the latter.

Dark blackish ruby garnet. Mature, complex nose of spice cake and pungent sandstone, along with a fair amount of blackberry juice. Intensely concentrated flavors, without the heaviness, however. Mouthfilling, nicely-textured richness, with spicy, ripe plums and dark berry flavors, followed by an intensely minerally, gravelly finish. Still some tannin remaining in the finish, but the nose, flavors, and color all seem developed to the degree where I don't recommend much further ageing in an attempt to get the rest of the tannins to drop. Drink over the next year. 88. Was $20 at Spec's on Smith.

2008 "Adega de Pias" (Alentejano, Portugal)

This blend of 50% Tempranillo and 50% Trincadeira (according to the importer's website) is direct and fruity. Worth the $9.99 price, and best drunk cool.

Vibrant, deep ruby with cherry red highlights. Sweet, plummy nose with slight earthy-stony and rhubarb notes. Pure and succulent on initial entry, with ripe, soft, very straightforward fruit, and a pleasing touch of bitterness in the finish. Medium bodied, and a bit low in acidity, this wine is for quaffing over the next six months or so. Was under $10 at Houston Wine Merchant. Imported by Small Vineyard Discovery Imports. 86.

2007 Viticcio CHIANTI CLASSICO (Tuscany, Italy)

Wow! This was utterly classic Chianti. I wish I could find it in Houston.

Sultry dark black ruby. With substantial airing, it developed a fantastic nose of ripe cherry liqueur, spice cake, and incense-infused warm gravel. Complex and round, medium full-bodied. Had concentrated but lithe flavors of ripe cherry liqueur, tons of clean, stony minerals, and a lengthy, smoky cherry-skin finish. Some nicely-integrated soft tannin adds a welcome bit of structure. Good but unobtrusive acidity. 90. Imported by Massanois Imports, D.C. I got this for $17 from Zachy's in Scarsdale, N.Y. a few months ago.

(Sorry, 2006 shown)

2006 Chateau du Poytet MUSCADET DE SEVRE ET MAINE SUR LIE (Loire, France)

A textbook example of Muscadet, and it also showed that well-made Muscadet can take a little bottle age nicely.

Very light gold color. Great nose of lively lemon-lime and green apple fruit, along with a lightly earthy, creamed stone emulsion. Bone dry yet soft, ripe yet crisp, refreshing yet a little earthy, this wine nicely summed up the best of Muscadet. Clean, cleansing finish. Me likey. 88. Imported by Glazer's Wholesale, Dallas. Was $13.49 at Central Market several months ago, so I'm not sure if they still have it.

Couple of Rhones from the PERRINS

Based on past experience and these two wines, I think I have come to the conclusion that I am just not a fan of the Perrin winemaking style. I'm not talking about their estate wines, Chateau de Beaucastel CDP or Cru de Coudelet CDR, both of which I like a lot, but about the negociant line they have been making for the last 10 years or so. I have had maybe half a dozen over the last decade, and have found every single one of them too coarse and rustic for their own good.

2007 Perrin VINSOBRES "Les Cornuds" -- this Cotes du Rhone Villages from the village of Vinsobres had some serious dark flavors, but was way too coarse for me. Nice dark color, but the nose favored deep tones smoky, peppery, gravelly scents over the dark berries that were smothered underneath. Dense, very low-toned flavors, with lots of peppery notes and tannin running roughshod over the fruit. 83. Was about $18 at Spec's on Smith, I believe.

2007 Perrin COTES DU RHONE-VILLAGES -- In an interesting paradox, the cheaper Cotes du Rhone Villages ($9.84 at Spec's) was more pleasurable than the more expensive Vinsobres. Medium dark ruby with some violet. More fruit (berries, plums) on the nose, with some nice powdered stones and baking spices. Fleshy and medium bodies, but still with a bit of their trademark coarse tannin intruding, though definitely less so than the Vinsobres. 85.

Next time you can't find that corkscrew . . . .

Watch and learn:

http://www.wimp.com/wineshoe/

2007 Pillar Box Red (65% Shiraz, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot) (Padthaway, Australia)

Very good, if you like that super-extracted, super-ripe Aussie style. May be a bit much for some.

Completely saturated, nearly black plasma color. Sweet, deep, smoky, salty nose, with loads of graphite and dried blackberry sap scents. As it aired out, more fruit emerged, and the smoky, graphite elements receded. Very low-toned, dense flavors of salty sandstone-infused blackberry syrup attack the palate and then morph into smoky, liquid minerals in the back of the throat. Low acidity and a boatload of soft tannin. Huge and dense, this is a weighty mouthful. It was about $10 (I can't remember where, but it's widely available, appearing even in supermarkets). Not elegant, but no skimping on flavor. I gave it an 88, but some won't go for this style, and I admit that I have to be in the mood for it.

2008 La Salette VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO (Veneto, Italy)

A classic Valpo. Crisp, focused, flavorful, refreshing, with a touch of pleasant bitterness in the finish. A terrific summertime red that is best served cool.

Dark ruby garnet color. Lively nose of crunchy, crisp cherries and berries, with pungent crushed stone scents. Bone dry, yet brightly-fruited in the mouth, with crisp flavors of cherry, and a cleansing minerality. Good flavor persistence and excellent acidity. Light bodied. Lots of character in a totally refreshing style. 88. Was $16.99 at Houston Wine Merchant on South Shephard.

2007 Almira "Los Dos" "Old Vines" 85% Grenache, 15% Syrah (Campo de Borja, Spain)

This was a ridiculous buy! I forgot where I got the damn thing, but I know it was around $10.

Bright medium cherry/ruby. Ridiculously juicy nose ripe, tangy reduction of raspberries and pungent hot stones. Dense, lively fruit attacks the palate with loads of juicy raspberries and clean stones. Long, warm, totally pure-tasting finish with very good acidity, and no tannin to speak of. Very food-friendly. 89. Imported by Winebow.

Speaking of Zins . . .

Had two very good and very different Zins at Abe & Louie's in Boston last week. The 2007 Storybook Mountain "Mayacamas Range" was more forward than I expect from this winery, which made its reputation making crisp, tight Zins that needed bottle age to round out. It had very bright, focused, and pure Zinfandel fruit (ripe cherry and blackberry), but was very soft and drinkable, with a bit of residual sugar noticeable. The 2007 Ridge Geyserville was more subdued and low-toned, with more complexity and a no residual sugar by contrast. Both very good. Not sure which I preferred. I would probably rate both in the upper 80s.

My strip steak was just a bit beyond the medium rare I asked for, but was still flavorful and juicy.

2006 Chateau Montelena ZINFANDEL "The Montelena Estate" (Napa Valley, Cal.)

This was a very good, but somewhat atypical Zin. I thought it seemed more like a large-scaled, rich Bordeaux from Margaux or Pessac (Graves).

Laid-back darkish ruby color. Complex nose of smoky gravel, dark fruitcake, rich, ripe plums, and a bit of blackberry. Soft, deep, and low-toned flavors of baker's chocolate, really ripe plums, sandstone, and smoky minerals. Very full-bodied, with a bit of peppery heat from the alcohol (label says 14.4%), and some chewy tannin in the finish. Definitely at its peak. It was very good, and I'm certainly no winemaker, but it seems to me this would have be ridiculously great if the grapes were picked just a tad earlier, and the wine had a bit less heat and a bit more acidity to focus it. As it is, I'd say it's an 89. Was $26 at Spec's, I believe.

2008 Comte Lafon MACON (White Burgundy)

Another winner from this upscale producer. Classic Macon nose, flavors, and minerality.

Very light gold with light greenish glints. Fantastic nose of crisp white grapes, powdered stones, sweet minerals -- and I could swear there's the barest hint a hint of cinnamon back in there too. Crisp, yet full-bodied, with lots of body and a decent dollop of tangy acidity. Loads of lemony, green apple fruit, good weight and balance too. Not the most complex white burgundy, but a lovely and textbook example of what Macon should be (it should be a poor man's Chablis). 88. Imported by Becky Wasserman Selections. Was $19 (and worth it) at Spec's on Richmond.

(Sorry, 2007 shown.)

2006 Rancho Zabaco "Monte Rosso Vineyard" ZINFANDEL (Sonoma County, Cal.)

Disappointing for a wine from this vaunted plot of land. As I picked this out, one of the guys at Spec's on Bissonnet off-handed commented to me that the "wine guy" wasn't too impressed with this, but I blew off the comment, since I usually don't listen to random wine store employee recommendations. In this case, that was a mistake. It was decent, but not near worth 30 smackeroos.

Rich, violet-tinged dark ruby. Animated, deep and sweet nose of almost overripe, oozing blackberries and raspberries, with a barest whiff of sandstone. Broad, fat, low-acid flavors of simple dark raspberries that immediately coated the palate, faded a bit, and then re-appeared in a fairly long, metallic/minerally, slightly hot finish. Good, with lots of flavor, but a little flabby and simple. I expect Zins from Monte Rosso to have great structure and lots of minerally complexity. This tasted like it came from very ripe fruit grown on young vines. 86. Was $31 at Spec's on Bissonnet.

2008 Benaza MENCIA (Monterrei, Spain)

I don't believe I have ever had a wine made from the Mencia varietal, but if this is any indication of how they taste, I will look for more. A fruity, weighty, smooth good value.

Dark ruby with purply highlights. Fragrant and fruity, this wine's nose oozes rich berry sap scents, along with a scorched earth note. Enters the mouth with wonderful softness and weight, with a tight core of minerality and loads of ripe berry fruit. Full bodied, with a long, clingy finish. A wee bit o' tannin too. Mineral "tang" at the very end. Not super complex, but a satisfying mouthful. 88. Was $13 and change at Spec's on Richmond. Imported by Jose Pastor Selections (an up-and-coming Spanish importer).

2008 Palama "Arcangelo" SALICE SALENTINO (Puglia, Southern Italy)

Salice Salentino is an appellation in the heel of Italy's boot that has long produced well-balanced, well-fruited reds at reasonable prices. This is one of the best -- if not the best -- I've had.

Sultry dark ruby. Incredibly sweet, ripe nose, featuring oozing blackberries and super-ripe plums, baking spices, and sweetly-smoky embers. Round and soft in the mouth, with very good concentration, but also with nice balance. Fairly full bodied. Not completely dry, with just a touch of sweetness (although those used to drinking California Chardonnays will think it equally dry). Ever-so-lightly-pruney flavors of blackberry syrup, and dry, gravelly minerals. The finish features some significant, but soft, tannins, and a very small bit of peppery heat.

Now that I'm looking at these notes, they really don't reflect how much I enjoyed this wine. Don't be put off by some of the adjectives I used -- just buy a bottle.

89. Was $12.99 at Central Market. Imported by Small Vineyards.

(Sorry -- can't find a photo).

2008 Messmer SPATBURGUNDER TROCKEN (Rheinpfalz, Germany)

German Pinot Noir! German, for Pete's sake! And it was fun and tasty. Not to mention a unique conversation piece. And no, Pinot Noir (a/k/a Spatburgunder) is not something the Germans started growing because they thought Sideways was a cool movie. It's been grown there for many decades. Put a light chill on this 1 Liter bottle and bring it to a cook-out.

Very light ruby garnet. Spritely nose leaps out of the glass with sweet/sour cherries and smoky minerals. You can also almost smell the crisp acidity that follows once you take a sip. Bright, almost prickly mouthfeel. Really nice fruit/acid balance. Soft, tanninless texture, with refreshing cherry fruit and a minerally finish. 87. Was $19.99 for a liter bottle at Central Market (so that makes it "under $15" per hypothetical 750ml). Imported by Terry Thiese (top-flight importer of German wines). Drink this year to enjoy the freshness.

(Sorry, 2006 pictured)