2002 Charles Schleret RIESLING "Herrenweg" (Alsace, France)

This is a beautiful Alsace wine at its peak! And I am a sucker for a good Alsace Riesling, especially from the outstanding 2002 vintage. This wine would shine with seared tuna or any grilled or simply prepared fish.

Eye: Beautiful bright brassy gold.

Nose: Just after I pulled the cork, the nose was dominated by pungent mineral scents, but it quickly changed, and soon outrageously perfumed scents of sweet peach and pear, bergamot, and tea were wafting out.

Mouth: Bright, balanced acidity buoyed up the beautiful flavors of apple/pear fruit, with a subtle minerality and a hint of chalk dust in the very long finish.

Score: 90.

Cellar or drink? This is absolutely at its peak right now.

Price/score: Was $27 and change at Spec's on Smith (hurry, before they run out!)

2004 Alcance CARMENERE (Maule Valley, Chile)

I think that this wine -- which is virtual dead-ringer for a very ripe wine from the Pessac-Leognan region of Bordeaux -- is the reserve bottling of the Calina winery's Carmenere, the 2004 vintage of which I previously reviewed here. This was very rich and interesting, though I'm not sure I liked it any better than the regular bottling.

Eye: Fully saturated plasma-like ruby with violet highlights.

Nose: Almost over-the-top richness: melted baker's chocolate, chalk, moist tobacco-leaf, loamy gravel. Oh yeah, and there's some rich blackberry fruit lurking beneath all that.

Mouth: Rich and earthy, with lots of stony minerals at first, giving way to chocolately, port-like fruit, and long, long finish full of soft tannin. Almost too much on the earthy side as opposed to the fruity side of the flavor spectrum.

Score: 88.

Cellar or drink? Drinking well now, I think this wine could improve over the next 3 years.

Price/store: Got this for $14.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2004 Verget Chablis "Cuvee de la Butte" (Burgundy, France)

(Truncated notes from memory.)


I had this unusually earthy Chablis (I'll skip any pun relating to the name of this cuvee) last night at the house of some good friends, but couldn't actually put my finger in the most prominent component of its nose and flavors until I woke up this morning: chicken broth!


Despite this uncommon aspect, it was still pleasurable and well-made. Underneath the broth were classic scents of lemony minerals and dry straw. It was medium-full bodied, and in the longish finish there was a nice purity to the lemon-limey fruit and the chalky minerals that emerged.

I got this for about $21 at Spec's on Smith, but it looked to be the last bottle on the shelf. I think I would have scored this somewhere in the 84-86 range, had I been scoring.

(Picture of 2006 -- couldn't find one of the 2004).

2004 Querciabella CHIANTI CLASSICO (Tuscany, Italy)

This was an intense, old-school Chianti.

Eye: Almost fully saturated, deep black-ruby.

Nose: Intensely extracted nose too -- earthy, schisty-gravel scents, delicately smoky balsa wood notes, and chokecherry liqueur.

Mouth: Large-framed and full-bodied, with old-school flavors of minerally gravel and peppery chokecherry liqueur (again). Structured and intense, with a long finish.

Score: 89.

Cellar or drink? This is starting to drink well now, yet I'm sure this wine would benefit from 2-3 more years of bottle age.

Price/store: Was $27.59 at Richard's on Richmond a few months ago, but I think they're on to the 2005 vintage now (although that year is also supposed to be very good in Tuscany).

2004 Menguante GARNACHA "Seleccion" (Carinena, Spain)

This wine was seemingly made for stews, pot roasts, and meat sauces for pasta. Loaded with flavor, ripe, minerally, and with a great structural backbone of tannin and acid.

Eye: Bright, almost luminescent dark ruby with magenta highlights.


Nose: Very vivacious vapors vigorously vault vertically: tart raspberries and cherry liqueur, with lots of powdered stone and mineral scents, and a whiff of rising bread dough.

Mouth: Concentrated and athletic. Bright raspberry fruit, and lots of minerally brambly flavors as well. Long, minerally finish, with noticeable but well well-integrated tannin and bright acidity. We had this with pasta with a sauce that was essentially a leftover Italian pot roast and its gravy, pulsed in the food processor, and augmented with some diced tomatoes. This wine was an awesome complement to the dish.

Score: 90.

Cellar or drink? This will keep for another 2-3 years in a cool cellar, although I don't think it will improve.

Price/store: Was $16 and change at Spec's on Smith.

2006 "Ninet" Rosé (Grenache/Syrah) (Southwest France)

As in almost every vintage, this consistent, flavorful rosé was an excellent value.

Eye: Disconcerting color -- not pink or salmon like most rosés, but a diluted but almost fluorescent ruby/garnet color. Not to worry, though. It gets better.

Nose: Beautifully fruity noise, with ripe, crisp scents of strawberries, grapes, and watermelon. Maybe even a hint of banana. Just a hint of faintly bitterish minerals in the background to balance out all that fruit.

Mouth: Good concentration, length, and balance, especially for a wine at this bargain price point. Not complex, but lots of dry, refreshing fruit.

Score: 87.

Cellar or drink? As with all rosés, drink now now now.

Price/store: $8 at Spec's on Westheimer.

2004 Ambra CARMIGNANO "Santa Cristina in Pilli" (Tuscany, Italy)

This wine was just too extracted for its own good, resulting in too much tannin and an astringent quality that masked its otherwise nice flavors.

Eye: Deep, nearly fully-saturated black ruby.

Nose: Very astringent at first, but the astringency waned to tolerable levels after several hours of airing, revealing scents of yeasty bread, chokecherry liqueur, and warm, minerally gravel.

Mouth: Full-bodied, but if its flavors were a stereo, I'd say there was good treble, good bass, but little mid-range. High-toned winey-cherry flavors, with lots of deep-toned peppery minerality in the back half of the palate. Substantial, not-so-soft tannin as well.

Score: 85+

Cellar or drink? If you've got some, I'd cellar it for 3 or 4 years and hope that it drops some of its tannin and softens a bit, but I'm not sure it ever will.

Price/store: $19 at Spec's on Smith.

2006 Chateau du Donjon MINERVOIS "Grande Tradition" (Southwest France)

This was a nicely balanced red that would serve as a welcome accompaniment to a wide range of meat or fowl dishes. A quintessential "food wine" (which I mean in a good way). It's a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Carignane.


Eye: Bright, deep ruby with violet highlights at the rim.


Nose: Nice nose of sweet plummy/blackberry fruit, with slightly earthy, walnut oil-y scents.


Mouth: Soft, round, nicely-balanced, with flavors of dry blackberry extract, a walnut oil/brambly component, and minerals. Medium long, clean finish.


Score: 87.

Cellar or drink? Drink over the next 18 months.

Price/store: Was $11 at Spec's on Holcombe.

2005 Domaine de Corbillieres TOURAINE "Sauvignon" (Loire Valley, France)

This is the second excellent wine I've had from this estate. The first was their Pinot Noir rosé, which was the best rosé I've ever drunk. This white would be a terrific summer seafood wine.

Eye: Very light gold color.

Nose: Wonderfully fragrant nose of ripe pear, crushed seashells, and sweet grass.

Mouth: Intensely fruity, yet bone dry and refreshing. Long, crisp, and pure, with salty-stony, slightly herbal fruit.

Score: 89.

Cellar or drink? Drink this summer.

Price/store: I think this was around $12, at Richard's on South Shepherd.

2005 Chateau de Cary-Potet MONTAGNY "Les Bassets" (Burgundy, France)

This was a delicate, nicely textured white burgundy.

Eye: Bright, light, brassy-gold with greenish glints.

Nose: Terrific nose of earthy straw and fresh-crushed Chardonnay grapes, with a hint of candied apples.

Mouth: Soft and round, with a light texture, yet possessing concentrated, balanced flavors of apple, barely ripe peach, lemon, and flint. Long, clean, minerally finish.

Score: 88.

Cellar or drink? Drink now. This wine is built for immediate pleasure.

Price/store: Was $18.93 at Spec's on Smith

2004 Rancho Zabaco Dry Creek Valley ZINFANDEL "Reserve" (Cal.)

This was a sultry, rather than vibrant or athletic, Zinfandel.

Eye: Dark mulberry/ruby color.

Nose: Rich, sultry nose of overripe mixed berries and spice, with earthy and balsa wood notes.

Mouth: Fat and soft in the mouth, with deep-toned juicy berry fruit and a velvety texture. Not particularly concentrated, however, and also kind of atypical from the tightly wound, densely fruited and minerally Zins I expect from the Dry Creek Valley. Still, I liked it.

Score: 88.

Cellar or drink? Drink now. I find that Zins don't age really well anyway, and this is a looser, less concentrated style than most anyway.

Price/store: Good question. I lost the receipt, but I think I got it either at Randall's on Weslayan or Whole Foods on Bellaire for about $16 on sale.

2006 Torbreck Barossa Valley "Woodcutters' SEMILLON" (Australia)

This was a full-flavored, gangly-limbed white, with prominent peppery elements.

Eye: Light brassy gold color.

Nose: Sharp nose at first, but with airing it develops a rich, waxy lanolin character with pepper, as well as buttery pear and banana fruit.

Mouth: Deeply flavored, full-bodied, but soft, with peppery pear, grass, and stone flavors. Long finish.

Score: 88.

Drink or cellar? My experience with full-bodied semillons is that they age pretty well for a white. This one may keep and improve for a year or two, but is pleasurable now.

Price/store: $14.59 at Spec's on Richmond.

2005 Elvio Cogno DOLCETTO D'ALBA "Vigna del Mandorlo" (Piemonte, Italy)

The acidity in this Dolcetto was too high, detracting from what other wise was a pretty good wine. Can't drink it by itself, but it might be a cleansing-type pairing with a rich, braised meat dish.

Eye: Deep ruby with magenta highlights.

Nose: Tart, pungent nose of lemons, berries, and lots of powdered chalk.

Mouth: Lean and crisp in the mouth, with mouthwatering acidity and some cherry/mountain berry fruit. High acidity in the medium-long, pure tasting finish.

Score: 81.

Drink or cellar? It may soften over the next year, but I wouldn't count on it.

Price/Store: Was about $18 at Spec's on Smith.

2004 William Fevre CHABLIS GRAND CRU BOUGROS "Cote Bouguerots" (Burgundy, France)

A great example of the barrel fermented school of Chablis winemaking.

Eye: Very light gold color.

Nose: This wines needed substantial airing before its nose opened up, but when it finally did, there were scents of smoke, ripe pears, and stony earth.

Mouth: Crisp, minerally, yet with a subtly earthy butteriness, this wine also featured pear and lemon oil fruit. It had a soft, rich texture as well, with a long, long finish.

Score: 91+

Drink or cellar? This wine felt much weightier in the mouth than its flavors would have seemed to indicate, which is a sign that lots of additional development will occur. Together with the inherent ability of great, barrel fermented Chablis to age, I'd say this one could easily improve for another 5 or more years in a cool cellar. If you drink it now, be sure to decant it (yes, I know it's a white. Decant it anyway!)


Price/store: Got this for $59 from Flickingerwines.com.

2005 Daniel Dampt CHABLIS PREMIER CRU - COTES DE LECHET (Burgundy, France_

This was a very nice example of the "nothing but steel" school of Chablis winemaking.

Eye: Light, bright gold with greenish glints.

Nose: Remarkably precise nose of lemon-lime and a hint of white peach fruit, with sea shell/minerally scents in the background.

Mouth: Soft-textured, with a light mouthfeel and yet with intense flavors: apples, lime zest, sea shells, steely minerals, and rock dust. Long, vibrant finish with perfectly integrated, crisp acidity.

Score: 90.

Cellar or drink? Chablis with this combination of intensity and yet crispness tend to age better than other Chardonnays. My own experience is that the "pure steel" ones, like this one, don't quite live and improve as long as the ones that have some combination of barrel fermentation of ageing, but still, this one will easily stay fresh, and maybe improve for another 3 to 4 years in a cool cellar.

Price/store: I got this for $29.90 at Flickingerwines.com.

2005 Linne Calodo "Leona's" (62% Zinfandel, 30% Syrah, 8% Mourvedre (Paso Robles, Cal.)

This hard-to-get wine from a very sought-after and relatively new producer was very intense, but would have been even better had its alcohol level been a bit lower.

Eye: Dark black ruby with violet highlights.

Nose: Intense, complex nose of spicy blackberries, rock dust, sweet cream, pungent black peppercorns, minerals, and ink.

Mouth: Huge body. Intense, peppery flavors, with bitterish blackberries fruit. This wine needs a substantial, meaty pasta sauce that the high alcohol can cut through, or else it's just too darn peppery.

Score: 90 (on the basis of sheer character, but certainly not elegance or subtlety).

Cellar or drink? In my experience, wines whose alcohol is so prominent in youth do not age well. The alcohol just seems to burn away the fruit. Drink now with a bit of airing.

Price/Store: Was $49.95 at Houston Wine Merchant.

2006 Mommessin MACON-VILLAGES "Old Vines - Chardonnay" (Burgundy, France)

This was great buy in a clean, unoaked, characterful Chardonnay.

Eye: Light brassy gold color.

Nose: Pretty, pure fruit nose: Pear, apple, peach pit, with earthy, stony notes subtly in the background.

Mouth: Lots of up-front, clean, concentrated fruit attacks the palate. Good weight and softness, with medium-full body, and a clean, pure finish.

Score: 88.

Cellar or drink? Drink now.

Price/store: $8 and change at most Spec's.

2000 Trimbach GEWURZTRAMINER "Vendages Tardives" (Alsace, France)

This was a terrifically flavorful, but not overly sweet, after dinner wine.

Eye: Very light straw color.

Nose: Drop-dead gorgeous nose of apricots, lychee nuts, yeasty bread, and a subtle background note of stony minerals.

Mouth: Ripe, rich flavors of buttery apricots and cherries, with earthy straw notes. Auslese-level sweetness. Long, clean finish, with a slow fade of apricot, straw and bread. Not at all tiring to drink, yet with fairly low acidity.

Score: 91.

Cellar or drink? Drink over the next year, as this does not have the intense acidity to ensure much more aging.

Price/store: Got this for about $70 for a full, not half, bottle at Spec's on Smith.

Pasta with fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and Italian sausage

I made up this dish last night, and it's pretty darn good.

Ingredients/prep

1 lb. package good quality penne or other pasta
12-ounce tub fresh mozzarella (drain cheese and cut into ¾" chunks)
3 mild Italian sausages (preferably homemade), skin removed , coarsely chopped
Half a bunch of green onions (scallions), chopped
12 basil leaves (chiffonaded, i.e., cut into thin ribbons)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed but whole
4 med. tomatoes (seeds, gooey stuff, and ribs removed), cut into ½" pieces
¼ cup dry white wine
Fresh ground black pepper
Red pepper flakes
Sea salt

Directions

1. Get large pot of salted water boiling.

2. Meanwhile, heat skillet to medium high heat with a bit of olive oil, and brown chopped sausage meat. Remove and reserve sausage, add wine to skillet, turn up heat and scrape up remaining browned bits while wine boils a minute or two. Pour reduced wine and browned bits on to reserved sausage.

3. Water should now be boiling, so add pasta to pot of water.

4. Wipe skillet used for the sausage clean, add a bit more olive oil, turn heat to medium and when hot, soften the green onions and garlic. When the green onions are softened, add chopped fresh tomato, salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Sauté for no more than one minute. Remove garlic and remove pan from heat.

5. When pasta is al dente, drain it and toss it with tomatoes & green onions, the sausage & wine mixture, the basil, and the diced mozzarella until the mozzarella begins to get just a little bit gooey.

Serves 4 or 5.

© Tom Casagrande 2008

2001 Raymond Usseglio CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE "Non-Filtre -- Girard" (Southern Rhone, France)

This Chateauneuf was disappointingly thin.

Eye: Medium ruby with brick at the rim.

Nose: Medium intensity but somewhat complex nose of Provencal herbs, smoke, iodine, and spicy berries.

Mouth: Lean and one dimensional on the palate, with intensely peppery, leathery, minerally flavors predominating, with some meek cassis fruit cowering in the corner. Decent length and balancing acidity. Not as weighty and ripe as I had expected.

Score: 86.

Cellar or drink? I would drink this up soon, as there simply isn't enough stuffing for further cellaring.

Price/store: Got this for about $29 at Flickinger Wines on the web.

2001 Casa Emma CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA (Tuscany, Italy)

The was the second of two amazing Tuscan wines we opened one night (to accompany my Tuscan braised meatloaf) while my parents were visiting from Massachusetts.

Eye: Dark, brickish ruby.

Nose: Sweet cherry, balsa wood, sweet, milky baking spices, and quartzy earth.

Mouth: Concentrated, lively flavors of penetrating, sweet-crisp cherries, ripe lemon juice, and leather. Like a ballet dancer it is so balanced, elegant, and lively.

Score: 92.

Cellar or drink? This is near its peak now, but will certainly hold and possible even improve in a cool cellar over the next 5 years.

Price/store: This was about $42 at Spec's on Smith.

1999 San Felice "VIGORELLO" (Tuscany, Italy)

This is a powerful, yet elegant example of a non-traditional style Sangiovese from Tuscany.

Eye: Very dark ruby with brick at the rim.

Nose: Very complex nose of of sweet, spiced cherries, sweet vanilla spice, smoky cedarwood, and earth.

Mouth: Rich, deep, intense flavors, but with great elegance and uplift at the same time. Cassis, dry cherry syrup, fragrant earth and new leather flavors are all there. Long, long finish. Outstanding!

Cellar or drink? This will probably hold for another 5 years in a cool cellar, but I can't imagine it getting any better than it is now.

Score: 93.

Price/store: This was a very nice gift that someone gave to Liz at her 50th birthday party in 2006. I don't think the 1999 is available anymore -- although I've seen the 2001 (another terrific year in Tuscany) around (at Spec's, for example) for about $45.

2005 Tir Na N'Og "Old Vines" GRENACHE (McLaren Vale, Australia)

Wow! This was a huge, hedonistic wine! Australia is best known for its Shirazes, but I think their most underrated varietal is Grenache (which is the primary varietal in many wines grown in the southern Rhone Valley in France, such as Chateauneuf-du-Pape), and this is one of the best I've had.


Eye: Deep, saturated, soft black ruby.

Nose: Amazing nose -- sweet, oozingly ripe spiced raspberries, blueberry and apricot too, with smoky carrot cake scents as well.

Mouth: Rich, weighty, deep flavors of ripe raspberry syrup, pepper, spicy minerals, and balsa wood. Great weight and concentration, yet softly-textured. Tremendously long finish.

Score: 92.

Cellar or drink? This will keep for a year or two, but my experience with Grenache-based wines this huge and ripe is that they're best drunk relatively young. As they age, the fruit recedes, and the alcohol (which is pushing 16% in this baby) starts to intrude.

Price/Store: $28 at Spec's on Smith.

2006 Château Mourgues du Gres "Les Galets Rosés" COSTIERES DE NÎMES ROSÉ (Rhone, France)

This was an earthy, dry rosé well-suit to a meal, rather than on its own as an aperitif.

Eye: Bright pink with a hint of orangey highlights.

Nose: Rather complex nose for a rosé, with strawberry and watermelony fruit, minerals, and a distinct smoky earthiness.

Mouth: Lots of dry, up-front fruit and earthy minerally flavors, with good concentration and balance. Long, clean finish.

Score: 88.

Cellar or drink? As with all rosés, drink them while they're fresh!

Price/Store: Was $12.50 at Spec's on Smith.

2006 Viña Antigua SANGIOVESE-BONARDA (Maipu, Argentina)

This was a great value in a super-cheap red.

Eye: Medium ruby garnet color.

Nose: Needs time to open up, but once it does it displays a nice nose of sweet plums, lemon custard, and spiced, sweet apple wood.

Mouth: Medium-bodied, balanced flavors of smoky cherries and earth, with a surprisingly long (for the price), pure finish.

Score: 88.

Cellar or drink? Drink over the next year.

Price/Store: $5.24 at Spec's stores.

2005 Jean-Claude Thevenet MACON-PIERRECLOS (Burgundy, France)

This Chardonnay from southern Burgundy had nice purity of fruit and minerality, unmarred by oak.

Eye: Beautiful light brassy gold.

Nose: Medium intensity nose sporting scents of pungent rock dust, toast, grape skins, and barely ripe peaches.

Mouth: Broadly-flavored and soft-textured, with white pepper and grape skin flavors. Good balancing acidity and relatively full body.

Cellar or drink? Drink over the next several months.

Score: 87.

Price/Store: Was $16 at Spec's on Westheimer.

2006 CARRO (Yecla, Spain)

This perennial good cheap red is again a good cheap red.

Eye: Dark, soft blackish ruby with some purply highlights at the rim.

Nose: Sweet, grapey, plummy nose, with back notes of lemon juice and balsa wood.

Mouth: Good, weighty, soft flavors: cherry, blackberry, and earthy underbrush notes. Soft, broad mouthfeel, with a little bit of tannin to spare.

Cellar or drink? Drink over the next year.

Score: 87.

Price/Store: $8 and change at Spec's on Smith.

2005 Bouchard Ainé BEAUNE PREMIER CRU CLOS DU ROI (Burgundy, France)

At my first wine job in NYC out of college, the importer I worked for (Paramount Brands) used to sell Bouchard-Ainé burgundies, and they were very good values at the time. Since the mid-1980s, however, I haven't seen this negociant's wines around. When I saw a few of them show up in Spec's, I had to try one. Unfortunately, this wasn't worth the hefty price I paid, as this lighter-styled French Pinot Noir could have used a bit more ripeness. (To be fair, at $38, this wine is actually priced on the cheaper end of premier crus from the 2005 vintage, but that's a lot of money for me.)


Eye: Dark violet/ruby color.


Nose: High-toned nose of sappy yet tart cherries, and perfumed chalk dust.


Mouth: Medium-bodied, with crisp flavors of stones, tart cherries and plums, and smoky balsa wood. Long finish, with fairly high acidity and some youthful tannin. All in all, a crisper, almost austere style of Pinot Noir.


Cellar or drink? I think it would be a gamble to cellar this one more than a year in the hopes that it will flesh out -- I just don't think it has the necessary ripeness to transform itself into a more generous style of wine.


Score: 87.


Price/store: Was $38 at Spec's on Richmond.

2005 Domaine du Cassan BEAUMES DE VENISE (Côtes du Rhône, France)

This wine was fragrant and nice, but could have used a touch more concentration.

Eye: Bright, deep plummy-ruby color.

Nose: Vivacious aromas of spicy cherry, stony minerals, black pepper, and "garrigue" (a smell reminiscent of the hot, dry aromas of herbs growing wild in Provence).

Mouth: Broad, soft mouthfeel upon entry, with lots of soft but coarse tannin. Flavors of bitter cherry, pungent minerals, and scorched earth, but with a slight lack of depth in the mid-palate. A distinctive wine that needs stews or pasta with meat sauce to shine.

Cellar or drink? This may soften in a year or so, but the shortcoming with concentration would make anything beyond that risky.

Score: 86.

Price/store: I think I got this one for about $15 at Spec's on Holcombe.

2005 Domaine du Grand Bréviande CHINON (Loire Valley, France)

This was a balanced, elegant-styled red. With just a touch more ripeness, this would have been really good.

Eye: Very dark black ruby.

Nose: Shy, but interesting -- charred meat, black cherry, and minerals.


Mouth: Soft, but concentrated. Nice balance too, featuring cassis and mineral oil flavors, with a slightly bitter undercurrent of brambly twigs.

Cellar or drink? The tight core of fruit and the balance says to me that this wine can age and improve for a few years.

Score: 87.


Price/store: Got this at Central Market for about $16.

2004 Verget CHABLIS 1er CRU VAILLONS “Vieilles Vignes de Minots” (Burgundy, France) (unscored notes from memory)

I had this SUPERB Chablis at OLA (the South Beach restaurant discussed below) restaurant.





This seemed to be a very old-school, barrel-fermented style of Chablis, with lots of toasty gun-flint, minerally, and lemony-peach scents on the nose. The flavors were incredibly precise and the mouthfeel light, yet with excellent concentration of lemon-lime and chalky/minerally flavors. (Sorry, picture is for the 2006).

I'm usually only a cautious fan of Verget's white burgundies, as I associate Verget with a style that emphasizes minerally/terroir over fruit, but this was dead-on amazing. I think I wouild have scored this one over 90 if I had been scoring at the time.

Excellent restaurant in Dallas; very good one in Miami's South Beach

A couple of weeks ago, my family and I were visiting the Dallas/Forth Worth area and were lucky enough to score a late Monday night reservation at a terrific new (but small) Italian restaurant called NONNA. This is definitely in the "Top 5" of Italian restaurants I've eaten at in the US. The freshness and quality of the ingredients was superb, and the cooking was authentic, flavorful, and--best of all--not drowned in cooking fat to stretch the flavors. The pasta dishes and sauces were unique and well-executed, and the wood oven pizzas were true Neapolitan style, light and flavorful. And I could have made a meal of the astoundingly fresh olives brought to the table when we sat down.

Here are my daughter Rebecca's comments:

Nonna is such a fantastic restaurant. The food is outstanding and the service is good. I especially enjoyed the olives and the fried artichokes.

Nonna
4115 Lomo Alto Drive
Dallas
214-521-1800

And two nights ago in South Beach, Miami, I had a terrific Latin American fish meal at OLA. The seafood here is remarkably fresh, and they offer about a dozen different kinds of ceviche!

OLA (at Sanctuary Hotel)
1745 James Ave.
South Beach, Miami, FL
(305) 695-9125

2004 Riecine CHIANTI CLASSICO (Tuscany, Italy)

This was an excellent, traditional-styled, restrained Chianti.

Eye: Dark crystalline ruby.

Nose: Needs a bit of air time to open up, but once it does, it's got a gorgeous, complex nose of brandy-macerated cherries, honey, and Tuscan earth (yes, the earthiness reminded me of Italy!).

Mouth: Soft, medium-bodied, but concentrated, it has flavors of cherries, old barrels, and minerally gravel. Great acid balance, and lots of soft tannin in the long finish.

Cellar or drink? This wine will last and maybe improve over the next 2-3 years in a cool cellar.

Score: 89.

Price/store: I have not seen this well-regarded estate in any Houston stores. I got this from Flickinger Wines in the Chicago area for $19.

2004 Zenato VALPOLICELLA (Veneto, Italy)

This was a good value, food-friendly Valpo.

Eye: Dark black ruby. Good color saturation for a regular Valpolicella, which usually don't have deep color saturation.

Nose: Distinctive nose of scorched earth, milk, and tangy boysenberries.

Mouth: Medium full, with a good, tight core of concentrated fruit accented with brambly undertones. Good balance, and a dry, clean, long finish.

Cellar or drink? Drink over the next year for its vibrant fruit.

Score: 87.

Price/store: Widely available at around $14 at all the Spec's stores, as well as some Richard's stores.

Easter Wines (truncated, unscored notes)

It was a wonderful Easter celebration at our house. Joined by the Finleys and the Kevilles, we had the traditional Easter egg hunt, and later, for dinner, our friends Brian Jackson and the Murphys joined us.

There was so much commotion and fun that I didn't have a chance to take good, critical notes, but here are my impressions of the wines we had.

Duval-Leroy "Rosé Saignée" CHAMPANGE -- This pale pink champagne had wonderful fruit and balance, with nice but unobtrusive acidity, good concentration and a lengthy, dry finish.

2006 Martin Schaetzel PINOT BLANC "Vieilles Vignes" (Alsace, France) -- A medium deep gold, this wine had wonderful, peachy fruit and a subtle minerally undertone. It seemed off-dry, and had a soft, voluptuous texture. Very nice (I love Alsace whites!).

2005 Thomas & Fils SANCERRE "La Crêle" -- Crisp, dry, and minerally, this wine had very refreshing appley, lemon-lime fruit.

2002 Vincent Girardin POMMARD 1er Cru "Les Grands Epenots" Vieilles Vignes (Burgundy, France) -- This was a terrifically fragrant, soft Pinot Noir. Fragrant with scents of cinnamon and sappy cherries, this wine had a soft -- almost ethereally soft -- texture, with a long, minerally finish that features excellent balancing acidity.

2005 Columbia Crest "Grand Estates" CABERNET SAUVIGNON (Columbia Valley, Washington State) -- The Murphys' younger son Kevin actually picked this wine out himself after doing research about what wines would best accompany the roast leg of lamb he knew I was going to prepare. I actually drank, liked, and reviewed a previous vintage of this wine (the 2002, reviewed here), and the 2005 Kevin picked out was equally good. This is a very well-balanced, fruit-forward Cabernet that features lots of cherry fruit and underbrush scents, and has a soft texture that makes for excellent current drinking. Nice choice, Kevin!

2006 Cousiño-Macul RIESLING (Maipo Valley, Chile)

Cousiño-Macul apparently now makes two Rieslings -- this one, which just says "Riesling" on the label, and the "Doña Isadora" Riesling. Since I haven't yet had the Doña Isadora from the 2006 vintage, I don't know what the stylistic difference is (or may be). But this is a very nice Alsace-styled Riesling, and as usual for this winery's Rieslings, an excellent buy.

Eye: Bright medium gold with greenish glints.

Nose: Beautiful nose of apple blossoms, "gout de petrol" Alsace-styled minerality, and caramel.

Mouth: Fresh, round, and soft, with medium body, and flavors of apples and pungent minerals. In the long finish, notes of bitter grapefruit skin pop up, balancing the very slight residual sugar.

Cellar or drink: Drink over the next year.

Score: 88.

Price/Store: Was $12.62 at Spec's on Richmond, but I've seen this in other places as well.

2004 Bogle "Phantom" (California)

This blend of 54% Petite Sirah, 43% Zinfandel, and 3% Mourvedre was fairly deep and nicely-balanced.

Eye: Dark garnet with ruby highlights.

Nose: Sweet-smelling, with high-toned, lemon juice-inflected cherries, gingerbread spice, and chalk dust.

Mouth: Very nice fruit and concentration -- black cherry, balsa wood, and smoky ashes. Fair amount of soft tannin still perceptible. Nice balance and length.

Cellar or drink?: Drink. While there's substantial tannin, the fruit is so mellow (as opposed to vibrant or youthful) that I think leaving this wine to allow the tannins to settle out will be at the expense of the nice fruit present now.

Score: 87.

Price/Store: $18.79 at Richard's on Richmond.

2006 Borsao "Tres Picos" GARNACHA (Campo de Borja, Spain)

This was an AMAZING wine for the money!

Eye: Very dark ruby/mulberry with violet highlights.

Nose: Gorgeous and exuberant nose of spiced, oozing raspberry syrup, sweet cream, and baked stones.

Mouth: Focused and densely-fruited, but with a sense of lightness and balance, this wine features rich, salty, minerally raspberry flavors. The finish is like a dry port, with great length, and full body, and showing a bit of heat and tannin (but in a good way!).

Cellar or drink?: This is drinking phenomenally well now, but my guess is that it wouldn't hurt to leave it a year or two in a cool cellar.

Score: 92.

Price/store: Was $15 and change at Spec’s on Smith.

2005 Chateau de Lancyre PIC SAINT-LOUP "La Coste d"Aleyrac" (Coteaux du Languedoc, Soutjwest France)

This Grenache-Syrah blend really needs lots of air (decant it a few hours), but then is very nice.

Eye: Nearly saturated black ruby with purplish-mulberry highlights.

Nose: Exceedingly earthy-meaty at first, with increasing air time these characteristics were replaced by lush black raspberry scents, with undertones of walnut oil and earth.

Mouth: Ripe and concentrated, with very nice earthy-saline and blackberry flavors, leading to a long, slightly tannic finish, though the tannins are soft. Excellent balance, and medium-full body.

Cellar or drink?: Drinking well now (with air), this wine should improve over the next 2-3 years.

Score: 88.

Price/store: Was $13.50 at Spec’s on Smith.

2006 "Bitch" GRENACHE (Barossa Valley, Australia)

Immediate gratification personified: Very fruity and hedonistic, but with virtually no structure for aging.

Color: Medium-light ruby garnet.

Nose: Wonderfully jammy, fruity nose: crushed black raspberries, and spring flowers.

Mouth: Broad, voluptuously soft, and ripe, this had richly fruity raspberry and black cherry flavors, framed by hot, gravelly tones and a bit of a peppery alcoholic bite. No tannin whatsoever to speak of.

Cellar or drink?: Drink now. I mean it.

Score: 88.

Price/store: Was $10 and change at Spec’s on Smith.

2006 Pierre Boniface APREMONT (Savoie, France)

This wine is usually fresh, crisp, and minerally, and in some vintages can have some nice apply fruit. This one was pretty good, but would have scored higher with more fruit.

Color: Light, vivid yellow-gold.

Nose: Lively, bright aromas of lime, limestone, pungent minerals and hay.

Mouth: Minerally, fresh, bone dry, and medium-bodied, with green apples, tart lemon-lime, and mineral flavors. Long, pure-tasting finish.

Cellar or drink?: Drink now.

Score: 85.

Price/store: Was $11 and change at Spec’s on Smith.

2004 Domaine de la Sauveuse COTES DE PROVENCE Rouge (France)

This wine, made from organically-grown grapes, was OK, but that's it. Made of roughly equal parts Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Color: Dark black ruby with purply highlights.

Nose: Medium intensity nose of scorched earth, sweet cream, and ripe blackberries and grapes.

Mouth: Ripe, but tight and peppery, and a bit tannic. Flavors of grapes and hard cherry candy, with steely minerals underneath.

Cellar or drink?: While the color looks youthful, I don‘t think this one‘s got the stuffing to improve much, if at all. Drink now.

Score: 83.

Price/store: Was $15 at Spec's on Richmond.

2004 Poggio Salvi CHIANTI COLLI SENESI (Tuscany, Italy)

This is a terrific, rustic Tuscan wine -- loaded with flavor -- from the region in Chianti that is closest to the adjoining and much more prestigious Brunello di Montalcino DOC.

Color: Opaque dark black ruby.

Nose: Big, deep, fruity/earthy. Cherries, balsamic notes, old barrels and gravel.

Mouth: Lots of dark chokecherry syrup flavors upon entry, with earthy minerals and iodine flavors. Full-bodied, with some fairly soft tannins making themselves known.

Cellar or drink?: With air, this wine drinks well now, but should keep and perhaps improve for another 2 years.

Score: 90.

Price/store: This wine was a gift from my friend Robert Finley, and I’m not sure where he got it, but Spec’s on Smith lists this one for $12 and change.

2006 Pascual Toso MALBEC (Maipu Vineyards, Mendoza, Argentina)

An outstanding value, this wine had loads of flavor for under $10.

Color: Dense purple-tinged ruby.

Nose: Interesting nose of buttered wheat toast, gravel, and ripe plums and cassis.

Mouth: Round, ripe, soft, and concentrated. Persistent flavors of blackberries and sandstone. Full-bodied, with a long, balanced finish, and lots of soft, ripe tannin.

Cellar or drink?: Drinking very well now, but will age nicely for the next three years or so.

Score: 90.

Price/store: Was $9 and change at Spec’s on Westheimer.

2006 Steele Vineyard "Pacini Vineyard" "Old Vine" ZINFANDEL (Mendocino County, California)

This was a terrific youthful Zin that is really good now but will benefit from another year in the bottle.

Color: Very dark black ruby color.

Nose: Gorgeous and intense -- spicy black raspberry fruit, sweet cream, and a background note of pine forest.

Mouth: Intensely concentrated, but not overblown, with a youthful angularity in the mouthfeel. Lots of focused fruit and black pepper flavors. Some heat in the long finish (which didn't seem to jibe with the relatively low 13.5% alcohol listed on the label).

Cellar or drink?: It will be hard to resist this focused, yummy, concentrated Zin now, but the angularity should settle down over the next year or so.

Score: 90+.

Price/store: Was $16.99 at Spec's on Smith, making it an excellent value in the brave new world of inflated-price Zins.

2005 Domaine Massamier La Mignarde "Cuvée des Oliviers" (Southwest France)

This wine, from the Coteaux des Peyriac region in southwest France near Minervois, was cheap but just so-so.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignane, Cinsault, and Grenache, this wine has a dark ruby color, but only a medium-intensity nose of very bland berry fruit and stones. Medium-bodied and balanced, but with almost non-descript flavors of generic berries and minerals. Not bad swigging at a party (it was only $7 a bottle), but little else. Got it at Spec's on Richmond. 79.

2005 Domaine du Bouqueteau CHINON (Loire, France)

Just when I finish a post about how unusually ripe the 2005 Loire reds are , I get an unripe one. Figures.

This 100% Cabernet Franc was too unripe and vegetal for my taste.

Dark black ruby color. Interesting but not altogether pleasant nose. On the good side, there were some nice cherry and underbrush scents. On the bad side, there was a persistent vegetal (bell peppers and green beans). Surprisingly full and concentrated given its unripeness. Soft-textured as well, but the overriding impression is that of the unripe flavors. With several hours of air the vegetal scents receded just a tad, but still was disappointing. 79. I believe this was about $14 at Central Market.

2006 Commanderie de la Bargemone COTEAUX D'AIX EN PROVENCE ROSÉ (France)

This was a light, fresh, but very austere rosé.

Very light coppery/cantaloupe color. Light intensity nose of tomato skins, tropical fruit and bananas, and some pungent briny stones. Crisp and very minerally in the mouth, with fruit in the background instead of in the fore. Focused and austere, this rosé isn't so great on its own, but would be a nice foil to a sweet, unctuous seafood like scallops. 84. Was $9 and change at Spec's on Smith.

2004 San Felice CHIANTI CLASSICO (Tuscany, Italy)

This wine is downright cranky at first, but after a few hours of air time, really opened up into a very high class Sangiovese.

Very dark ruby garnet. Nose very closed at first, but after it opened, it displayed some real elegance, with scents of spiced, sweet balsa wood, cherry, granite, and earth. Concentrated, medium-bodied flavors of cherry liqueur, menthol, and lots of liquid minerals. Long finish, with substantial, but fine-grained, tannins. 89. This will will likely age and improve over the next 3-4 years. Was $18 at Spec's on Smith.

2006 Domaine Dupeuble BEAUJOLAIS (France)

Nice nose, but a bit thin in the mouth.

Crystalline ruby with bright magenta highlights. Lively nose of crunchy, grapey cherry fruit and smokey granite. Crisp and light in the mouth, with dry, dry cherry and stone flavors. Lacking concentration, even for a Beaujolais, which is supposed to be somewhat lighter in style. Lean, medium length finish. This was refreshing to drink with a meal, but was meager on its own. 82. Was about $14 at Central Market.

2006 Doña Paula MALBEC "Los Cardos" (Mendoza, Argentina)

This was a very ripe, well-balanced red with a lot of character.

Saturated black ruby/mulberry color. The nose needs a lot of air time to develop, but then displays deep fruit (crushed, oozing blackberries, sweet cream, coffee and balsa wood. Rich, spicy black raspberry fruit, with a smokey granite component as well. Full-bodioes and mouthfilling. Substantial tannin in the finish, but it's relatively ripe for Malbec. Reminded me of a very ripe, old vine Zin from Contra Costa County like Rosenblum or Cline make. Very nice. 89. Was about $14 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2005 Frederic Mabileau ST. NICOLAS DE BOURGUEIL "Les Roullieres" (Loire Valley, France)

2005 looks to have been a terrific year for the Cabernet Franc-based reds (Chinon, St. Nicolas de Bourgueil) of the Loire Valley. This is a region where, traditionally, the reds struggled (not always succesfully) to fully ripen. But one convenient truth about global warming is that recently, this region has experienced warmer summers, and, consequently, the reds have been more consistent (and good!). There are still many good reds under $20 to try, and I have a few in my wine closet I'm going to be opening in the next few weeks.

This one is very good -- lots of flavor but with alcohol levels much lower than reds from other regions around the world. The lower alcohol levels create a really elegant, almost ethereal mouthfeel.

Black ruby color with bright purple highlights. Medium intensity but gorgeously perfumey nose of black cherries, stony minerals, and a briary/walnut-oily scent in the background. Concentrated and bright, with flavors of dry cassis extract and briary underbrush. Very light-feeling in the mouth, but with good concentration nonetheless. Long, balanced, lithe finish. Very distinctive. 88. Was $16.99 at Central Market.

2005 Morgan PINOT GRIS "R & D Franscioni Vineyard" (Santa Lucia Highlands, Cal.)

California Pinot Gris -- which is sometimes called Pinot Grigio -- to my taste can frequently feel and taste too flat and lifeless to me. From Italy, they're a bit livelier, but frequently have virtually no taste. From Alsace, they have lots of flavor, but can be overbearing buttery or cloyingly fruity. I've had quite a few from Oregon that I've liked over the years, however (like this WillaKenzie one).

This here's one of the classic California flat ones.

Very light and amazingly transparent gold color. Interesting nose of creamed minerals, spiced pear, and quince. Broad, flat mouthfeel, with almost cloying flavors of earthy marzipan and pear, that grows more bitter in the long, but not particularly pleasant, finish. 78. Not gonna tell you what I paid for this -- it's embarassing.

2006 Castaño MONASTRELL (Yecla, Spain)

Made from organically-grown grapes, this wine is a steal -- a gutsy, full-bodied, soft red for $8.

Dark black purply-ruby color. Needs a bit of air time after opening, but then reveals big, fruity nose of crushed blueberries, with strong minerally scents in the background. Soft, round, ripe, and full, this wine sports flavors of smoky, loamy raspberries, underbrush, and iodine. Lots of soft tannins indicate that this wine will last and improve over the next 2 years or so. Tremendous value. 88. I got this at Whole Foods on Bellaire (case stacking near the meat counter).

2003 Domaine Ehrhart RIESLING GRAND CRU HENGST (Alsace, France)

This was a fully mature, complex white.

Medium dark brassy gold color -- which led me to think this might be past its prime. But it wasn't. Deeply honeyed nose, with minerally, marzipan-y, overripe pear and honeysuckle flavors. Excellent concentration, yet in a medium-light bodied frame, with nice acidity to keep things tasting fresh. Long finish, showing just the barest hint of oxidation at the tail end. Drink this right away, as it is certainly at or just past its peak. Very nice. 88. Got this several months ago at Richard's on South Shepherd for $24.

2006 Milton Park SHIRAZ (South Australia)

This was a good value in a soft, ripe, reasonably complex red.

Very dark black ruby with violet highlights at the rim. Ripe, soft nose of spiced, sweet plums and warm cream, with some sweet, toasty oak as well. Soft, round, and balanced, this wine featured very minerally flavors (hot, salty stones) together with cassis and graphite. Pure, long, but somewhat warm finish, with no discernible tannin. 87. Was about $12 at Central Market.

"LITLLE JAMES' BASKET PRESS" (non-vintage, Domaine St. Cosme) (Rhône, France)

This was a gutsy, relatively inexpensive Rhône wine.

Dark ruby garnet. Spicy nose of sweet-and-sour berries, lemon peel, and earthy chalk dust. Concentrated, dense flavors of blackberry extract, with earthy/iodine notes. Full-bodied, with lots of fairly soft tannins, building in the long finish. A gutsy, straightforward, earthy Grenache. Good value at $11.13 at Spec's on Holcombe. 87.

2004 Barone Cornacchia MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO (Italy)

Great color saturation but disappointing in smell and taste.

Saturated black ruby with crystalline ruby highlights. Introverted nose reluctantly gives up scents of chokecherries, ashes, and a hint of Ivory soap (in a good way). Dense but very low-toned flavors of chokecherry syrup and charcoal. So low toned, in fact, that you actually have to concentrate to taste it. It feels like it should have more taste but, curiously, it doesn't. I don't like having to work to get my Montepulciano flavors -- they should roughly kind of bang around in your mouth like they're trying to escape, not try to slunk down your throat hoping you don't notice. 79. Was $10.99 at Spec's on Smith.

Plea to Houston wine stores: Please get some (1) Aglianico-based reds, and (2) reds from the Marche region of Italy!

When I left the northeast almost 10 years ago, I was a tad concerned that it would be harder to find good wine down here. I was dead wrong: Houston is a great wine town, generally speaking.

But almost every place I regularly shop (Spec's, Richard's, Whole Foods, and Central Market) have Italian sections that do not do Italy justice. Spec's, especially, has oodles of wines from Piemonte, the Veneto, Sicily, and, especially, Tuscany, but is spotty as to other areas in Italy.

In particular, these stores seem NEVER to have any reds from the Marche region, where my grandparents were born. The Marche has many excellent reds, most common among which are the kissin' cousins, Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno. They are made from the Montepulciano and Sangiovese grapes. Typically, Conero has more Montepulciano, Piceno has more Sangiovese. Rosso Conero tends to be far more elegant than its rustic cousin to the south, the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. They're not exactly common in the stores I used to troll in New England and New York, but they are completely non-existent in Houston.

The Aglianico grape is also M.I.A. from Houston wine stores. In my opinion, this is the very best grape grown in the southern half of Italy. Its most famous DOCs are Taurasi and Aglianico di Vulture. When done right, the Aglianico grape can go toe-to-toe with the Nebbiolo grape for weight, complexity, and balance (especially at present, since the overwhelming majority of big-name Nebbiolo wines, like Barolo and Barbaresco, are now made in the so-called "international style," which means it's hard to tell them apart from $%&^!# merlots) (well, actually, you can tell them apart from $%&^!# merlots by their $50-$100 pricetags).

Marche reds and Aglianico-based wines shouldn't be that hard to find, as the stores I've listed obtain their Italian wines from the same excellent importers who also offer Marche reds and Aglianico-based wines. Heck, Spec's, for example, stocks the Sangiovese, Cabernet, and Ramitello from the southern Italian winery Da Majo Norante -- but fails to stock this winery's very best wine: its "Contado" Aglianico. So it's not like Houston stores can't get these wines, they just aren't doing it.

So please, someone, start looking for and stocking these unjustly overlooked reds.

Two recipes featuring olives

Had a hankerin' for the olive-based flavors of Provencal cuisine yesterday, so I cooked up a Provencal pasta dish and a Provencal-inspired chicken dish created by our friend (and excellent cook) Robert Finley.

Rosemary Pasta with Black Olives and Carrots

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic
1/2 medium onion (or mixture of onions & shallots) chopped
1 to 3 carrots (depending on size), peeled, sliced into very thin discs
1 Tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 cup oil-cured black olives
1 lb. pasta (penne, fusilli, or something else along those lines)
fresh grated parmigiano (to taste)
salt
pepper

Bring large pot of salted water to boil.

Meanwhile, warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add half the garlic, all of the onion and carrot, and saute for 7 to 10 minutes (until carrots start to soften).

Add remaining garlic, generous grinding of black pepper, half of the rosemary, and the olives. Continue to saute about 3 or 4 minutes more. Add remaining rosemary, then turn off heat and cover pan until your pasta is ready.

Water for the pasta should be boiling by now, so add pasta and boil until al dente. Drain, place in serving bowl. Add sauteed veggies and pan juices, season with salt and more pepper to taste, add remaining tablespoon of olive oil (or more if you like) and toss. Grate parmigiano on top as desired.

The above recipe was adapted from The Foods and Flavors of Haute Provence, by Georgeanne Brennan.


Whole Chicken Braised with Garlic, Calamata Olives, Lemon, and Rosemary (Here's the link to Robert's blog)

1 whole chicken (take out the stuff in the cavity!)
1 med. yellow onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic.
1 cup pitted calamatas (Don't be lazy! Get the best olives you can find and pit them right before you prepare)

1/4 cup ground calamata or olive tapenade.
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (don't be lazy here either.)
6 inch sprig of rosemary cleaned and chopped
2 cups dry wine (Robert suggests a dry rose, and that's what I used)

Prepare in a solid braiser, Dutch oven, or rondeau that fits the size of the chicken fairly snugly (so that the braising liquid rises up to a level that covers most of the bird -- I used my trusty oval Le Creuset dutch oven.)



1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. With your finger loosen the skin of the bird and spread ground calamata under it, reaching as far as you can. Season outside of bird with salt and pepper.

3. Brown that bird....all over. Remove from pan.

4. Cook onions and garlic till soft.

5. Return the bird along with everything else and place in medium oven for no less than an hour!
Serve bird, olives, garlic and braising liquid over a plate of fresh polenta.

NB: Robert's unusual technique of braising the chicken WHOLE results in an incredibly flavorful braising liquid and a falling-apart, remarkably tender bird.

2006 Yalumba SANGIOVESE ROSÉ (South Australia)

This excellent value is from Yalumba's bargain-priced "Y-Series." Lots of bright, balanced fruit in a fairly full and soft frame.


Beautiful watermelon-pink color. Ripe nose of watermelon, cherry, and strawberry, with a pleasantly pungent minerally component in the background. Round, soft, and ripe in the mouth, with cherry-strawberry fruit and lots of steely minerals providing a nice counterpoint to the ripeness. Just barely off-dry, which probably helps avoid the sometimes bitter finish that full-flavored rosés sometimes can have. This will hold for the next several months. 89. Widely available (Spec's, and Whole foods too I think) for under $9.

2004 Sella & Mosca CANNONAU DI SARDEGNA "Riserva" (Sardinia, Italy)

This was a disappointment. Cannonau is what the Sardinians call the Grenache grape, and what I like about Grenaches -- and the Cannonaus I've had in the past from another Sardinian winery, Argiolas -- is the soft, fleshy texture and spicy raspberryish fruit it frequently gives. This had neither.

Medium ruby garnet. Very light intensity nose of cherries, balsa wood, and pungently metallic minerals. Rather meagerly-endowed in the mouth -- thin cherryish fruit, followed by an increasingly drying finish than veered toward dried old leather. 74. Around $12 at Spec's and at Whole Foods, if you need to know for some reason.

2004 Luis Felipe Edwards CARMENERE "Gran Reserva" (Colchagua Valley, Chile)

An unusually elegant rendition of a Carmenere (a Chilean varietal that is fast becoming one of my favorites).


Is there really an explosion of different Chilean Carmeneres appearing in the market over the last two years or so, or am I just paying more attention these days?


This one is very polished (it even comes wrapped in paper!). Saturated, soft black ruby with violet highlights. Closed nose at first, but with significant air time, it burgeoned, opening up with scents of dark cassis and blackberry, and a scorched earth/smoky graphite component. Unlike a lot of the wines I've had recently, the flavors were even better than the nose on this one: dense, soft, lush sweet cassis, smoky earth, and subtle wood. Very long, perfectly balanced finish. 90. Was about $14 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2006 Atteca "Old Vines" GARNACHA (Calatayud, Spain)

This was a powerful wine, loaded with character.

Crystal black ruby with a magenta edge. Focused, intense nose of spicy, ripe raspberries and hot stones. Tightly packed and massive in the mouth, with dense black raspberry fruit and the barest hint of chalky earth. Not complex, but a real bruiser, like a 6'6", 300 lb. defensive tackle of a wine. Will probably improve over the next year. 89+. Was about $14 at Spec's on Smith.

2005 Domaine de Fenouillet COTES DE VENTOUX (Rhone, France)

This wine had a really nice nose but fell short in the mouth.

Dark ruby color with purple highlights. Very elegant, gentle nose of sweet plum juice, cinnamon, powdered sugar and almonds. Soft, but lean, however, in the mouth. Flavors of steely minerals and a small amount of dry, bright fruit flavors, with crisp acidity. Seems like this is another in a recent spate I've experienced of wines whose noses make promises their flavors can't fill. Nose 90, flavors 83, for an overall score of around 86. Was $11 and change at Spec's on Smith.

2005 Pedroncelli Dry Creek Valley ZINFANDEL "Mother Clone" (California)

This was a terrific value.


Dark ruby color with purple highlights. Very nice nose of blackberries, cocoa powder, and scorched earth. Deep-toned and rich in the mouth with flavors of blackberry extract, toasty oak, iodine, and forest floor. Long, balanced, and somewhat tannic finish, though the tannins are ripe and soft. A rare excellent value in a Zinfandel. Was $10 and change -- I'll use blogger's license and call it "under $10" -- at Spec's on Smith. 89.

2005 Rosenblum Cellars "Chateau La Paws" Red (California)

This is a moderately priced blend of Rhone varietals. It had a nice nose, but was kind of hollow on the palate.

Dark black ruby color. Nose tight and astringent at first, but with air time it opens up to reveal ripe, plummy-cranberry fruit with a little gingerbread spice. Full bodied, but with a sense of hollowness in the mouth. Quite a bit of blackberry fruit and iodine flavors, as well as some scorched earthiness, but it's simply not nearly as fleshy and concentrated as the nose would lead you to believe. Decent length and balance, though. Was $12.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire. 83.

2006 MacMurray Ranch PINOT NOIR (Central Coast, Calif.)

This was leftover from a holiday party Liz attended. I've seen it at virtually every supermarket in town, and it's a correct, cheap Pinot.

Bright ruby with magenta highlights. Lively but very simple nose of cherries, cola spices, and nutmeg. Direct cherry/earth flavors on entry, leading to a flat, somewhat metallic, cherry-ish finish. Not bad. 83. Widely available for around $10 to $14.

2005 Domaine Les Grands Bois CÔTES DU RHÔNE "Cuvée Les Trois Soeurs" (France)

This wine had terrific color, a terrific nose, but flavors that did not meet the expectations instilled by the color and nose.

Gorgeous saturated purple ruby color. Wonderfully fruity nose of boisterous blueberries and blackberries, with citrus oil and powdered rock dust scents as well. Medium-bodied and lacking weight and concentration of flavor in the mouth, however. What flavors were there were of bone dry blackberry extract, and they led quickly to a rather chalky-textured finish. Nose 90, flavors 76, for an average of 83 (throwing out the score of the Russian judge!).

2004 Martinelli "Zio Tony Ranch" PINOT NOIR (Russian River Valley, Cal.)

This was a tremendous, full-throttle Pinot Noir. We were lucky to be able to share this one with the Hughens while they were visiting us over New Years.



Sultry, medium dark ruby. Intensely fruity nose: sweet, oozing cherries and berries, with tart pectin-like notes and a sweetly musky component. Deep, concentrated, and full bodied, with an almost port-like texture and weightiness. Overripe cherry and plum extract in the mouth, with lots of peppery, steely minerals in the long, but warm (15.6% alc.) finish. Not the most subtle or complex wine, but a big, voluptuous, Raquel Welch of a Pinot Noir. 90. I got this from Flickinger Wines in Chicago several months ago -- I don't remember how much it was (I think around $45).