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.

2004 Ercavio TEMPRANILLO Roble (Tierra de Castilla, Spain)

This was a flavorful, balanced wine.

Dark black ruby. Sweet nose of fresh plum and blackberry juice, lemon peel, charcoal, and sweet cream. Concentrated, medium-bodied, with ripe, balanced flavors of black fruit and smoky, chalky minerals. Long, balanced finish. An elegant wine at a bargain price: $9 at Central Market. 88.

1 + 1 = 3 CABERNET SAUVIGNON ROSE (Penedes, Spain)

A very powerful, intense rose.

Deep pink/garnet color. Terrific, forceful nose of strawberries and cold plums, tomato skins, and minerals. Vigorous, lively flavors of cherries and chalky minerals. Big but balanced, this wine was also crisp, dry, and refreshing. Loaded with character. 88. Great for summer cookouts.

2003 Chateau Signac COTES DU RHONE VILLAGES-CHUSCLAN "Cuvee Terra Amata" (France)

This was pretty good, but not worth the price.

Dark black ruby. Light intensity nose of scorched earth and mixed berries. Round and full in the mouth, with nice but subdued flavors -- blackberries, chocolate, charcoal. Balanced, mellow finish. A very "laid back" wine. 86. Was about $17 at Spec's on Richmond.

2001 Marchesi di Barolo BAROLO (Piemonte, Italy)

This was so cheap for a Barolo -- $18 at Kroger's at Buffalo Speedway -- that I had to try it. It wasn't bad, but, objectively speaking, it wasn't worth the money.

Medium light garnet color. The first night I opened it, the nose and flavors were very tight and closed. I put it under a Vacu-vin closure and then didn't get around to re-tasting it until 4 days later. It was much better then. Lots of chokecherry and menthol on the nose. Not very concentrated, but correct Nebbiolo flavors (winey cherries & minerals). Pretty good finish. Would have been good if it were a generic Nebbiolo d'Alba appellation, but for a Barolo, it was disappointing. 86.

2005 Peachy Canyon "Westside" ZINFANDEL (Paso Robles, California)

From one of my favorite regions for Zinfandel (Paso Robles), this wine was good, but not quite up to expectations.

Dark ruby color, but not as saturated as I like. Classic Zin nose of briary, spicy raspberries, with lots of Paso Robles minerality. A tad on the lean side, but still fairly concentrated, this wine had dark, ripe, minerally fruit and full body. Fairly long, balanced finish. Were it a bit lush and concentrated, this could have been very special. 87. Was $19.99 at Central Market (and I've seen it at the Richard's at Welayan & Bissonnet for the same price).

Is it just me, or are Zinfandels getting leaner and less concentrated across the board? My current thesis is that this varietal's gain in popularity over the last 10 years has led growers to increasingly overcrop (so they can sell more grapes or wine), leading to thinner, less concentrated wines.

2004 Alto Moncayo "VERATON" (Campo de Borja, Spain)

This 100% Grenache (Garnacha) wine was amazing.

Deep black ruby. Nose roars out of the glass with deep scents of vanilla and gingerbread, fragrant woodsmoke, and richly oozing blackberries and raspberries. Rich, massive, and balanced in the mouth, all at once. Intense flavors of ripe cassis and blackberry, roasted coffee beans and smoke, and a minerally undercurrent. Very long finish.

Reminded me of a top-notch Pomerol (yes, I know those are largely Merlot, but that's what this tasted like). This is a very special wine for the price (around $20 at Spec's on Richmond). 93.

2005 Gallo Family PINOT NOIR "Sonoma Reserve" (Sonoma County, California)

This was kind of thin and undernourished. Bright crystalline ruby. Light intensity nose of minerals, vaguely gingerbready spice, and tart cherries. Pleasant, but rather thin flavors of cherries and bitterish minerals. Finish fades quickly, with too much acid showing through. 78. About $13 at Spec's.

2005 Artazuri GARNACHA (Navarra, Spain)

A pretty good value. Deep ruby with magenta at the rim. Bright nose of crushed rock dust and spicy raspberries. Lively mouthfeel, with flavors of raspberry, cherry, and stony minerals. Not complex,but very pure-tasting. Would go well with a wide variety of foods: pasta dishes, braised meats, grilled burgers, pizza, etc. Think of it as a Spanish version of a Brouilly or Fleurie with a tad more tannic structure. Drink over the next year. 86. Was $8 or $9 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2005 Alfred Merkelbach Kinheimer Rosenberg RIESLING Kabinett (Mosel, Germany)

Very light, bright, silvery-gold. Fresh nose of flowers, peaches, and ripe, crisp apples, with a lightly minerally undertones. Soft, ripe, and balanced in the mouth, with light body, and fairly straightforward but refreshing flavors of crisp apples. Fairly sweetish, rather simple finish. 85.

2004 Casa Castillo JUMILLA Monastrell (Spain)

A pretty good, kinda funky wine.

Deep, saturated ruby garnet color. very deep-toned nose of scorched earth, and roasted fruit and meat. Massive in the mouth, with lots of very dark, black fruits, unsweetened dark chocolate, and iodine flavors. Some heat and a fair amount of tannin (not coarse) in the finish. The grapes were probably picked just a tad too ripe, resulting in a huge wine -- on the verge of being overly-extracted and overblown, but still pretty good in a unique way. 85. Was about $12 at Spec's on Richmond.

2005 Verget du Sud Grenache-Cabernet Sauvignon "Endes" (Southern France)

Another unpleasant wine from this formerly reliable producer. Nose primarily revealing scents of alcohol, acetate, and acid, obscuring a limited amount of fruit underneath from all but the least recoiling sniffers. Flavors to match. D-. Was less than $10 at Spec's, but I probably wouldn't drink a full glass if you paid me 10 bucks. Avoid.

2004 Viu Manent MALBEC "Reserve" (Colchagua Valley, Chile)

This was an excellent value. Worth seeking out and comparing to $50+ Bordeaux. Malbecs can frequently be a little on the rustic and earthy side for me, but this one kept those characteristics in check and was superb.



Deep ruby garnet. Enthralling nose of wood smoke, freshly roasted coffee beans, and dark current jam. Deep and flavorful in the mouth, with some noticeable but fairly soft (for Malbec, anyway) tannin. Deep, long flavors of earth, crushed rocks, coffee, and dry cassis extract. Very, very nice, and has such nice depth that a year or two of cellaring will probably soften it a bit without drying up. Was $12.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire a couple of months ago (so I'm not sure whether it's still there). 89.

2005 Charles Koehly RIESLING "Saint Hippolyte" (Alsace, France)

This dry French Riesling was very good-to-excellent.

Darkish brassy gold color. Striking nose of bright peach/pear/apple fruit, stony minerals, with notes of flowers and sweet, milky tea. Soft, round, and very minerally in the mouth, with persistent flavors and balanced acidity. While the flavors were very good, they didn't quite live up the the amazing nose. 88. (91 for the nose by itself!). Was about $20 at Spec's on Smith.

2004 Cellier Pinol "PORTAL" (Tierra Alta, Spain)

This wine is 20% Cabernet, 20% Garnacha, 20% Merlot, 20% Tempranillo, and 20% Syrah. The Wine Advocate gave this a glowing review but I didn't like it that well: too tannic and rustic for my taste.

Saturated black ruby color. Closed nose, with scorched earth and some cassis being the primary discernible components. Rich, but coarsely tannic in the mouth. Somewhat astringent as well. To its credit, there is a lot of deep fruit underneath the tannic veil, but this style is just way too rustic for me. Also, my experience is that age doesn't help wines this grittily tannic soften up at all. 79. Was $12 at Spec's on Smith.

2005 "Menage a Trois" (California Red Table Wine)

This is an under $10, widely-available blend of 80% Zin, and 10% each Cabernet and Merlot. It's not bad in a pinch, and is perfectly well-made, but it's got so much fruit and so little else that its lack of any complexity is noticeable.

Deep ruby with purple highlights. Ripe grapey, blackberry, plummy aromas dominate, with a tad of gingerbready spice WAY in the background. Round, flavorful, and soft in the mouth, with lots of sweet, ripe fruit, but there is such little body/alcohol for this level of ripeness that it almost seems like a soft drink. This leads me to wonder whether the winery carted this wine off in bulk to undergo reverse osmosis or some other alcohol reduction manipulation. Some residual sugar in the finish as well. Can take a little chill for summertime quaffing. 81. Is less than $10 at Spec's and lots of supermarkets.

2005 Vincent Girardin RULLY "Vieilles Vignes" (White Burgundy)

Superb, precisely-focused Chardonnay.

Exceedingly pale gold color. Gorgeously vibrant nose of grass, sweet spices with a hint of butter, stony minerals, and appley/pear-like fruit. Soft, sensually-textured mouthfeel, with gentle but concentrated, persistent flavors of citrus oil, stones, and crisp apples. A very elegant Chardonnay done in a style that is the antithesis of its often flabby, buttery, oaky, cloying California cousins. 90. Was about $21 at Spec's on Smith.

A Cotes du Rhone at Age 6 -- 2001 Perrin RASTEAU "L'Andeol" Cotes du Rhone-Villages (Southern France)

I had this wine last 2 years ago, rating it an 89 and opining that it was at or near its peak. Found a bottle in the closet and tried it recently, and it was definitely on the decline.

Deep black ruby with a brickish tint. Spicy nose at first with scorched earth, menthol, and some plummy fruit. Peppery, scorched-earthy, winey, but surprisingly deep flavors at first, with some astringency and still some sharp tannins in the finish. As it sat, however, the fruit faded and the wine's astringency took over, as frequently happens with fairly full-bodied reds on the decline. 86 at first, and declining from there as the night went on.

2004 Rene Mure PINOT BLANC "Tradition" (Alsace, France)

I love Alsace whites. This one's a very good value entry-level Alsace wine with lots of flavor and nice balance.

Very light gold color with a slightly greenish tint. Beautifully fruity, bright nose of peach and citrus oil, with toasty minerals. Soft, round, and relatively concentrated and persistent flavors of apples and pungent minerals. Medium-full body, with a little heat showing through at the end of a pretty long, clean finish. 87. Was a very good value at $11.99 at Richard's on Shepherd.

2004 d'Arenberg GRENACHE "The Custodian" (McLaren Vale, Australia)

This wine shows the rustic side of Grenache.

Dark black ruby. Nose very peppery and woodsy, with ripe, spicy raspberry fruit taking a secondary role instead of its usual position in the driver's seat. Full-bodied, with lots of deep-toned minerals, pepper, and ripe black raspberry fruit. Long, peppery finish. 86. I think this was around $16-$17, but I can't remember where I got it.

Steaks and wine in Chicago

Went to the annual INTA (International Trademark Association) conference earlier this week. This year was in Chicago. My buddy Frank Duffin and I, as per tradition, hit the steak houses for a couple of nice dinners. First was Gene and Georgetti's. Not the most refined setting, and the wine list wasn't so hot, but the prime, dry-aged T-bone was tremendous. Had a 2004 St. Hallet Shiraz from Australia with it. The wine was not as jammy as many Aussie Shirazes, with somewhat higher acidity and tighter than I expected. Not bad, but not great.


The next night Frank and I, along with our friend Alex from Madrid, hit the Chicago Chop House, one of my favorite steak houses in the country. Their daily "off the menu" special, which I've had several times, is the Chop House Prime Rib. It's a prime, dry-aged ribeye cooked a special way: first it's roasted on the entire rib rack until just bloody, bloody rare, then sliced into individual ribeye steaks and seared to order. Even though I usually order a Strip, T-bone, or Porterhouse everywhere else, here, this cut is amazing. The wine was a 2004 J. Rochioli Russian River Valley Estate Pinot Noir -- a perfumed, concentrated, extraordinary PN whose ethereally light mouthfeel was hard to believe given its concentration of sappy, fragrant Pinot fruit and its length.








For dessert, we walked over to oENOlogy, a nearby wine, cheese, and chocolate joint in the Intercontinental Hotel. Amazingly, they had three different half bottles of Alois Kracher Austrian dessert wines on their list. We ordered a 1999 Alois Kracher #6 - Grande Cuvee Nouvelle Vague Trockenbeerenauslese. This wine was tremendously honeyed and rich, with lots of apricot and date fruit, and high enough acidity to buoy it all up. A great way to end the evening.

2005 Carchelo MONASTRELL (Jumilla, Spain)

Had the 2004 of this wine awhile back, and it was very good (and cheap) (link). So's this one.

Crystalline dark black ruby. Nose of crushed rocks, scorched earth, and blackberries swimming in sweet cream. Youthfully tight -- I'm noticing that lots of the 2005s from Spain are like that -- yet soft in the mouth. Filled with balanced, concentrated flavors of dry blackberry extract and high-toned crushed rocks. Lengthy, minerally finish, with some pepperiness and angularity that should resolve and soften in the next year or so. 87+. Good value at about $8-9 at Central Market (I think).

2005 Vina Salamanca (50% Rufete, 50% Tempranillo) (Castilla Y Leon, Spain)

This was a pretty good value.

Dark, sparkling, magenta-tinged black ruby. Assertive nose of crunchy berries, sweet cream, and powdered rocks. Vibrant, youthful flavors of resiny cherry/raspberry fruit, granite, and peppercorns. A little angular and elbow-y in the mouth, but that should settle down and round-out in the next year. Good, pure, long finish, with lots of fruit and some youthful tannin. 86+. Was about $8 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2004 Tenuta Villanova PINOT GRIGIO (Friuli, Italy)

This wine had loads of character. I'm not usually a Pinot Grigio fan, as so many of them are akin to glasses of water tainted by some faint bitterness and acidity. This one, however--which was given to us as a gift--was really good.

Bright, light, brassy-gold with a greenish tint. Intense nose of minerals, peach pits, and earthy herbs. Round, mouthfilling, minerally flavors. Bone dry, with excellent balance, and a long finish. This would be superb with Brodetto (a fish stew from the Marche region of Italy) or pasta with a red fish sauce. 88. A quick search on the Internet shows that most stores selling this price it at around $12, making it a very good value.

2003 Tenuta Le Farnete CARMIGNANO (Tuscany, Italy)

A flash-in-the-pan wine: good up-front fragrance and flavors, but a very short finish.

Dark, brickish-blood ruby. Spicy, smoky nose, with gingery spice and smoky balsa wood & berries. A burst of fruit, minerals, and scorched earth quickly fades, however, into a lean, minerally/earthy finish. 83. Was about $18 at Spec's on Richmond.

Quick Notes on Easter Wines

These are quick, truncated notes from memory.


NV Veuve Cliquot Brut (Champagne) -- toasty, full-bodied, intense and bone dry. Nice balance.





2004 Domaine Bott-Geyl "Pinot d'Alsace" -- a blend of 35% Pinot Blanc, 35% Pinot Auxerrois, 20% Pinot Gris, and 10% Pinot Noir. It was very nice, and I think it was around $14. Fragrance of orange skins and peach, lots of fruit and mineral flavors. Crisp and dry.





2000 Domaine Pavillon-Mercurol Crozes-Hermitage -- when last tasted a year or so ago, this was still holding beautifully. This bottle was over the hill, however, with the fruit drying up.







2003 Las Rocas Vinas Viejas GARNACHA (Calatayud, Spain) -- much leaner and more astringent than the excellent 2001 version I previously reviewed.





2004 Rosenblum Monte Rosso Vineyard ZINFANDEL Reserve -- I saved the best for last. This was a wonderful, powerful Zin. Huge aromas of port-like fruit and lots of oak spice and pepper. Rich, powerful, ripe, minerally flavors. Massive body, yet still retained elegance.

Non-vintage Patrick LeSec "Petite Crau" (Southern France)

Patrick LeSec is an excellent broker/negociant of wines from around the Rhone Valley and Provence. This is his bargain basement-priced red. It's got a lot of character for the money.

Deep ruby garnet. Fragrant nose of sweet, spiced cream, sweet-tart plums, and sandstone. Intense, lean flavors of minerals, scorched earth, dark cherries, and baker's chocolate. A bit angular, but delivers lots of galumphy flavor. Fairly long finish, with some rustic-feeling tannin. 86. Was $8 and change at Spec's on Richmond.

2004 Thorn-Clarke "Terra Barossa" SHIRAZ (Barossa Valley, Australia)

I drank this about 2 months ago but lost the notes temporarily.

It was excellent. Deep, opaque ruby (like blood). Deep nose, too, of cassis, blueberry syrup, hot sandstone, and smoky graphite. Dense, deep, and dry, with flavors of ripe cassis, minerals, and salty iodine. Very distinctive. Well-integrated tannins are barely discernible but provide nice structure. Long, smoky finish. 90. Will hold for another 2-3 years or so. Can't remember where I got it, but it was definitely around $15.

2005 Revolution SHIRAZ (McLaren Vale, Australia)

This was a very rich, elegant Shiraz.


Dense, sataurated black ruby color. Rich nose of black raspberry ice cream, balsa wood, and grilled meat. Dense, deep, oaky, iodine-y, salty flavors. Richly-extracted, but not overly jammy like lots of Shirazes. Long, soft finish. Macho and refined at the same time. 90. Was about $18 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2005 CAMPOS REALES (La Mancha, Spain)

A very good value. Lots of flavor for the money.


Deep, bright, luminescent ruby. Super-rich, ripe plummy-blackberry nose, with some gingerbread/scorched balsa wood notes. Rich, dense, ripe, and full-bodied. Not a heck of a lot of complexity, but lots of flavor and a rich texture. Big and satisfying. 100% Tempranillo grape, which is surprising to me because I usually figure Tempranillo based wines to be more the elegant, medium-bodied type. This was under $10, but I can't remember if I got it at Spec's or Central Market. 88.

UPDATE (4/3): Saw this last night at Central Market for $7.99.

2003 Domaine Fourrier MOREY-ST. DENIS "Clos Solon" Vieille Vigne (Burgundy, France)

This was a truly decadent wine.

Rich, vibrant ruby, with no trace of lightening or ambering at the rim. Extravagantly perfumed, almost indescribable nose: watermelon, black cherry cola, ginger root, spearmint, freshly-baked bread, and minerals. Intense, forward, full-bodied flavors of cherry liqueur, minerals, pepper, and scorched earth. Long, perfumey finish with a little heat and tannin in the back end. With just a touch more concentration in the back of the palate, this would have been nearly perfect. As it is, it is superb, and is a great example of why Pinot Noir is such an amazing grape. 92. Was $29.99 -- and worth every penny and more -- from Flickinger Wines in Chicago.

2005 Abrazo GARNACHA (Carinena, Spain)

This is a fantastic value. At $6.99, it's a great choice for a big party or cook-out.

Medium ruby withbright magenta glints. Bright, sassy nose of spicy raspberr juice and flinty minerals. Soft, round, mouthfilling flavors of sappy raspberries -- not that concentrated, complex, or deep, but lots of fun, upfront fruit. Pretty good, balanced finish. Drink by the fall. This wine could even take a slight chill for summertime drinking. 87. Got it at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2004 Cambria Santa Maria Valley CHARDONNAY "Katherine's Vineyard" (California)

This widely-available white is very good, and shows a much more restrained use of oak than most other California chardonnays, and so avoids that cloying, overly-sweet butterscotchy character I've grown sick of. It also avoids the slight residual sugar sweetness that many California producers leave in their Chardonnays.

Light straw gold color. Sweet nose of tropical fruit, with wet stones and some subtle butterscotch in the background. Rich, intense flavors of minerals, pear, and grape skins. Full-bodied, long, dry finish. A hybrid California/French style, but show more resemblance to the French branch of the family. Reminiscent of a top-flight Pouilly-Fuisse. 88. Was $16 on sale at Randall's a couple of months ago, but I think most stores now stock the 2005, which I haven't had yet.

2005 A to Z Oregon PINOT NOIR

Now here's a very nice French-styled Pinot Noir. Medium garnet/ruby. Delicate nose of spicy cherries, minerals, earth, and birch beer. Soft, silky, and dry in the mouth, with a feminine style and lengthy, light-bodied flavors. No jammy-ness at all. In fact, it's almost on the austere side. Like a very good village wine from Beaune or Volnay. 87. $17.99 at Central Market.

2003 Echelon "Driving Range Vineyard" ZINFANDEL (Contra Costa County)

Here's a repulsive glass of wine. Smells and tastes of nail polish remover and rancid prunes. F. Is it just this bottle? Or all of this lot? I'm not going to find out. If someone cares enough to find out, please let me know.

2005 "GARNACHA de Fuego" Old Vines (Bodegas Zabrin) (Calatayud, Spain)

This was a very good value. Imported by Jorge Ordonez, a great source for Spanish wines, this wine had a vivid dark ruby color. Vibrant nose of crunchy raspberries & blueberries, with some of the classic rock dust-y/minerally scents that frequently grace the Grenache-based wines of the Calatayud region. Dense and youthful in the mouth, with lots of straightforward raspberry/black cherry fruit, and some noticeable rustic tannin as well. Needs a year or so to settle down and drop some of the coarser tannin, but hard to resist now with pasta dishes and stews. Nice balance and length. 87+. Was $7.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2002 Peteroa CARMENERE Reserve (Central Valley, Chile)

This wine wasn't bad, but was made in a style that I don't like much.

Medium ruby with some brick at the rim. Nose very closed at first, giving up only vaguely cardboardy scents. I then put it under a Vacu-Vin closure for almost a week and forgot about it (I would estimate that this is the equivalent of about 4-8 hours in a decanter). When I later re-opened it, somewhat more pleasant (though not particularly assertive) scents of sweet cream, boysenberries, and dusty earth came forward. In the mouth, it reminded me of a middle of the road Bordeaux from a relatively cool year. It was kind of austere, but had decent concentration and length. 84. If you want to try this, I would definitely recommend opening and decanting it several hours ahead of time. Would match nicely with simple roasted or grilled lamb, but little else. $10.40 at Spec's on Richmond.

2004 Lengs & Cooter "The Victor" SHIRAZ (South Australia)

This wine is usually a decent value and not that expensive.

Deep ruby color. Rich nose of blackberries, cedary pencil-shavings, and sweet cream. Soft, ripe, salty fruit in the mouth: sappy raspberry and blackberry, with some minerality underneath. Soft, relatively long finish, with no tannin left to speak of and relatively full body. Very nice, balanced, if not complex, Shiraz. 88. Was $14 and change at Spec's on Richmond.

2005 Sebastiani Sonoma Coast PINOT NOIR (California)

This was a pretty good value for a Pinot Noir.

Bright, sparkling ruby with purplish glints. Sweet nose of cherry cola, pomegranate, and fragrant foresty scents. Rich, ripe fruit (dry blackberry and plum essences) with lots of stony mineral flavors. Very expressive. Not complex or Burgundian, but lots of character. 87. Very good value (for a Pinot Noir) at $14.50 at Spec's on Richmond.

Caveat: I had a couple of glasses of this two nights in a row, and each night, it clobbered me. I felt completely bombed. Every once in a while, a wine will do this to me. It usually doesn't have any correlation to the stated alcohol level. I have no idea what causes this, although the last time it happened it was also a pretty good-tasting California wine (reviewed here.)

2004 Espelt SAULO (Emporado, Spain)

A gutsy blend of Garnacha and Carinena (grenache and carignane), but too tannic at present.

Saturated, blood-like black ruby. Medium intensity, deep-toned nose of blackberry liqueur, graphite, and sweet cream. Deep-toned flavors as well, with lots of scorched earth and a tad of cassis. Some chalky tannins and lemony astringency shorten up the finish. Needs a couple of years to drop some of the coarse tannins, and I bet when it does, the finish will lengthen and smooth out a bit. 84+ Was $10 at Central Market.

2005 Mas Carlot ROSE "Cuvée Tradition" (Rhone Valley, France)

This was an excellent, food-friendly rosé.

Bright pink color with a slight orangey tint. Although an orangey tint in a rosé isn't usually a good thing -- usually it means the wine is losing freshness -- this wine was in perfect condition and will drink well for another several months.

Fresh ripe nose of raspberries and strawberries, with a bit of fragrant, earthy minerality. Beautiful, fruity, bright, mouthfilling flavors. Not complex, but who cares. Lots of fun to drink with spicy dishes. 89. $9 at many Richard's stores.

2003 Alexander Valley Vineyards "TWO BARREL" (50% Syrah, 50% Merlot)

I've seen this around for a while and have had it on my mind to try. Not bad, but not a repeat purchase.

Dark ruby color. Nose promises more than the flavors deliver. Sweet scents of blackberries and graphite, with a lemony component that's nice on the nose but hints at the excess acidity that mars the palate. In the mouth, the acidity pinches the flavors and shortens the finish. I'm pretty sure it was added by the winemaking crew, since the alcohol is listed at 14%, and it doesn't seem likely that that much acidity was present in grapes that had enough sugar to reach that level of alcohol. 83. Was about $14 or $15 at Spec's on Smith.

2005 Tait "The Ball Buster" (82% Shiraz, 9% Cabernet, 9% Merlot) (Barossa Valley, Australia)

If the winery was looking for a risque name that fit this voluptuous, rich, silky wine, I could have thought of something much more fitting. (I won't say what because this is a family blog!).



Saturated, dense black ruby-purple. Decadent nose of overripe blackberries, vegetal cigar leaf, graphite, and oak. Soft, mouthfilling flavors of deep, dark fruit and wood. Loads of tannin, but it's extra soft and ripe. Not a complex, elegant damsel, but more like a cross between Elvira, Anna Nicole Smith, and Tyra Banks. 90. $19 at Spec's on Smith. Drink over the next year or two.

2004 "2 Up" SHIRAZ (South Australia)

Not bad, but a tad over-acidified, perhaps? Deep black brickish ruby. Minerally nose -- lots of crushed rocks and scorched earth -- with graphite and cassis (kind of like a stereo with lots of bass and treble but no mid-range). Austere but fairly intense flavors of minerals, dry cassis, and lemony acidity. Would be nice with pasta or meats in tomato-y sauces, but otherwise the acidity would stand out too much. 85. Was about $12 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2004 Marquis Phillips SHIRAZ (Southeast Australia)

Another excellent value from this consistent producer of FLAVORFUL wines.

Deep, dark ruby garnet color. Decadent, intensely oaky and fruity nose: sweet blackberries, smoky oak, minerals, overripe lemons. Rich, deep, salty and jammy flavors of dry blackberry preserves and graphite. Very powerful and full-bodied. A real mouthful. With a tad more complexity this would have been amazing, but it's excellent as is. 89. Drink by end of 2007. (Interestingly, I'm not sure that I liked this any better than its cheaper sibling, ROOGLE RED, reviewed previously here.) $14 at Spec's.

2003 Thierry et Pascale Matrot MEURSAULT "Les Chevalières" (White Burgundy, France)

This wasn't bad for a relatively cheap ($18) Meursault, but it reinforces my theory that there simply aren't ANY good values in Burgundy's Côte d'Or region.

Elegant but somewhat low-key nose of honey and pear, with some stony earthiness underneath. Nice, simple flavors of smoky minerals and pear skin. Decent but somewhat short finish. Not a particularly distinguished white burgundy ("Les Chevalières" is not a premier cru vineyard), but I don't get to taste Meursaults that often, so it was worth the flyer to try it. 86. Got it at flickingerwines.com.

2004 "Vivir, Vivir" (Ribera del Duero, Spain)

Eh. Saturated black ruby color, with hints of magenta seems promising, but the nose and taste fail to deliver. Nose closed, with a few parts per million of high-toned cherry/raspberry fruit and vaguely minerally scents. Tight, somewhat high acid flavors of cherry, scorched earth, and minerals. Substantial, somewhat coarse tannins and a bitterish finish. A couple of years in the bottle may soften up the texture a bit, but I can't guarantee that. 80. Was $8.13 at Spec's on Smith.

2004 Cline "Ancient Vines" MOURVÈDRE (Contra Costa County, Cal.)

This wine is pretty consistently an excellent value. Back in the late 80s and early 90s, I think that Cline used to call this wine the "Oakley Cuvée." Sometime in the 1990s, they started calling it by its current name. I still remember the 1990 Oakley Cuvée, which I bought at a wine shop for about $8 while visiting San Francisco in November 1993. In the last several years, I've had the 2000 (excellent), the 2001 (very good), the 2002 (eh), and the 2003 (chunky but simple). The 2004 is back to excellent!

Dark black ruby. Rich nose of blackberry/blueberry juice, high-toned fragrant wood smoke, and steely minerals. A broad, voluptuous mouthfeel with deep flavors of salty, mulled red fruit, peaty earth, and sandstone. Long finish. Balanced, deep, and lots of fun to drink. An excellent value at $12.71 at Spec's on Smith. 89.

2004 Marquis Phillips ROOGLE RED (80% Shiraz 20% Cabernet) (South Australia)

Another ridiculous value from Australia, this wine has tons of character for the money.

Dark, saturated black ruby color. In-your-face nose of cassis, blackberry liqueur, fragrant wood smoke, and graphite. Rich, dense, full-bodied flavors: blackberry extract, scorched earth, pencil lead, minerals. Long finish. No tannin left, to speak of. Drink over the next year for maximum intensity fruit. Superb. 90. $10.65 at Spec's on Richmond.

2004 Sipacha GARNACHA (Calatayud, Spain)

I think this is a made-up name for another bottling from the San Gregorio co-op that operates in this region. I'm sure I've seen that name on another Calatayud-region Garnacha in the past.

Anyway, this is another winner. I love the Grenaches (a/k/a Garnachas) from Calatayud. At their best, they have a spicy, piercing raspberry fruitiness and an intense rock-dusty mineraliness -- and this one is a textbook example. Great balance, persistence, and character for the price. Very food-flexible. 88. Was $9.99 at Central Market.

UPDATE (3/09/07): I was right. The other label this co-op uses is Tres Ojos, the 2003 of which I previously reviewed here.

Super Bowl Wines

Just some truncated, non-scored notes from memory (while my memory's fresh).

1999 Père Pape CHÂTEAUNEUF DU PAPE "La Crau de ma Mère" -- I think this was a year or two past its prime. The rich grenache fruit I expected was replaced by very earthy, resiny flavors, and the texture was drying out a bit. Still very good, but paled by comparison to the next wine.

2002 Ridge GEYSERVILLE (84% Zinfandel, with Carignane and Petite Sirah) (Alexander Valley, Cal.) -- I had this one last around Thanksgiving 2005, and, contrary to my expectations, it was showing better now. In 2005, I noted that this wine tasted more like an Amarone than a Zin, but this time, the rich, deep, earthy Zin character of the Alexander Valley was singing. Definitely at it peak, this was a superb wine. Depth, length, complexity, balance. Everything.

Made manly food -- Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches (from scratch -- there's a great recipe in The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian) to go with the wines in honor of the Super Bowl.

2005 Paringa SHIRAZ "Individual Vineyard" (South Australia)

This winery frequently puts out some very good values. This one is an excellent value in a flavorful Shiraz that's more complex than is usually available for under $10.

Dark black ruby/violet. Nice nose of deep, ripe berries, lemons, and graphite. Rich, but not jammy like many other Aussie Shirazes, on the palate. More on the lean side. Cassis and smoky mineral flavors. Very good length. Lots of wine for the money. It will hold for a year or two, so grab a few bottles now. 88. Was $8.17 at Spec's on Richmond.

2004 Pierre-Marie Chermette (Domaine du Vissoux) FLEURIE "Les Garants" (Beaujolais, France)

I was disappointed with this one, which is made by one of my favorite Beaujolais producers.

Medium garnet-ruby. Light intensity nose of freshly-mowed grass, grapes, and granite. Light-bodied, fresh flavors of minerals, granite, and tart grapes. A little underripe in my view and not terribly concentrated. The salty, minerally finish was more intense than the flavors on entry. 83. Was $19 and change at Spec's on Smith.

2004 Domaine de L'Espigouette "Plan de Dieu" CÔTES DU RHÔNES VILLAGES (Rhône Valley, France)

A fabulous example of an old-fashioned red from the Southern Rhône.

Medium ruby color belies the intense nose and flavors that follow. Intense nose of herbs, iodine, olives, and earth. With air, sappy, oozing spicy raspberry juice shows up also. A dead ringer for a good, old style Gigondas. Lean, intense flavors of earth, olives, and berries. Full-bodied, with still a bit of soft tannin. Very distinctive. 90. Was $14.99 at Spec's on Richmond.

(For Austin readers, this is listed on the Austin Wine Merchant website for the same price.)

2005 Régis Minet POUILLY-FUMÉ "Vieille Vignes" (Loire Valley, France)

A textbook Pouilly-Fumé. Beautiful light silvery-gold color. Distinctive nose of salty seashells, wet metal, gun flint, and grape skins. Bracing and intense in the mouth, with tangy, minerally, lemon-herb flavors. Bone dry and strikingly delineated. Would be a beautiful counterpoint to sweet seafoods like shrimp or scallops. 89. Was $22.99 at Central Market. (The 2005 looks just like the phot of the 2003 pictured here.)

A Night of Crappy Wines

Well, I must have done something bad this week. Popped the cork on three crappy wines in a row tonight.

1998 Philippe Naddef GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN "Vieilles Vignes" -- A 9-year old red with no sediment: a bad sign right from the get-go. Means that someone filtered the living s___ out of it. Sour, barnyard-y nose. Nail polish too! Oh happy day! Sour flavors with lots of harsh tannin and loads of acid. F. Crickey, it's easy to get burned in Burgundy.

2004 Leapin Lizard Sonoma County ZINFANDEL -- Usually a good value winery, Leapin Lizard disappointed with this one. Pungent aroma of acetate kept the Zinfandel berries cowering like frightened Chihuahuas underneath. A bit more fruit than the preceding plonk, but acidic and diluted. 65.

2003 Cellier de Capcanes MAS DONIS "barrica" (Montsant, Spain) -- Parker gave this a glowing review, and it's imported by my favorite importer (Eric Solomon), but I think the winery pulled the ol' bait-and-switch. This wine literally tasted like someone dumped an equal amount of water into it. What flavors remained weren't bad, but the phrase "weak, watery, and worthless" pretty much sums this one up 69.

Burned the steak too. I'm going to bed.

2005 Bodegas Juan Gil "WRONGO DONGO" (Jumilla, Spain)

Now here's a widely-available red that's actually pretty good. I'm guessing that, since it's from the Jumilla region in Spain, it's all or mostly Monastrell (Mourvedre) grape. Medium intensity nose of raspberries and blueberries, with smoky minerals. Medium-bodied in the mouth, with decent (not great) concentration, and flavors of blueberries and the same smoky minerals. Decent finish. A good quality, widely-available red for weeknight dinners. 86. About $10 or $11 at Spec's, this wine is frequently discounted at lots of other places for less than $10.

2004 Dancing Bull California ZINFANDEL (and Lodi Zins in general)

I haven't had the basic Dancing Bull low-priced Zin in years, so I thought I'd try it again. I was not impressed.

The back label says the grapes were from the Lodi region, and the look, smell, and taste of this wine (unfortunately) confirmed that. A dullish black ruby color, this wine has a very loamy, earthy nose with ripe but slightly stale berries underneath. As it aired out, the earthiness subsided and the fruit freshened somewhat, but this style of Zin (loamy earthiness and dull fruit) is, to my mind, a dead giveaway that the grapes were sourced from the Lodi region.

Here's my biased take on Lodi Zins: in general, I'm not a fan. A little background is necessary. Zinfandel has become much more popular over the last 10 years. In the mid-1990s, it was the ugly duckling of California. As it began to gain in popularity, folks also started catching on to the fact that, all other things being equal, old vines make better wines. As these two phenomena occurred, the demand for "old vine" Zins from top-flight regions (such as Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, Napa, Sonoma Valley, Russian River Valley, Paso Robles, and Amador County) began to outstrip the remaining supply. Zin producers, to be able to continue to grow their Zin production to meet supply, began buying more and more Zin grapes from Lodi. (Lodi has LOTS of Zinfandel acreage, and before real Zinfandel re-surged in popularity, I imagine that most of it went into the crappy White Zinfandels that plagued dinner parties in the 1980s.) Initially, wineries didn't put the "Lodi" appellation on the bottle, presumably because no one knew where that was. (Lodi? Isn't that an old Creedence song?) They were sold under general appellations like "California" or "North Coast." But there were (and still are) lots of old vines there, so as "Old Vine" Zinfandel continued to regain in popularity, someone had the great idea to begin touting Lodi as a specific appellation for "old vine" Zin. Now, lots of producers actually put "Lodi" on the label.

Now to the part about taste and smell. Lodi is in the north part of the Central Valley, famous for huge fruit and veggie farms. Good wines are typically made in crappy, stony soil. Fruits and veggies like rich, fertile soil. My guess is that there's either something about the Lodi soil or the climate (or both) that is much more conducive to fruits and veggies than great Zin. Nonetheless, because it allows wineries to put "old vines" on the label, wineries are buying Zinfandel grapes there in increasing amounts. But I almost invariably find these wines to lack the vibrancy, depth, and complexity of Zins grown in the better regions listed above. Generally speaking, Lodi Zins are duller in color, duller in smell, and duller in taste. And they can have a wet-loamy earthiness. So don't be fooled -- this is not Class A real estate for Zinfandel. Sure, there's a few nice ones, but they're the exception, not the rule.

Back to Dancing Bull. Although I don't taste wines blind, I would like to think that I could have pegged this one as being from Lodi. It had the decent, simple, dullish, earthy fruit that I think is typical of Lodi. Nothing wrong with it, just a dullard. A non-repeat purchase. But because it's widely-available and cheap, you have my blessing to buy it if you're racing off to a party and have to stop at the local supermarket for something to shove at the hostess. $10 or under just about everywhere. 78.

2004 Trentadue "OLD PATCH RED" (Sonoma County, California)

Tasted pretty good, but I think this one was loaded with sulfites. My wife is a "canary in a coal mine" when it comes to sulfites. If she drinks a wine with lots of sulfites, her face flushes red and feels hot. That happened with this one. (It happens a lot to her at receptions and parties where cheap, mass-produced, industrial reds are served.)

To me it tasted fine and seemed like a very good value. Very classic sweet cream and mountain berry nose (very Zinfandel, which makes up 76% of the blend). Medium full body and rich ripe raspberry and earth flavors. Good finish, though not quite concentrated enough to make it outstanding. If I didn't know about the sulfite thing, I'd rate it an 87. But with the sulfite reaction my wife had, I won't get another bottle. Was $11.79 at Spec's on Richmond.

2003 Tommasi "Vigneto Rafael" VALPOLICELLA Classico Superiore (Veneto, Italy)

Textbook Valpo! Medium ruby color. Pretty nose of cherry candy, sweet lemons, and stones. Bright, light-bodied flavors of cherry-berry fruit, and smoky, high-toned minerals. A very food-friendly wine -- refreshing, flavorful, and balanced. 88. Easily the best 2003 I've had from the region. This is not a rich, blockbuster of a wine (which I like too), but is a wine that makes a perfect, restrained complement to a simple Italian meal (we had it with a great pasta dish*). Was about $12 at Spec's on Smith.

* The pasta was "Zita with Tomatoes, Capocollo, and Diced Mozzarella," from one of my favorite cookbooks, "The Italian Country Table," by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. Fortuitously, someone re-printed the recipe on the Internet -- in violation of copyright law! -- here.

New Feature, Voting Reminder

I will be adding graphics depicting the labels of wines I really liked a lot (if I can find pictures in the "Internets"). I've done it for a few of the more recent highly-recommended wines. I hope this will aid in finding these wines when out shopping.

In addition, here's a reminder that there are only 3 more days left to vote in the Wine Blog Awards thing. If you're inclined to vote, here's the link. The deadline is January 18.

2004 Can Blau MONTSANT (Spain)

This wine has a very funky label that is made up primarily of a bunch of diamond shapes arranged into a cross. Very little writing on it.

Anyway, it's excellent. A blend of basically 1/3 each of Carinena, Syrah, and Garnacha, this wine reminds me of a Spanish rendition of a Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel.

Medium dark black ruby. Nose was meaty and leathery at first, but then after 20 minutes or so began to showcase sweet, upfront ripe raspberry and blueberry syrup and wet granite. Soft, yet quite concentrated and balanced, this wine has full body and intense flavors of black raspberries and minerals. Long finish, with a barely perceptible bit of heat showing through at the end. Drinking really well right now. 89. Was about $13.49 at Richard's on South Shepherd (making it a very good value), but also available around $16 at Spec's.

2003 Ramos Pinto "ADRIANA" (Duoro, Portugal)

I expected more from a table wine from this long-established port house. Dark ruby color, but not particularly saturated. Light intensity nose of sweet cream and tart raspberries. Chalky flavors of cherry and crushed rock powder. Medium bodied, but with a decent finish. 81. Was about $11 or $12 at Kroger's on Westpark.

2005 Muirwood Arroyo Seco PINOT NOIR (Monterey County, California)

A cheap, but mediocre, Pinot Noir.

Medium light ruby. Decent, vaguely Pinot nose of cherry cough syrup, scorched earth, and pumpkin bread. Straightforward cherry flavors are marred somewhat by high acidity and some tannic astringency. A decent quaff, but there's so many better wines out there there's no reason to get a wine like this. 77. Was about $12 at Spec's on Richmond.

2005 BORSAO (Campo de Borja, Spain)

This perennial best buy is a best buy again in 2005.

Deep, fairly saturated purply/ruby color. Ripe, sweet blackberries augmented with crushed gravel on the nose. Round and full-bodied in the mouth, with rich, extracted flavors or berries and scorched earth. A bit of semi-course tannin and a little angularity on the finish are the only detractions, but that should resolve over the next year as the wine settles down and softens. Lots of wine for the money. 87. Was an unbelievable $5.67 at Spec's on Smith, but widely available elsewhere too.

Wine Blog Awards Voting

Unlike in regular politics, I'm not gonna tell ya how to vote in this election. But if you're interested in voting, here's the link. The deadline is January 18.

2003 Andezon CÔTES DU RHÔNE (France)

This supposed 100% Syrah Côtes du Rhône is nothing to write home about. Dark ruby color. Medium intensity nose: smoky balsa wood, peanuts, lemons, spicy strawberries. Medium-bodied, crisp, fairly intense flavors of straightforward fruit and earth. Fairly high acidity, particularly for a wine from such a hot year. But not the level of richness I expected from a Rhône wine imported by Eric Solomon, who is probably my favorite importer. 84. Would be OK with pizza or simple pasta dishes. Was $13.44 at Spec's on Smith.

2001 Ruffino CHIANTI CLASSICO "Reserva Ducale Oro" (Tuscany, Italy)

Infanticide. I committed infanticide. This highly-structured, concentrated wine needs at least 4 or 5 more years to grow up and settle down. I don't think I've ever had a Chianti this structured, backward, and concentrated (and it's already age 5!).

Saturated, youthful black ruby with magenta glints at the rim. Tight nose of spicy cherries, wood smoke, and lemony minerals. Tannic, austere, but concentrated and full-bodied flavors (mostly cherries, stones, and smoky earthiness). Long, tannic finish. A real keeper that will definitely improve with significant bottle age. 88++. Got this on sale at Fiesta (near Reliant Stadium) for $31. Also available at Spec's for $33.

2003 A to Z "OREGON CLARET"

A Bordeaux varietal blend, though it doesn't say anywhere on the label how much of what kind of grapes. Interestingly, it's from a state more known for its Burgundy and Alsace varietals (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris).

Medium ruby/garnet color. Interesting nose of herbal cherries, raspberry jam, and some pencil lead. Flavors of cassis and dusty baker's chocolate. Not a blockbuster, but everything in nice balance. Very Bordeaux-like . . . reminds me of a good Cru Bourgeois from the middle Medoc (Moulis or Listrac). Would go very well with grilled or roasted lamb. 87. Will hold a year or two. Was about $14 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2004 Torbreck "Woodcutter's SEMILLON" (Barossa Valley, Australia)

I occasionally have a hankerin' for a Semillon. Semillon, typically blended with Sauvignon Blanc in Bordeaux, gives, to my taste, a broad, horizontal palate impression and has a unique aromatic profile.

This is a TEXTBOOK, ripe, fully-extracted Semillon. Light bright, brassy gold. Very assertive nose of waxy lanolin scents, with ripe figs and toasty butterscotch. Full-bodied, concentrated, with low acidity and flavors of bitter pear, butter, and minerals. Long, minerally finish, with a tad of alcoholic heat lingering with the flavors in the back of the throat. A no-holds-barred white wine. 89. Drink in the next several months. Was a very good value for $13.22 at Spec's on Richmond (just outside the Loop).

2004 Trentadue PETITE SIRAH "North Coast" (California)

A nice, relatively accessible Petite Sirah. Dense black ruby, saturated to the rim, with purple highlights. Rich, sweet, earthy blackberry and cassis nose, with pencil lead notes . . . smelled almost like a densely-extracted Cabernet. Medium to full-bodied, with lots of ripe tannin. Concentrated, focused flavors of cassis, pencil lead, and charcoal (again with the Cabernet-like thing going on!). Fairly long finish. Will certainly keep and improve in a cool cellar over the next five years.

Although Petite Sirahs can be overly tannic and require lots of time in the bottle to drop that tannin, this one was clearly made to be friendly right away. Back label says the fruit was from Mendocino and Lake counties. 88+. Was $17.99 at Cova, on Kirby (which, by the way, looks to be an interesting wine bar/tapas joint/wine shop -- I'll have to eat there soon).

2004 EQUIS "Vinas Viejas" (Tierra de Castilla, Spain)

Too tannic and rustic for my taste. Dark black ruby. Very closed, astringent nose at first, but with an hour of air time, scents of blackberry and lemon juice, with a little cinnamon component, emerge from underneath the scorched earth scents. Full bodied, but with boatloads of coarse, rustic tannin obscuring the ripe fruit and stony mineral flavors. Another year or two in a cool cellar could result in the wine dropping some of this coarse tannin and make the wine more pleasurable. 82+. Was $9.99 at Central Market.

2004 Verasol GARNACHA (Campo de Borja, Spain)

Medium-light ruby color. Lively nose of strawberry, raspberry, and minerally candied lemon peel. Very light, with flavors of minerally red fruit, marred by some bitterness. Seems like a wine made with overcropped grapes that the winemaker tried to overextract to make up for the diluted quality of the juice. Still, I put it in the fridge for a few minutes and a slight chill took some of the bitter edge off. 82. Was $9 at Central Market.

2004 Longwood SHIRAZ "The Sheep Shearer" (McLaren Vale, Australia)

This was really nice.

Deep, rich, saturated ruby. Very pretty, medium intensity nose of fragrant wood smoke, sweet black raspberries, and lemon squares. Round, incredibly soft, and fairly concentrated in the mouth, with flavors of salty blackberry juice, sandstone, and spice. Long finish, with soft, ripe tannins. With hold another year or two. A subtle but impeccably made wine. 89. Was $16.99 at Spec's on Westheimer (near Fogo de Chao).

2005 Verget du Sud PETITE SYRAH "Endes" (Rhone, France)

This was disappointing. It's actually been quite a while since I LIKED a red wine by this producer (who makes good, albeit minerally & austere, white burgundies as well.

Dark black ruby-purple color. Somewhat funky, stinky notes (burnt rubber & acetate) pervade the nose when first opened. With air, these off-notes dissipate somewhat, and some blackberry scents emerge. Rather bony in the mouth, however, with tannin and acid taking the lead, but a little flesh and fruit in the form a tart black cherries, and some chalky minerals. 73. Was $11.25 at Spec's on Smith.

No more Verget reds for me (except I have one more in the closet to try soon).

2004 Calina CARMENERE Reserva (Valle del Maule, Chile)

This was an excellent value. Carmenere is a varietal that used to be grown in Bordeaux in the 1800s, but was largely wiped out when the phylloxera "plague" struck Europe's vineyards, and then not re-planted after that. But it had already been brought to Chile by then, and was thriving there even more so than in Bordeaux. So Chile is really the only place left on earth where this varietal is planted in commercial significant quantities.

Deep, purplish black ruby. With an hour of air time, exhibited a great, high-toned nose of ripe mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries), sweet cream, and mocha. Medium to full bodied, with tight flavors of scorched earth and cassis, with lots of stony minerals on the finish. Some tannins to shed, though they are ripe and soft. This wine will only get better over the next 2-3 years. 88+ Can't remember precisely where I got it, but I distinctly remember it was in the $7 - $8 range. Outstanding value. (I'll update this entry if I see it in a store somewhere.)

UPDATE (12/11): I saw this yesterday at Whole Foods on Bellaire for $8.99.

2004 PILLAR BOX RED (57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Shiraz, 11% Merlot) (Australia)

A terrific buy in a big, full-flavored red. Fully saturated opaque black ruby color. Intense nose of cassis and hot sandstone, with some spicy cigar box scents. Concentrated, deep flavors of salty scorched earth and dry blackberry extract. Tightly wound and very dense, but with light, soft, tannins, and a lengthy, balanced finish. A somewhat lean, but muscular and athletic, full-bodied wine. It will keep nicely, and round out and soften, for at least another year or two. 89+ A great value at $9.59 at Richard's on South Shepherd.

2003 Rancho Zabaco Dry Creek Valley ZINFANDEL "Reserve"

Disappointing. I've had many bottles of RZ's regular Sonoma County "Heritage Vines" Zins -- which are cheaper -- that have been better.

Deep ruby color. Tart lemons and spicy raspberries and brambleberries on the nose, with cold steely minerals underneath. Lean and somewhat austere in the mouth, with more structure and acidity, but less fruit and flesh, than I want in a Zin. Feels overmanipulated by the winemaker. 83. Was $15.77 at Spec's on Holcombe.

2005 Morin Père & Fils POUILLY-FUISSÉ (Burgundy, France)

Not bad, but not up to its pedigree.

Exceedingly pale brassy-gold color. Straw, sharp-ish chalky minerals, citrus peel and bitter, spiced peach on the medium intensity nose. Soft and straightforward in the mouth, with underripe peach and chalky-stone flavors. Not terribly concentrated, with a decent, but slightly bitter finish. Like a decent Macon wine. 84. Was $12.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

Updating!

Thanks to some new features added to Blogger by Google, I'm in the process of updating all my old entries to add categories that readers can click on to see the entries arranged by region, varietal, "under $10," and other categories. I'll try to get this done ASAP.

2004 Concannon PETITE SIRAH "Limited Release" (Central Coast, Cal.)

Didn't like this one. Saturated black ruby-purple. Medium intensity nose of scorched earth, creosote, lemons, and blackberry extract (in descending order of magnitude). All structure and no flavor on the palate. Like drinking a wine skeleton. Some minimal tart blackberry fruit is discernable, but other than that, it's just tannin, acid, and alcohol. 69. Was $6.99 at Kroger's on sale, but even if free it wasn't really worth the effort of popping the cork.

2003 Turkey Flat Vineyards GRENACHE (Barossa Valley, Australia)

Dark, black ruby. Rich, sweet, pungent nose of spicy raspberries, rhubarb, and yeasty, gingerbready scents. Intense, herbal, berry, and iodine flavors. Fairly high acidity helps buoy it up. Long finish. Not as plush as the 2002, reviewed here, but gutsy and gawky at the same time. A flavorful lunk of a wine. 88. Was about $17 at Whole Foods on Bellaire some time ago.

2004 Robert Biale "Black Chicken" ZINFANDEL (Napa Valley, Cal.)

Rich-looking, saturated black ruby. Almost indescribably ripe, sexy nose of sappy, oozing blackberries and gingerbread. Soft, heavy palate impression, with huge body, great ripeness and richness, and almost port-like flavors (though it was dry). Some peppery heat at the end of the verrrrry long finish. My experience is that Zins like this crack up quickly, so, if you can find this limited production gem, enjoy it now while it's in full bloom. 91. I got this for around $30-35 at Richard's on South Shepherd a couple of months ago.

Thanksgiving Wines

I find it difficult to pair wines with turkey, so I usually don't break out the most expensive stuff on Thanksgiving. Generally, what I find I like best (or dislike the least) with the dang bird are deeply fruity, non-tannic reds (Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, 1-2 year old Beaujolais). For whites, I generally go with a German Kabinett Riesling, Alsace Gewurz, or off-dry to slightly sweet Chenin Blanc.

So for this Thanksgiving, I went with a coupla wines I've already reviewed here: the Lolonis Vineyards LADYBUG RED Cuvee V (Redwood Valley), previously reviewed here and here, and the 2002 Trimbach Gewurztraminer, previously reviewed here. Both were soft, fruity, and went (relatively) well with turkey.

For dessert, we had a 2004 Rudolf Muller Hainfelder Ordensgut RIESLING EISWEIN. It was surprisingly inexpensive for a true Eiswein -- $19.99 at Central Market. Not the most complex Eiswein around, but very nice. Piercing nose of contrasting smells -- honeyed peaches and tart granny smith apples. Fairly sweet, fruity and long in the mouth, with mouthwatering acidity keeping everything very fresh tasting and light. It was gone before I could go outside and take some more critical notes about it. I'm going to get more of this!

2002 L'Aventure (Stephan Vineyards) Paso Robles ZINFANDEL

This was an elegantly-styled, but flavorful, Zin. Black ruby color. Sweet nose of mixed mountain berries, melted brown sugar, and balsa wood. Soft, but concentrated fruit in the mouth, in a medium-bodied format that seemed at odds with its 15+% alcohol. Not a blockbuster, but a very tasty, feminine-style Zinfandel. 88. Was $24.82 at Spec's on Smith.

2004 Beckmen Vineyards CUVEE LE BEC (Santa Ynez Valley, California)

This wine started out big and intense, but on the lean and austere side. After it was opened for about 2 hours, its nose became more fruity and accessible, and the palate rounded out nicely.

Dense saturated black ruby color. At first, the most prevalent aromas were those of scorched earth, iodine, and balsa wood. With substantial air time, big aromas of blackberry liqueur came out. Concentrated sweet blackberry and scorched earth flavors. This wine needs full flavored food to really shine. Long finish, with substantial but ripe tanin. Will definitely improve over the next 2-3 years. 88+ . Was $13.60 at Spec's on Smith.

2001 Villa di Vetrice CHIANTI RUFINA RESERVA (Tuscany, Italy)

Vetrice is one of my favorite good value sources for Chianti in recent years. This reserva is excellent.

Deep, youthful, sparkling dark ruby. Very elegant nose of spicy, ripe cherries and smokey, earthy scents. Medium-bodied, yet concentrated flavors of earthy cherries and smokey minerals. Lengthy finish with very nice fruit/acid balance. 90. A very good value at $16.50 at Spec's on Smith.

2000 Brigaldara AMARONE della VALPOLICELLA (Veneto, Italy)

A very distinctive wine from one of my favorite, non-stratospherically-priced Valpolicella producers. Dark ruby color with some brick at the rim. Unique nose of sweet, pruney fruit, gingerbread, and warm earth. Soft, intense and mouthfilling flavors of blackberries, choke cherries, and old barrels. LOTS of body, with some heat showing through. Some tannins remain but are relatively unobtrusive. Very long in the mouth. Essentially like a very good dry Port. Had this one with a unique and intensely flavored pot roast from Novara (braised in red wine vinegar with guanciale, anchovies, and garlic). Could age and round out a few more years because of the fruit density, but not too many years, what, with all that heat already peeking through. 89. Was $64 at Spec's on Smith -- cheap! compared to producers like Quintarelli and Romano dal Forno.

2004 Domaine Manciat-Poncet MACON-CHARNAY "Les Chenes" (Burgundy, France)

Startlingly deep, dark gold color. So dark I though the wine would surely be oxidized. It wasn't. Fresh nose of sweet flowers, grapes, white peaches, and earthy minerals. Velvety textured in the mouth, with ripe apple-pear fruit and lots of pungent mineral flavors. Still fresh, but with that dark color, I'd drink this one up soon just to be safe. 86. Was $11.99 at Richard's on South Shepherd.

2003 Vignobles Careme VOUVRAY Demi-Sec (Loire, France)

This was a nice, reasonably-priced dessert-style Chenin Blanc. Light, bright brassy gold. Ripe pears, quince, and chalky stones in the nose. Round, soft, ripe, and minerally in the mouth. Light body and very nice balance. Comparable to a Riesling Spatlese but a bit shyer due to Chenin Blanc's understated nature. 87. Was $11.99 on sale at Richard's on South Shepherd.

2002 Bodegas Castano SOLANERA "Vinas Viegas" (Yecla, Spain)

I've had some wines from this winery that have tended toward the overextracted, astringent side, but this 65% Monastrell 35% Cabernet was nice. Deep, saturated black ruby. Brooding nose of smoky charcoal embers and cassis. Inky, intense, masculine flavors of concentrated cassis and dry blackberry extract, with a chalky/minerally underlay. Almost austere, but concentrated enough to have some roundness. MACHO! Very good. 87. Will easily keep 2 to 4 more years in a cool cellar. Was $15 at Spec's on Smith.

2004 Talley Arroyo Grande Valley PINOT NOIR (San Luis Obispo County, Cal.)

This was a superb P.N. Light ruby color with purple glints at the rim. Sweet, seductive nose of spiced blackberry juice, flowers, and cigar box. Round and plush in the mouth, with concentrated sweet fruit, toasty warm earth scents, and some well-integrated wood. Great length and beautiful balance. Very sexy, seductive, feminine style Pinot Noir. 91. $33 at Spec's on Smith.