2008 Casal Farneto LACRIMA DI MORRO D'ALBA "Rosae" (Marche, Italy)

Unfamiliar with this wine, I wrongly assumed it was from Piemonte because of the word "Alba" in the name, but my brother set me straight: it's from the Marche, where my ancestors are from, so I should have known!

In any event, this is a unique and really good wine.

Dense purple-tinged ruby. Big, crunchy, grapey nose with fair amount of minerals. Massive amounts of dense, crunchy, richly grapey fruit in a very outgoing style. Direct and mouthfilling. Dry, but as fruit-filled as can be. This would be really fun to drink in the summertime with a little chill on it. Loads of pure fruit in the finish but with a touch of bitterness to offset all that fruit. Nice change of pace! 88. Imported by Enotec Imports, Denver. Was $15.99 at Houston Wine Merchant. (We'll just click on "under $15" so I can get you to try it.)

2007 Albert Seltz RIESLING (Alsace, France)

A chunky, dry style of Riesling. Not elegant, but full of flavor.

Medium gold color. Earthy, peach pit and dark mineral nose. Round, mouthfilling, and ripe. Loads of peach/pear fruit and lots of earthy/chalky minerals. Full-bodied. Dry, or nearly so, with a long finish. Very good value -- this was about $18 at Central Market, if I remember correctly. 88. Domaine Select Imports.

2007 Isole e Olena CHIANTI CLASSICO (Tuscany, Italy)

A ripe, earthy, fleshy style of Chianti. Not what I normally go for, but I liked it a lot anyway.

Medium ruby garnet. Fragrant nose of wet gravel, sandstone, smoky balsa wood, blackberries, and sweet, dried cherries. Rich, ripe, and complex -- a lower acid, riper style -- with broad flavors of sweet cherri liqueur, smoke, tobacco, and minerally earth. Very good concentration. Very long finish. 90. Drink over the next 18 months. Was $17.99 from B-21 Wines in Florida. Imported by Stacole Wines.

2009 Artazuri GARNACHA (Navarra, Spain)

A ripe, flavorful, soft, food-friendly bargain for drinking over the next year.

Dark ruby with magenta highlights. After airing, a vividly ripe nose featuring ripe raspberries, tomatoes, and wet stones. Mouthfilling, ripe, direct fruit coats the mouth, with some briary earthiness in the back half of the palate. Not a complex wine, but soft and flavorful. Medium length, clean finish. A very good value and would work with lots of foods (pastas with red sauces, pizza, grilled burgers, fajitas, etc.) Nice weekday wine. 87. Was about $10 at Spec's. Imported by Eric Solomon.

2009 Nobilo Icon PINOT NOIR (Marlborough, New Zealand)

An open, flavorful P.N. that was slightly marred by a flat-feeling vegetal component in the back half of the palate.

Dark ruby garnet. Ripe, open, inviting nose of sweet, sappy cherries (identifiably P.N.), brown sugar, crushed rocks, and a freshly-mowed weeds component. Mouthfilling, direct Pinot flavors on entry (ripe cherry and subtle, minerally earth), but developing the aforementioned slightly flat, vegetal component as the seconds went by. Still, hard to complain at this price point (under $20 at Central Market), since modestly-priced, good P.N.s are very hard to find. 86.

2008 Les Clos de Caillou COTES DU RHONE "Vieilles Vignes" (France)

Fantastic Cotes du Rhone, although not cheap either. Showing off the Grenache side of the Rhone family.

(These notes are from memory, as I had this at the house of some friends and didn't take contemporaneous notes). Medium dark black ruby. Sinfully pure nose of spicy, tangy dark raspberries, crushed stones and roasted herbs. Pure, soft, and mouthfilling, with great fruit/acid balance. Long, pure, soft finish. 90. I got this in northwest Austin at the Whole Foods just off of 183. It was $23. Imported by North Berkeley Imports.

2006 Domaine Gouron CHINON "Terroir" (Loire Valley, France)

A classic Cab Franc from Chinon. It's a style of wine that really takes awhile to develop a taste for, but it has slowly grown on me over the last 10 years and I find it pairs with lots of foods. I had this with nicely-browned pork chops finished in a white wine, mustard and cream sauce.

Dark, charcoalish ruby. Closed, tight, and earthy the first day. After three days in a Vacu-Vin closure, it was superb. (Would it be sacrilegious to say that on the third day, it rose?) Fragrant nose of black cherry, cherry cake icing, toasted walnut oil, and burning fall leaves. Ripe, dark cherry fruit, with crisp, refreshing acidity and a fair amount of chalky tannin. This wine will improve over the next two years or so. 88+. Imported by Massanois Imports (a Francks Signature Wines selection). Was about $15 from Zachys in NY, making it an excellent value.

2009 Eve & Michel Rey JULIENAS "Les Paquelets Tres Vieilles Vignes" (Beaujolais, France)

Outstanding! My kind of wine. Damn, I love good, old-fashioned Beaujolais. Interestingly, the magenta capsule presages the vivid ruby-magenta color of the wine.

Piercing, ripe but tangy scents of plum and boysenberry, along with abundant crushed rock notes. Lithe in the mouth, yet with concentrated fruit and stony mineral flavors that cling and linger. Actually a fair amount of tannin (surprising for a Beaujolais -- even a cru like this one). Excellent and vigorous now, this will easily keep for a year or 2. 90. Was $29.99 at Houston Wine Merchant (expensive for a Beaujolais cru, but worth it for a special occasion dinner). Imported by North Berkeley Imports.

2006 Produttori di Barbaresco BARBARESCO (Piemonte, Italy)

This was a very good Barbaresco that is drinking well now but will benefit from 1-2 more years of cellaring.

Medium dark ruby garnet with just a bit of nascent orange at the rim. Medium intensity, slightly disjointed nose of earthy cherries, rose petals, and schisty gravel. Intense, clingy flavors of winey, earthy cherries and dark liquid minerals. Lots of puckery tannin throughout the finish. Comes across as lean but flavorful. Very long finish. 88. Was $29.99 from Zachys in NY.

2008 Three "Old Vines Field Blend" (Contra Costa County, Cal.)

This was a dense, brooding, macho-styled wine that needs lots of air time (or multiple Vinturi pours) if opened in the next few months. It should definitely be cellared for a couple of years if possible. It's a blend of 34% Zinfandel, 21% Carignane, 19% Mataro, 16% Petite Sirah, 8% Alicante Bouschet, and 2% Black Malvoisie from 100+ yr.-old vines.

Jet black violet color. Brooding, reticent nose of baker's chocolate, roasted earth, and concentrated cassis and blackberry extract. Dark, tannic, and powerfully concentrated, with very low-toned dark berry and dark chocolate notes. Long, clingy finish with some cracked black peppercorn bite. Reminds me of a young theoretical California Bandol. Very good potential. Drinkable (barely) now. 88+. Was $16 from WineAccess.com.

UPDATE 3/3/11: Just had another bottle of this that was significantly more open than the first bottle -- not nearly as "brooding." I opened the first bottle about 2 weeks after receiving shipment, so maybe it hadn't yet recovered from the travel. The bottle I just had was still very deep and vibrant, with great concentration yet no jamminess whatsoever. Just a lot more open. Really delicious. Solid A-.

2005 Chateau Lascombes (Margaux, Bordeaux)

This nearly half-and-half Cabernet/Merlot was very California in style. I would have not picked it out as a Bordeaux if I was served it blind. As such, it was stylistically disappointing, but well made.

Very dense, soft color -- rich black ruby. Very California nose of plush, ultraripe blackberry, graphite, and smoky oak. Very dense, low-toned flavors of graphite and dark cassis syrup. Very long finish of mineral-infused, ripe fruit. Will probably age for another 2-4 years. 87. Was $49 from Wines Til Sold Out back in February 2010.

2009 Schloss Lieser BRAUNEBERGER JUFFER RIESLING KABINETT (Mosel, Germany)

Very young and direct now, but needs several years to develop more complexity.

Pale light gold color with light greenish glints. Young, assertive nose of ripe Riesling fruit (mouthwatering white peach and apples) with a very deep-toned minerality. Fantastic ripeness of fruit (almost Spatlese in style). Mouthwatering, piercing acidity. Not complex but wicked fun. Amazing purity. Slightly sweet in the finish but with great balancing acids and that remarkable purity. Cellar this a few years. 89+. Imported by Rudi Wiest. Was $19.99 from B-21 Wines in Florida.

(Sorry, 2005 shown)

2009 Domaine des Corbillieres TOURAINE Pinot Noir Rose (Loire Valley, France)

Always a good value when you can find it at Richard's (it's a Robert Kacher Import, so that's the only place it will be in town). The 2009 iteration is very nice.

Light salmon pink color. A little earthier on the nose and less floral on the nose than past vintages, it still smells plenty inviting, with some floral, cherry and watermelony scents. Crisp, medium-bodied, and with refreshing acidity, this is a nice value. 87. I believe this was about $13 at Richard's at Westheimer/Kirby.

2008 Heretiers de Comte Lafon MACON (White Burgundy, France)

Lafon is one of my favorite producers of Macon Chardonnays. The house style, in my limited experience, tends to emphasize the riper, fruitier aspects of Chardonnay, rather than the earthy/stony nature the grape usually takes on in Macon. This basic Macon is the entry level wine.

Earthy, crushed stone, hay-infused chardonnay fruit on the nose. Also scents of metallic pear and peach pits. Steely, liquid minerally flavors of crisp pear and apple. Very clean finish. Very nicely put together. 88. Imported by Becky Wasserman. Can't remember where I got this (Richard's maybe?) but I think it was around $18.

2006 Peachy Canyon PETITE SIRAH (Paso Robles, Cal.)

Very approachable for a Petite Sirah, a varietal which usually is darkly-unfriendly until well-aged.

Impenetrable black plasma color (classic!). Rich, earthy nose, filled with liquefied graphite, sweet, caramelly oak, and sweet cassis. Dark, low-toned flavors of smoky embers, inky cassis extract, and black pepper. Copious amounts of soft tannin, very full body, and a long, minerally, peppery finish. Good value for a P.S., the good examples of which usually end up around $25/$30. 88. Was $18 at Spec's on Smith.

2008 Louis Jadot SANTENAY "Clos de Malte" (Burgundy, France)

A decent entry-level red burgundy. Closed and young, but not that much stuffing.

Dark ruby garnet. Very closed -- needed to be poured through a Vinturi to develop any aroma at all. After a long while, delicate scents of ripe cherry syrup and warm, fragrant, minerally earth developed. High-toned, minerally, crisp flavors, with fruit tending towards crisp cherry. Refreshing, lightly-minerally finish. 86. Was about $25 at Richard's on Kirby/Westheimer. Poor price-quality ratio, as is usual with red burgundies.

PS --did anyone else hear that Spec's quietly bought out the Richard's chain?? Is that true? If so, will Richard's stop getting wines from Robert Kacher Imports? I hope not. Spec's carries nothing from Kacher, and he's got a pretty good, value-friendly line-up.

2007 "Las Rocas" GARNACHA (Calatayud, Spain)

I hadn't tried a bottle of this ubiquitous Spanish red for many years. It's still very cheap and is a decent value.

Dark blackish ruby. Medium intensity nose -- smoky embers and spicy raspberry. Very low-toned, metallic-minerally flavors, with some vague raspberry and watermelon-extract fruit. Crisp acids. Fair amount of crushed black pepper in the the finish. Some tannin too. Kind of disjointed and rustic feeling. Lots of flavor though. 86. Was about $9 at Whole Foods on Bellaire, and is available at Spec's and elsewhere too.

2008 Domaine Giachino "Abymes Monfarina" Vin de Savoie (France)

A fresh, crisp, biodynamic white made from the Jacquère grape.

Very light gold with silver flashes. Loads of character in the intensely stony nose, with straw, pear, perfumed loam, and banana notes competing for attention. Less fruity in the mouth than the nose would lead you to believe: instead, it's crisp, dry, and minerally, with mouthwatering acids. Very refreshing. Sparkingly clean finish. Would be great with shellfish. 88. Imported by Eric Solomon. Was $15 from Zachys.com.

2007 Thierry Puzelat "Pouille" TOURAINE (Loire Valley, France)

This really fun-to-smell-and-drink red is an unusual blend of 60% Grolleau (a varietal I don't believe I've ever knowingly drunk) and 40% Gamay. It is biodynamically grown and just loaded with character.

Medium light ruby garnet. Gorgeously fragrant nose of ripe plum, earthy sandstone, graham crackers, and lemon juice. Soft-textured and crisp in the mouth, with refreshing flavors of cherry, tart plum, and loads of stony, clean minerals. Light-bodied and addictively quaffable. Very distinctive. 89 for sheer fun. Imported by Louis/Dressner, I got this for $16 from Zachys.com in Scarsdale NY.

2007 Bisceglia AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE "Terra di Vulcano" (Basilicata, Southern Italy)

A very classically-styled Aglianico from this extraordinary, volcanic site.

Dark brickish ruby. Nose needs LOTS of air time to develop (use a Vinturi if you have one), as it was very closed for quite a while. Smoky, gravel and sandstone scents mingle with very ripe plum and blackberry juice. Very soft and lush-textured, with mineral/gravel-infused dark, ripe cherry fruit. Loads of fine-grained tannins. Finishes just a tad short, but still a very nice wine. 87. Imported by Winebow.

2008 Morisfarms MORELLINO DI SCANSANO (Southern Tuscany, Italy)

Comparing (very generally) the Sangiovese-based wines from Morellino di Scansano to Chianti Classicos, I'd have to say that the primary difference is that the Morellinos tend to have a more loamy earthiness and a darker-toned fruitiness, as opposed to the gravelly/schisty earthiness and piercing, more high-toned cherry fruit of the CC's. This Morisfarms (weird name) is a really nice example of a good Morellino.

Sultry dark ruby color. Medium intensity nose of earthy, dark berries, scorched earth, and cedar. Soft, ripe, and full-flavored, with lots of earthy minerals and brambly berry flavors the last to leave their impression in the mouth. Very good example of this rustic style of Sangiovese. 88. Imported by Polaner Selections. Can't remember where I got this, but I know it was under $20.

2008 Dashe ZINFANDEL (Dry Creek Valley, Cal.)

A classy Zin with everything in perfect balance, and in a textbook Dry Creek Valley style.

Dark ruby with a bare hint of violet. Beautiful nose of ripe, tangy raspberries and mountain berries; hints of lemon juice and smoky balsa wood. Gorgeously balanced in the mouth. Not too large in scale, with good acids and perfectly ripe fruit and stony minerals. Good concentration. Long finish with lots of soft tannins. Clearly this was consciously made in an elegant style that tries (successfully) to avoid "blockbuster syndrome" -- not that I'm against a big, dense Zin every now and again! 90. Was $22 at Spec's on Smith.

2005 Otter RIESLING Kastelweg (Alsace, France)

This was a heavily botrytised, ripe, heavy Riesling. The polar opposite of, say, the austere, bone dry minerally style of a Trimbach Reserve. Of course, as is usually the case with Alsace Rieslings, you have no way of knowing that by looking at the label. But once I got over my shock at the color, nose, and first sip, I liked this quite a bit.

Very dark gold with some amber. So the color was suspect, right off the bat. A tremendously rich, earthy, deeply-honeyed nose, with Alsace "gout de petrol" lurking underneath, along with nearly overripe apricot. Broad, mouthfilling flavors, with some noticeable residual sugar: tea, apricot, earth, honey, and gravel. Lengthy finish lacked only a bit of acidity. Very nice -- if you like this style. It actually went very well with a rich pasta (made "risotto style" by adding homemade turkey broth a bit at a time) that featured carrots and green beans. 88. Was about $25 at Richard's on Kirby/Westheimer.

(Sorry -- 2004 pictured)

2008 Chateau de la Greffiere MACON-LA ROCHE VINEUSE "Vieille Vignes" (White Burgundy, France)

This was one of the tightest Macons I've ever had. So tightly wound and closed at first, but burgeoning over the course of several days (during which I had it sealed with a Vacu-Vin closure) into a really remarkable wine.

Light bright gold color. Closed nose at first. Days later, a very elegant, fragrant nose developed. Smoky, lemony, limestone & chalk, along with peach and white grape fruit. Smelled like a baby Puligny-Montrachet. No joke. Just beautiful. Rich, and packed with stones and vibrant, ripe apply fruit, this wine had nice concentration and acidity. Very clean, refreshing finish. GREAT value. 91. $15 at Spec's. Imported by Weygandt-Metzler. Make sure to let this wine AIR OUT!

2007 Mount Eden Vineyards PINOT NOIR "Saratoga Cuvee" (Santa Cruz Mountains, Cal.)

From an area that used to be the up-and-coming Pinot Noir area back in the early 80s but has lost the public's interest in the wake of new appellations such as Sonoma Coast and Santa Rita Hills. This was an outstanding wine, bridging the gap between California open , ripe fruit and Burgundian minerality.

Medium ruby garnet. Fragrant, high-toned nose of sweet, sappy cherries, lemon juice, and warm, incense-infused sandstone. Intense attack, with peppery, dried-cherry syrup fruit, and loads of smoky minerals throughout. Medium full body. Silky mouthfeel. Ridiculously long finish. 92. $30 at Spec's on Smith.

2005 Domaine du Murinais CROZES-HERMITAGE "Cuvee Vieilles Vignes" (Rhone Valley, France)

This Syrah was good, but nothing more.

Youthful dark black ruby. Meaty, earthy nose with warm sandstone scents and some faint, slightly yeasty cassis fruit. Tight and crisp in the mouth, and actually a bit thin and lacking concentration. The modest fruit quickly transitioned in the mouth to a clingy, brambly component. Not bad, but not a repeat purchase. 80.

2006 Castello di Rampolla CHIANTI CLASSICO (Tuscany, Italy)

I think I'm getting to the point where I generally like the regular Chianti Classicos better than the more expensive Riserva bottlings. More accessible in aromas and texture when young and completely unobscured by any noticeable oakiness. Not to mention much cheaper.

This one rocked! Very rich dark ruby color. Fantastically fragrant nosed morphed over time. Started out really earthy but then the fruit emerged. Sweet, smoky schist/gravel and rich, plummy fruit. Intensely concentrated and ripe, with quartz-laced earthiness throughout the rich, ripe cherry fruit, and excellent acidity adding freshness. Still loads of fine0grained tannin in the long, mineral-laced finish. Fantastic, old-school Chianti. 90. Imported by Vias Imports. $30 from zachys.com (New York)

2005 Thierry Germain "Domaine des Roches Neuves" SAUMUR CHAMPIGNY (Loire Valley, France)

This organic (biodynamic, actually) Cabernet Franc-based wine was very elegant and distinctive. Like most Loire Valley Cab Francs, however, its unique aromas and flavors may not be for everybody.

Very dark ruby garnet. Laid-back aromas of toasted walnut, melted caramel, blackberry/cassis fruit, mineral oil, and smoky embers. Soft in texture, bone dry, with cassis and mineral oil flavors. Nicely-balanced, fully mature. Went well with post-Thanksgiving hot turkey and gravy sandwiches. 87. Imported by Jon David Headrick Selections. $16 at Zachys.com (New York).

2007 Jean Foillard MORGON "Cote du Py" (Beaujolais, France)

A beautifully balanced, elegant, refreshing Beaujolais. Went down way too easily.

Medium ruby garnet. Gorgeously sweet nose of spiced ripe plums and fragrant powdered stones, with a squeeze of lemon juice. Soft but persistent fruit, in a fresh, medium-bodied package. Stone-infused, fruity finish. Very approachable and fun. 88. I think I got this at Houston Wine Merchant a while back, and it was around $25, but I can't be sure. Imported by Kermit Lynch.