2007 Hans Wirsching SILVANER Dry (Franken, Germany)

This was a fragrant, fun white that would be a great wine to bring to a friend's house for dinner in a brown bag to stump all the guests.

Light, brassy gold with greenish glints.  Exuberant, and, surprisingly for a 4 year old white, youthful scents of green apples, gooseberries, and dark, sweet stony minerals.  After that nose, one would expect the wine to have some significant weight in the mouth, but unbelievably, it has virtually no weight at all.  Despite its weightlessness, it's got some nice, dry flavors of green apple juice and stones.  Good acidity keeps it lively, and it has a clean, herb-tinged finish.  Very unique!  B+ on an absolute quality scale, but maybe an A- if you factor in uniqueness.  A Rudi Wiest Selection (great German importer), this wine was $13 at Spec's on Weslayan/Bissonnett.

"Little James Basket Press" (St. Cosme) (non-vintage, but says "Bottled in year 2010) (Rhone Valley, France)

This non-vintage Rhone blend is always a good value.

Sultry, nearly saturated black ruby.  Earthy, gravelly nose with ripe, low-toned raspberryish fruit.  Soft, mouthfilling flavors feature lots of minerally stoniness and bone dry dark berry fruit, along with a bit of scorched earth.  Little bit of tannin in the finish.  Good balance and relatively full body.  Excellent choice for a very good weekday dinner wine.  Solid B.  Imported by The Stacole Company.  Was about $10 at Spec's on Smith.

2009 Christophe Cordier "Les Grandes Plantes" BEAUJOLAIS-VILLAGES (France)

A simple, modern-style Beaujolais in the Georges Deboeuf style.  I'm not a fan of this style, but if you like Deboeuf wines you will certainly like this better than I did.

Vibrant, purple-tinged dark ruby.  Straightforward black cherry and berry fruit on the nose.  Lacks that piercing cracked-stone minerality of the old-school Beaujolais I like.  Direct, mouthfilling ripe fruit coats the mouth, but at least it's completely dry, so cloyingness is minimized.  Good acidity, and a short, direct finish, with a surprising amount of tannin.  C+/B-.  Imported by Robert Kacher, this wine was $18 at Spec's on Weslayan/Bissonnett.

2009 Cartlidge & Brown ZINFANDEL (Sonoma County, Cal.)

Cheap and flavorful but not in the style I prefer -- it was very oaky.

Dark ruby color with a slight brickish tinge.  Ripe, low-toned sweet berry and vanilla-oak scents, with some loamy soil notes underneath.  Ripe, mouthfilling, soft, and full.  A tad of residual sugar.  Simple red berry and oak flavors, with a clean, decent finish.  B-.  About $12 at Spec's.

2008 Cuvée de Peña VDP Pyrénées Orientales (Southwest France)

Grown not too far from Basque country the Catalonia region of Spain, I haven't seen this value red in several years.  It's still a great value, and still very good.  Ugly label, however.  One of the ugliest I've seen in a while.  A blend of 40% Grenache, 38% Carignan, 12% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre.

Dark blackish ruby.  After significant airing, a medium intensity nose of mixed berry fruit and smoky, slightly scorched earth emerges.  Very nice in the mouth -- soft, but with some nice tannic structure; ripe and mouthfilling, but not too heavy or too low in acidity.  Long, minerally finish.  B+.  Fantastic buy at around $8 at Spec's on Weslayan/Bissonnett.  Imported by Hand Picked Selections.

2008 Domaine de Fontsainte CORBIÈRES (Southern France)

Good, solid red, but not a repeat purchase.  It's a blend of 60% Carignan; 30% Grenache Noir; 10% Syrah.

Very dark, blackish ruby.  Soft, somewhat shy nose of gently-smoky gravel and crushed blackberries.  Soft-textured in the mouth, with medium intensity dark berry fruit and a slight unsweetened cocoa-tinged gravelly earthiness.  Finishes a bit short, but the medium-bodied wine has nice balance and is easy to drink.  B.  Drink over the next 18 months.  Imported by Kermit Lynch, I got this for $14.99 at Houston Wine Merchant.

2009 VIÑA BORGIA (Campo de Borja, Spain)

This dirt cheap 100% Garnacha is usually an excellent and reliable value, but the 2009 was not quite as good as in previous vintages.

Very dark ruby with a slight violet tinge.  Angular nose of dried wicker and dusty black cherry.  Chalky, slightly bitter dry cherry syrup flavors, leaving a flat-ish bitter note coating the mouth.  Not bad, but I'd skip this vintage wait until the 2010s appear.  C+.  About $7 at Spec's.

2009 Chono Chardonnay "San Lorenzo Estate" (Maipo Valley, Chile)

Great value in a bright, flavorful, unoaked Chardonnay.

Very light, bright gold color.  Bright, intense nose of crushed limestone powder and crisp apply fruit.  So bright and tingly on the nose it almost makes you want to sneeze.  Smells like a good Macon on steroids and caffeine.  Intensely minerally, stony flavors with puckery lemon juice and green apple fruit.  No traces of oak whatsoever, and all the better for it.  Not complex, but loaded with true character.  B+.  Was $12.99 at Houston Wine Merchant.

2005 Tabarrini MONTEFALCO SAGRANTINO "Grimaldesco" (Umbria, Italy)

Another wine Angy & I opened during his visit, from the unique Sagrantino varietal that is, I believe, grown only in Umbria.  This one shared the unique intensely spiced nose (cinnamon was closest I could come to describing it) and huge weight I've seen in the few other Sagrantinos I've drunk, but it was more minerally than others I've had.  It was also extremely tannic.  A large framed, chiseled wine for the long haul.  Pretty good acids.  It was a little rough to sip on its own, but once we started in on the rich braised lamb shanks we had, it went very well, cutting through the richness of the dish.  I think I got this from B-21 Wines in Florida several months ago for $39.

Short notes on wines from my brother's visit

My brother Angy (Angelo) was visiting over the weekend.  Drank some good stuff and cooked some good Italian food.  Here are the quick notes from memory (I didn't have time in all the activity to take contemporaneous, detailed notes).

2006 Nino Negri VALTELLINA SUPERIORE "Quadrio" (Lombardy, Italy) -- Nebbiolos from the Valtellina are an inconsistent lot.  At their best, they are fragrant, lean, lighter versions of the more familiar Nebs from Piemonte.  At their worst, they are just plain thin.  Not sure if it's a tendency to overcrop in this region or just the difficulty of growing Nebbiolo in the Alpine foothills.  This was a good one.  Classic Nebbiolo nose of piercing dried cherry, laced with the stoney minerals this region can display.  ($20 from Houston Wine Merchant.)

2005 Nicolas Joly SAVENNIERES "Les Clos Sacres" (Loire Valley) -- Try as I might I just haven't been able to get into dry Chenin Blancs.  I don't get the allure.  Even this biodynamically grown version from one of the region's most respected winemakers wasn't all that pleasurable.  Pungent nose showing some intensely-petrolly (verging on nail polish) scents overpowering some ripe guava fruit.  Some oxidation showed though in the back half of the palate, which is disappointing given this wine's reputation to age for a few years.

2000 Giuseppi Quintarelli VALPOLICELLA (Veneto, Italy) -- From one of Italy's most revered and iconoclastic old-school winemakers, this cult Valpo absolutely ROCKED.  Every sniff and sip was different as this wine went through an amazing metamorphosis.  Plums, berries, smoke, earth, humus, baking spices, peat, this list of flavors and smells went on until we killed it.  Was $70 from Houston Wine Merchant.  Outrageously pricey for a Valpo, I know, but I hadn't had a Quintarelli wine since I was living in NYC in the 80s, and when I saw it just before Angy's trip, I had to get it.  (Sorry, 1999 shown.)


2007 Storybook Mountain Vineyards ZINFANDEL "Mayacamas Range" (Napa Valley, Cal.) -- I vacillate between Storybook and Ridge as my favorite Zin producer, but I guess I have to give a slight edge to Storybook.  The purity, elegance, and understatedly firm structure is unique among California Zins.  This one was a real treat, showing ridiculously pure cherry/black raspberry fruit, excellent stony minerality, and no noticeable oak intruding on any of its inherent virtues.  Fantastic balance, texture, and length.  Was around $30 at Spec's on Smith a couple of months ago . . . not sure if they have any left.

2007 Scilio ETNA ROSSO (Sicily, Italy)

I'm seeing many more Sicilian wines on the market these days, and to my taste Etna Rosso is usually one of the most elegant ones.  Even though Sicily bakes under an intense sun, Etnas tend to retain good acidity and balance.

This one was a little older than I usually look for in an Etna, but it was still drinking very well, and was one of the most minerally wines I've ever drunk.  Like drinking the liquid essence of barren volcanic soil.  Very good, and very unique.  Terroir freaks (I guess I'm kind of one) may enjoy it more than those who like lots of fruit or lots of oak or both.

Dark ruby garnet in color.  Loads of minerals and smoky, gun flinty gravel beat out the winey cherry and plummy fruit.  Full-bodied (14.5% alc.), but had a soft texture and good acidity.  Not much tannin.  Nothing but smoky minerals on the finish.  B+/A-.  Drink over the next year so the fruit doesn't totally pack up and leave.  Was about $20 at Houston Wine Merchant.  Imported by North Berkeley Imports.

2009 "Picos del Montgo" Old Vines GARNACHA (Carinena, Spain)

Raspberries, raspberries, raspberries.  This wine has a one-track mind, but I'm not arguing.  It's delicious and cheap.

Deep and vibrant ruby with violet highlights.  The nose of this wine is buckets of super pure, ripe, tangy oozing raspberries.  Unbelievable purity.  Lively and full-bodied, this wine features perfectly ripe, balanced raspberry fruit along with juts a wee bit of dry, minerally, stony gravel.  Finish is decently long but very pure, with some soft tannin on display.  Not complex, and lacking just a bit of concentration in the second half of the palate, but otherwise a real kick to sniff and drink.  Drink over the next 12-18 months.  B+.  Imported by Regency Wine Group (a California outfit I've never heard of), I got this from World Marketplace on Richmond near the West Loop for about $9 and change.

2008 Durigutti BONARDA (Mendoza, Argentina)

Bonarda is a grape native to northwest Italy, in the Novara region, where it typically is blended with Nebbiolo (Spanna) in several of the DOC wines of the area (like Ghemme, Boca, Fara, etc.).  On its own there, it's no great shakes, but in the Mendoza region of Argentina it seems to have more character.  This one is a very good, flavor-filled everynight dinner wine, and an excellent value.

Very vivid, dark ruby/violet.  Vivacious nose of tangy plum and mixed berry fruit, along with loads of chalky rock dust and a high-toned smoky component.  Richly-fruited in the mouth, yet with a vibrancy that buoys up its full-bodied frame.  Loads of rich, earthy, dry dark berry fruit fills the mouth, and leads to a long, clean, clingy finish with some noticeable but soft tannin.  Not super complex, but very satisfying.  B+.  Will go with lots of pastas and Italian meat dishes, stews, and braises.  Was $11 and change at Spec's on Smith.

UPDATE (11/28/11):  I just read somewhere that Argentine Bonarda is NOT the same thing as the Bonarda grown in the Novara region of Italy, but, in fact, is the Charbono grape native to the Savoie region of France.  Well, I guess that would explain why Argentine Bonarda tastes and feels very different from its Italian namesake. 

2007 Domaine de la Terre Rouge TÊTE-À-TÊTE (Sierra Foothills, California)

This was a very nice surprise!  I'd seen this blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache (according to the winery website)  in Spec's several times and almost picked it up, and finally my curiosity got the best of me.  And I was glad it did.  It reminded me of a very well done, drinkable style Vacqueyras from the Rhone.

Blackish dark ruby.  Loads of stony minerals and spicy blackberry fruit in the nose.  Mouthfilling and medium full-bodied, it was filled with sandstoney, stony, iodine-laced dark berry fruit.  Loads of soft tannin are present, and the flavors are very clingy in the long, pleasurable finish.  A-.  Was $14 at Spec's on Weslayan/Bissonnett.  Get some of this!

2009 Atteca "Old Vines" GARNACHA (Grenache) (Calatayud, Spain)

An excellent buy in a pure-tasting, very full-bodied but balanced red.

Rich, almost completely saturated black ruby/violet color.  Inviting, forceful aromas of tangy, ripe, oozing blackberries and raspberries over fragrant, dry, stony gravel notes.  Weighty and mouthfilling, this had very pure-tasting dark raspberry syrup fruit accented with smoky stoniness.  Not very complex but very satisfying.  Very full, but with good enough acids to carry it off.  A bit of tannin and a tad bit of heat on the finish, but I wouldn't age a wine this high in alcohol that long; drink within the next 18 months.  B+/A-.  Imported by Jorge Ordonez, this was about $12 at Spec's.

2009 Foxglove ZINFANDEL (Paso Robles, Cal.)

AVOID.  This was flat, heavy, and lifeless.  D-  It was moderately-priced ($14 and change at Spec's), but it sucked.

2009 Domaine de le Chapelle MÂCON SOLUTRÉ POUILLY (White Burgundy, France)

A superb, crisp, minerally, flavorful, unoaked Chardonnay.  If you like Chablis Premier Crus but don't want to spend $30+ for a good one, this is your poor man's version.

Very unusual gold color that was inflected with almost a very light tan tint.  Gorgeously fragrant nose of bright, chalky earth and crisp pear/green apple/not-quite-ripe-peach fruit.  Bright, mouthwatering, pure flavors of slightly bitter citrus and pear over crushed limestone.  Long, pure, clean finish.  Very nicely done.  A-.  Was about $18 at Spec's on Smith.  Imported by Weygandt-Metzler.

(Sorry, 2007 shown)

2009 Frey ZINFANDEL (Mendocino County, Cal.)

This completely organic, sulfite-free wine was a decent value in a simple, balanced, everynight meal wine, but it didn't taste like a typical Zin.

Fairly-deep plummy ruby-garnet color.  Direct and pure-smelling with spiced plum and cherry syrup fruit.  Decently mouthfilling, with soft ripe red fruit that morphs in the finish into a toasted nut quality.  Went really well with Chicken Parm with over spaghetti.  Some tannin, but it's soft.  B-.  Was about $15 at Spec's on Weslayan/Bissonnett.

2007 Domaine de le Rossignole SANCERRE "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" (Loire Valley, France)

Liquid extract of the chalky, prehistoric seashell-laden soil of this region.  Old school.  I love the Sauvignon Blancs from this "tri-town" area (encompassing Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé, and Menetou-Salon).

Light, bright pure gold color. Very chalky, earthy (not in a barnyardy way, however) nose, with notes of tart citrus and chicken broth.  Intensely limestone-y minerally flavors, with some lightly herbal, bone dry, crisp gooseberry fruit.  Minerally finish goes on and on.  Good acids and balance.  Those who like fruitier or more overtly herbal styled Sancerres may not go for this one, but I did.  A-.  I got this for around $18 at Spec's on Richmond near the West Loop a few months ago, so they may be on to a more recent vintage by now.

2009 Chateau Robin (Lussac-St.-Emilion, Bordeaux, France)

Solid, decent value, old-fashioned everyday Bordeaux.  Mostly Merlot, with some Cab Franc and a little Cabernet Sauvignon blended in.  Typical proportions for the St. Emilion side of the Gironde River.

Vivid blackish ruby.  Nice, youthful nose of dried underbrush and plummy fruit, along with a bit of fragrant crushed stone.  Bone dry and surprisingly tannic for a lower-end St. Emilion (which are usually made for short-term drinking), this wine grips the palate with dry cassis extract and brambly gravel flavors.  Pretty good concentration, medium-full body, but a somewhat short finish.  Not bad for the price.  B-.  Needs a year or two to settle down a bit more.  Was $13.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.