2010 Truett-Hurst ZINFANDEL "Three Vineyards Old Vines" (Dry Creek Valley, Cal.)

A massive, low-toned bruiser of a Zin.

Fully-saturated, black black black ruby.  Deep nose of black raspberry preserves, a tangy vegetal/rhubarby component, and dark minerals.  Huge body (the label says 15.1% alcohol), and some alcoholic heat in the finish, this is the sort of wine that needs to be drunk over the next 18 months, before the alcohol burns through the fruit.  This should go really well with hearty stews this winter.  B+.  Was $16 and change (if I'm remembering correctly) from Total Wine in McLean, VA.

(Sorry, 2006 depicted)

2009 Conte di Breganzo AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA (Veneto, Italy)

Not the most complex or balanced Amarone, but a very flavorful introduction to the genre of wine made from partially-dried grapes at a bargain price.

Earthy, deeply-fruity, with some pleasant pruney and tarry notes.

Very dark brickish ruby color.  Very fragrant, with low-toned, deep scents of ripe dark berries, prune brandy, and rich earth.  Mouthfilling, with huge body and deep fruit consisting mostly of oozing black and red berries and prunes.  Long if not complex finish clings to the inside of the mouth.  Not as hot on the finish as I expected.  This was only $16.99 at Trader Joe's in Clarendon.  It's made by a co-op in the region and represents an excellent value.  B.  Imported by Santini Fine Wines in San Lorenzo, Cal.

(Sorry, 2006 depicted.)

2007 Rainoldi GRUMELLO (Valtellina, Lombardy, Italy)

A light, fragrant, high-altitude mountain Nebbiolo.  Very typical of this region (when done right).

Very mature color: light garnet/ruby with lots of amber at the rim.  Nose and flavors, however, are still very much alive.  Fragrant, high-toned, earthy/minerally nose with loads of winey-cherry and pomegranate fruit.  Ripe, earthy, flavorful, but lean in the mouth.  Lots of minerally cherry fruit builds after an initially earthy entry and leaves slowly.  Good acids, and surprisingly full body.  Lengthy, lean finish.  A decent value at $18.99 from Zachys.com.  B+, but you have to like this unique style.  Imported by Wine Warehouse, Commerce, Cal.

2009 Comte de Louis Clermont-Tonnerre CAIRANNE Cotes du Rhone Villages (Rhone Valley, France)

A solid Cotes du Rhone Villages.  Needs a lot of time to breathe, but eventually shows itself to be a nice, broodingly deep wine.

Very dark, nearly saturated ruby violet.  After being opened a day under Vacu-Vin and given another hour of airing, the wine's initially very shy nose opened up nicely, showing slightly-scorched, sweet sandstone, a woodsy-brown sugar note, and rich blackberry.  Low-toned, rich, ripe fruit with a dark, low-toned blackberry and stony notes.  Loads of softly-grainy tannin, and a very pure, fairly long finish.  This wine just keeps getting better the longer it breathes.  B+.  Was $13.99 at International Wine & Beverage, a small wine shop on Lee Highway in Arlington.  An Alan Corcia Selection, imported by Monsieur Touton.

2009 Domaine Antonin Rodet RULLY "Chateau de Rully" (Southern Burgundy, France)

A decent Pinot Noir, but not worth the price (a statement I find myself making time after time about moderately-priced Burgundies).

Medium ruby/garnet color that looks too advanced for a 3-year old PN.  Nose of dry leaves, scorched earth, and some vaguely cherryish scents.  Dry, dessicated flavors are uncharacteristically austere for an '09.  Nothing wrong with it, but highly-disappointing for a $20 wine.  When it comes to red burgundies, I'm like a dysfunctional addict.  I keep going back, trying to find one I'll really like, only to be disappointed time and time again.  C.  Was $19.99 at Total Wine in McLean.  Imported by Boisset America.

2010 Azienda Santa Barbara ROSSO PICENO (Marche, Italy)

Rosso Piceno is the workman's wine of the Marche, and this is a decent one.  Not bad for under 10 bucks.  Picenos are a blend of Sangiovese and Montepulciano, and you can usually tell which is present in the greater proportion by how dark the wine looks and how low-toned the flavor profile is.  Dark color and low-toned fruit means lots of Montepulciano.  Sangiovese is not particularly distinguished in this region, and just tastes kind of winey.  Nowhere near the electricity it displays in the Chianti Classico or Rufina regions in Tuscany.  I bet this one was mostly Sangiovese.

Dark ruby/garnet.  Shy nose that benefits from being poured through a Vinturi.  Modest scents of   minerally, dry gravel and cherries.  Very dry and lean, with earthy gravel the predominant component and cherry skins taking a back seat.  Soft texture, with a lean, austere, and slightly bitter finish.  It's got good acidity.  A decent choice to wash down pasta on a weeknight.  B-.  Was $9.99 at The Italian Store on Lee Highway in Arlington.  Imported by Michael R. Downey Selections, Lorton, VA.

2007 Viticcio CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA (Tuscany, Italy)

A stunning wine.  Doesn't try to do too much, just stays within itself and ends up being an absolutely spot-on, sweet-spot CC.

Dark ruby with just the slightest lightening at the rim.  Amazingly pure nose of the sweetest, highest toned cherry extract, fruitcake, and pure, focused Chianti earth.  A floral note too.  Linear, bone dry, generous flavors.  No fat, but not an iota too lean either.  Got that great, cherry fruit-mixed-with-schisty-Tuscan gravel thing going on.  Excellent acids keep it energetic.  Long, clingy finish, with a barely perceptible dose of micro-tannin.  Killer.  A.  F*ck that new school stuff, this is the real deal.  Was $21.99 from WTSO.com, but I've also seen this at Spec's (on Bissonnet) in Houston.  Get some.

2010 Domaine Calot MORGON "Vieilles Vignes" (Beaujolais, France)

This is a solid, very lively Beaujolais.

Medium ruby garnet color.  Very tangy, boysenberry, grapey, rhubarby nose, with a bit of stoniness.  Bright, tangy, and much more minerally in the mouth, bone dry, with great acids.  Dry cherrystone/berry fruit attacks the palate.  A bit of soft tannin, and crisp acids.  This is a very refreshing wine to drink with fatty foods or grilled burgers in hot weather.  Not complex by any stretch, but refreshing on a summer night.  B.  Was $17.99 at Whole Foods in the Clarendon area of Arlington. Imported by Dionysos Imports, Manassas, VA.

2009 Domaine Gouron CHINON (Loire Valley, France)

This entry-level Cab Franc from this excellent producer is very tasty.  About the only good thing that can be said about global warming is that it's made a huge difference for Loire reds.  The Loire is about as cool a climate as Cab Franc can stand. In the 70s and 80s, these wines typically sucked.   Except in the hottest vintages, they were usually weedy, sharp, thin, and generally unfriendly.  But in the 2000s, with all the warm summers, they've started to shine.  Of course, it helps that there are a lot more serious, careful, minimalist wine growers now, but I can't help thinking that none of that would matter if it weren't for warmer summers.  Anyway, this is very user-friendly.

Dark black ruby color with great clarity.  Classic Chinon nose of black cherry extract, loads of minerals, with a streak of machine oil and licorice.  Light in the mouth yet with a lot of flavor, it's bone dry and has crisp acids.  Lively dry black cherry extract fruit in the mouth, with dried forest underbrush and some nice minerality.  Medium bodied.  Drink over the next 1-2 years.  It's an excellent warm-weather red because it's not tiring at all to drink.  B+.  Got this on sale from Zachys.con for $14 and change, making it an excellent bargain.  Imported by Massanois Imports (a Franck's Signature wine).

2008 Fattoria Le Terrazze ROSSO CONERO (Marche, Italy)

Disappointing.  It's got that scorched, bitter-tinged nose and flavor profile that signals some over-extraction by the winemaker.

Dense, saturated dark ruby/mulberry color.  Nose of scorched earth and notes of dark berry fruit struggling to be heard.  Ripe and broad in the mouth, but the bitterness and rough tannin are the primary features.  C.  I readily dropped $15.99 on this, because, for some reason, it's so hard to find Rosso Coneros here these days (and it's a potentially great terroir, with the Montepulciano grape grown on volcanic soil).  But alas, it was not to be.  Got it from Winex in L.A.  Imported by deGrazia Imports.

2007 Rivetti Massimo BARBARESCO "Froi" (Piemonte, Italy)

This is an elegant, pure-tasting, lighter-styled Nebbiolo.

Medium-light ruby color with the beginnings of some amber at the rim.  Light-intensity nose of dried cherries, black cherry, and sandalwood.  The flavors are more intense than the nose would lead you to believe.  An intense, linear attack of dried dark cherry, old barrels, dark slightly-bitter minerals, and lightly-scorched gravel that is not heavy but clings to the palate a long time.  A fair amount of fine-grained tannin provides texture.  Moderate acidity.  B+.  This is drinking well now and will continue to drink well, or possibly improve, over the next 1-3 years.  Was $19.99 from Wines Til Sold Out, making it an extremely good value for a solid Barbaresco.  Imported by Superior Wines, Cranford, NJ.

2009 Domaine du Grand Montmirail GIGONDAS "Cuvée Viéilles Vignes" (Southern Rhone, France)

Not a typical Gigondas, but delicious.  Much more lush and approachable than the textbook Giggie.  80% old vine Grenache.

Gorgeous color:  deep, dark ruby.  Nose is intensely minerally, showing a lot of warm sandstone and pungent crushed stone scents, along ripe black cherry and blackberry fruit, and a meaty, beef jerky component.  Lush, ripe, and deep in the mouth.  With low-toned blackberry fruit laced with baker's chocolate and emulsified crushed rock powder.  Loads of soft tannin adds structure, but (unlike many Gigondases . . . Gigondi?), I wouldn't wait too long (no more than 3 years) to drink this up, as it's very open and approachable now, plus it's got low acidity.  Very tasty!  A-.  Was $19.99 from WTSO.com (Wines Til Sold Out) -- which is very good for a Gigondas of this quality.  Imported by Serge Doré Selections. 


(Sorry, 2003 depicted).

2008 Kingston Family Vineyards SYRAH "Lucero" (Casablanca Valley, Chile)

Eh.  So "international" in style I wouldn't have had a clue what it was or where it was from if I couldn't see the label.  Dark, ripe, very oaky, and with a short finish.  It could be an over-oaked, young vine Cabernet, Merlot, or Syrah from California, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, or South America.

Since drinking a really good Chilean Syrah from Chono, I've been looking for another one of that caliber and have invariably been disappointed.

I don't get the point of making or drinking a wine like this.  It's not flawed or anything, it's just terminally uninteresting.  Was $15 and change on sale from zachys.com, and not worth half that.  C-. 

2011 Christian Lauverjat SANCERRE ROSÉ "Moulin des Vrillères" (Loire, France)

One of the few things I like about hot weather is that it's an excuse to pop a bottle of my favorite type of rosé:  Sancerre.  Pinot Noir, from very chalky soil and a cool climate.  Trifecta for fragrant, vibrant rosé!  This one is really nice.

Absolutely glowingly crystalline light salmon-pink color.  Exuberant nose -- lightly earthy and yeasty, loads of bright stony minerals, fruit conjuring strawberry, golden cherry, and grape.  Bone dry, with bright acids, it comes on minerally, molts into cherry pit and strawberry fruit, and finishes with clean, clingy, intense, slightly bitter minerality.  In other words, lots going on, particularly for a rosé.  A-.  Was $21 at Whole Foods in Arlington (Clarendon).  That's more than basic rosés from the south of France, but it's worth it when looking for something more than just a thirst-slaker.  Imported by Elite Wine Imports, Lorton, VA.

2007 Fattoria Vignavecchia CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA (Tuscany, Italy)

Beautiful, textbook Chianti Classico.  Gorgeous, focused fruit, medium-full body, minerality, elegance, and excellent balance.  I can't imagine a Sangiovese I'd like more than this.

Vibrant, stunningly crystalline black ruby color.  Laser-focused fresh and dried cherry fruit, along with schist-strewn fragrant gravel and a hint of new leather.  Fills the mouth with ripe clingy deep cherry fruit and intense minerality, in a soft, dry, and improbably lithe package.  Good acidity too. A barely noticeable amount of very fine-grained tannin provides some texture, and the finish is long and pure.  I like that the fruit and terroir shine through and there's no noticeable oak component.  A.  Was $18.99 from Wines Til Sold Out (wtso.com) making it a great value.  Imported by Superior Wines, Cranford, NJ.

2009 Jean-Marie Arnoux VACQUEYRAS (Rhone Valley, France)

More on the austere than generous side (which is surprising for the vintage), it's a rustic but serviceable Rhone.  It wouldn't faze me if this were an $8 Cotes du Rhone (though even at that price I wouldn't buy it again), but at $20, it's way overpriced.

Dark black ruby.  Fairly intense but rather severe nose of iodine, scorched earth, and blackberry skins.  Dark, low-toned, bitter-tinged flavors of scorched earth and blackberry skin.  Lots of gritty tannin too, though the finish is clingy and long.  Seems to lack energy.  Drink up, because this isn't going to get any better.  C.  Was $19.99 at Total Wine in McLean.  Imported by Wm. Deutsch  & Sons, White Plains, NY.

2008 William Knuttel PINOT NOIR (Sonoma Coast, Cal.)

This is one of the best moderately-priced Pinot Noirs I've encountered.  Flavorful, fragrant, complex, and soft.

Medium ruby with a slight ambering at the rim.  Engaging nose with lots of stuff going on:  Soft, sappy cherries, peat moss, maple syrup, root beer, and crushed stone.  Instantly mouth-filling, with ripe, dried sweet cherry syrup, smoked meat, lots of stony minerals, and a smoky not-quite-as-sharp-as-graphite-but-still-darkish component that clings to the sides of the mouth.  Lengthy finish that you wish would be even longer.  Fairly full body.  A teensy bit of tannin. My only quibble is that the acidity is lower than I'd ideally like.  A-.  So much more enjoyable than 50% of the Burgundy Premier Crus out there at double the price.  Was $22.99 from WineAccess.com.

2009 Vincent Girardin FLEURIE "Domaine de la Chapelle" "Vieilles Vignes" (Beaujolais, France)

I usually go for old-school, traditional-tasting wines.  Particularly with Beaujolais, where the old school has tight, intensely stony, refreshing and linear wines, and the new school (DeBouef and many of the negociants) is, to my taste, muddled, sometimes flabby, and usually uninteresting. This one is not old school, but, dang, it's good!  This is how modern style should be done.

Strikingly deep, pure, violet-tinged ruby.  Wonderfully inviting nose of juicy plums and sweet, dark cherries along with a tangy, powdered stone note.  Bone dry, yet ripe and juicy in the mouth.  Nicely structured, with refreshing acids and a little but of very fine-grained tannin.  Nice purity.  A joy to drink.  Great balance too.  The only thing it lacks is a bit more minerally complexity, but it's Beaujolais, so maybe I'm being too analytically hard on it.  A-.  Imported by Vineyard Brands, I got this for $14.99 from Winex.com.

2009 Martin Schaetzel PINOT BLANC "Cuvee Reserve" (Alsace, France)

A textbook example of this inexpensive Alsace staple.  When done right, an Alsace Pinot Blanc can be (to me, anyway) a lot more fun to drink than its more famous and well-distributed price-point competitors, the inexpensive Chardonnays from Macon.

Light, bright silvery-gold with a nice light green glint.  Inviting nose of orange blosson and honey-inflected golden delicious apples.  Bone dry, ripe, soft, and energetic in the mouth.  Loads of minerally apple and pear-skin fruit fills the mouth, with surprising body.  Finish is very minerally and long, with a little alcoholic heat that is surprising given how fun and casual the nose and initial flavors seem.  B+.  Was $16.99 from Whole Foods in Old Towne Alexandria (I think).  Imported by ViniFrance Imports, Alexandria.

2009 William Knuttel "Musica Vina" ZINFANDEL (Sonoma County, Cal.)

A solid, flavorful, if not elegant, Zin.  Pretty decent value.

Nice, lively, dark ruby color.  Nose shows good blackberry/boysenberry fruit, accompanied by a note of brown sugar and a rustic, slightly scorched earthy/minerally streak.  Mouthfilling and chunky, with good flavor density.  Dusty tannin coats the mouth as low-toned, low acid blackberry skin fruit and a peaty/iodiney/irony component fill the taste buds.  Long and clingy.  It's a rustic style of Zin, and far from elegant, but it was a pretty good value at $12.99 from Wines Til Sold Out (wtso.com).  B.  Would work very well with pasta with red meat sauces or red-sauced pizza.