2007 Domaine de l'Estang COTEAUX DU GIENNOIS Sauvignon Blanc (Loire Valley, France)

From a little known backwater appellation in the vicinity of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume, this inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc was quite nice.

Nose jumps from the glass with fresh, grassy-herbal gooseberry scents. Ripe and long, but with a crisp, mouthwatering mouthfeel. Not as complex and smoky/minerally as its more exalted sibling appellations can be, but fun to drink and a good value. 87. Was around $13 at Richard's on Weslayan, if I am remembering correctly (I lost the receipt).

2007 Yalumba "Bush Vines" GRENACHE (Barossa Valley, Australia)

This is a ripe, easy-drinking, nicely-balanced, food-friendly red.

Lots of scents of ripe cherry-raspberry fruit with a minerally undertone. Broad and loose-limbed on the mouth, with minerally ripe cherry flavors, and a long, slightly hot finish. Lacks the complexity and concentration of the best Australian Grenaches, but it's hard to quibble at $13.99/bottle (on sale at Whole Foods on Bellaire). 87.

2008 Terra Andina PINOT NOIR "Reserva" (Central Valley, Chile)

I had higher hopes for this, but it turned out to be a very simple, straightforward wine.

Lots of direct, cherry and herbal scents, followed by soft, well-balanced, but simple fruity flavors. Kind of like a basic Beaujolais, but made of Pinot Noir. 80. Was $12.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2006 Domaine Charvin "à côté" VDP (Rhone Valley, France)

This is the low-end red from Domaine Charvin -- a GREAT Chateauneuf-du-Pape producer. And it is a really good buy.

Richly fruity nose -- plums, blackberries, a squeeze of lemon, and a sandstone-like earthiness. Round, plummy, and with lots of gravelly-earthiness in the mouth. Clearly lots of Grenache in this puppy. Broad mouthfeel, medium full body, and some soft tannin for texture in the finish. Very nice for drinking over the next year. 89. Was $13.99 at Houston Wine Merchant on South Shepherd.

2005 "Le Font du Vent" COTES DU RHONE VILLAGES "Notre Passion" (Rhone Valley, France)

Loaded with character in a "French" way.

Lots of plummy, lemony, minerally scents on the nose. Full and intensely minerally in the mouth, with the fruit taking a back seat to a lean, intense earthy, iodine-y component. Nice balance. Full, with good acidity and a long, lean finish. Very nice, but not for those who need the jamminess of Australian Shirazes. 87. Drink over the next 6 months. Was about $14 at Richard's.

2007 Cline "Ancient Vines" ZINFANDEL (Cal.)

Cline has another winner with the 2007 version of this widely-available, reliable Zin. I got it at Richard's on Weslayan & Bissonnet for around $15.

It deeply fruity and meltingly soft with the classic Zinfandel "spicy blackberry" fruit, and a subtle, earthy/maple syrupy note in the background. Not a blockbuster but extremely enjoyable for either a weeknight or weekend dinner. All seems in balance here for immediate enjoyment. 88.

Hiatus

I won't be posting notes on any wines for a while, at least until sometime after New Year's. Have a great holiday season.

2007 "ZESTOS" (50% Garnacha, 50% Tempranillo) (Madrid, Spain)

This was a good buy in a gutsy, blue-collar red.

Eye: Dark ruby with purple highlights.

Nose: Earthy plum juice with a stony note.

Mouth: Chunky and ripe, with low-ish acidity and some tannin that was just north of soft. Full-bodied, with a slightly hot finish. Not complex at all, but a fair amount of flavor for the buck.

Score: 85.

Cellar or drink? Drink over the next 6-9 months.

Price/store: Was about $8 or $9 at Central Market.

2006 Rodney Strong "Knotty Vines" ZINFANDEL (Sonoma County, Cal.)

A bargain Zin that's widely-available! Get some of this for weeknight dinners!

Eye: Dark, but not saturated, black, plummy ruby.

Nose: Spot-on Zinfandel nose of spicy blackberry fruit, with subtle notes of resiny pine forest and minerals.

Mouth: Ripe, rich, and soft, with decent, though not great concentration. Excellent balance and ripe, mouth-filling fruit. A classic "spaghetti red."

Score: 88.

Cellar or drink? Drink over the next year as this is not built to age.

Price/store: I lost the receipt, but I vaguely recall getting this at Randall's on Weslayan for about $14.

2005 Mommessin Chateau de Pierreux BROUILLY (Beaujolais, France)

This was an atypical, though OK, Beaujolais, tending toward the big and tannic side, not the fruity and refreshing style.

Eye: Very dark ruby with violet highlights.

Nose: Intense nose of scorched earth and very primary, crunchy plummy fruit.

Mouth: Full bodied and surprisingly tannic, this wine seems to need some time in bottle to soften a bit. Deep and tightly-wound core of black cherry/plummy fruit, with some alcoholic warmth in the finish.

Score: 83.

Cellar or drink? Hold for another year and then see if it's gotten any softer.

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

Wines from Grandma and Nonno’s visit -- Part 6 (short-form notes)

Grandma and Nonno returned to Massachusetts today, so this is the last entry for wines from their visit. I'm going to need something to rehabilitate my liver after this visit, so many good and excellent wines did we drink. (I'm also going to need to return to my more frugal, usual fare!)

2005 Chateau de Saint Cosme GIGONDAS (Rhone, France) -- This was a ripe, youthful, and highly structured Rhone wine. Had lots of minerality and was quite tight initially, but opened to show a concentrated core of ripe cassis and raspberry extract. Pretty tannic throughout. If you have a cool cellar, keep this one another 3 years and then enjoy.

2004 Verget CHABLIS 1er CRU FOURCHAUME “Vieilles Vignes de Vaulorens” (Burgundy, France) -- this was excellent and drinking beautifully now. Ripe and complex, yet with bracing, well-integrated acidity. Featured a nose of toasty chicken broth, dry pear extract, lemons, and crushed stones. Very good concentration and length.

2006 Alto Moncayo “Veraton” (Campo de Borja, Spain) -- This was a new-styled and very concentrated Grenache. I loved the soft texture, the concentration, and the ripeness, but it was just a tad too oaky for me. The 2004 I previously reviewed was better (similar but less oaky), but this was excellent in its own way.

2005 Hubertushof LEIWENER KLOSTERGARTEN RIESLING EISWEIN (Mosel, Germany) -- A youthful but outstanding icewine, with great minerality, wonderfully ripe peachy fruit, and mouthwatering acidity. Very enjoyable now, this fragrant jailbait of a dessert wine could easily last and improve over the next 10 years or so in a cool dark cellar.

Wines from Grandma and Nonno’s visit -- Part 5 (short-form notes)

2006 Jean-Max Roger SANCERRE ROSÉ “Cuvée La Grange Dimière” (Loire, France) -- This Pinot Noir rose had a beautiful light salmon pink color, with a fresh nose of minerals, flowers, and strawberry/cherry. Refreshing and bone dry, with ripe fruit and excellent acidity.

2005 Domaine de la Noblaie CHINON “Les Chiens-Chiens” (Loire, France) -- Classic Loire Cabernet Franc nose and flavors: mineral and walnut oil, and herbal black cherry. Medium-full body and bone dry, stony black cherry skin flavors with underbrush and tomato notes.

2006 Razor’s Edge SHIRAZ (75%)-GRENACHE (25%) (McLaren Vale, Australia) -- Tastes like it’s got more Grenache than Shiraz, rather than the other way around, with great kirsch and spice aromas, medium full body, and ripe, sweet cherry/raspberry and earth flavors. Excellent buy at $13.99.

Wines from Grandma and Nonno’s visit -- Part 4 (Thanksgiving Dinner) (short-form notes)

2004 Rosenblum Santa Barbara County SYRAH “Appellation Series” -- A good buy in the usually overpriced California Syrah market, this $15 bottle had dense color, full body, and lush texture, and deep-toned roasted meat, graphite, and blackberry scents.

2002 Domaine Francois Lamarche GRANDS ECHEZEAUX (Burgundy) -- This was good, but a disappointment for its pedigree. Very lean, tart cherry and minerals flavors emerged only after long decanting, and it lacked the depth and complexity I expected from this Grand Cru vineyard. If I had tasted it blind, I would have probably guessed it was a regular village bottling from Fixin or Monthelie (due to the lean, hard style). For my money, I’ll take an Oregon Pinot Noir over Burgundy 9 times out of 10. Should have bought a lottery ticket instead. I’ll remember to give thanks next Turkey Day not to have dropped a C-note on another disappointing burgundy.

Wines from Grandma and Nonno’s visit -- Part 3 (short-form notes)

2006 Chateau Calabre MONTRAVEL (Blanc) (France) -- This 50% Sauvignon Blanc/40% Semillon/10% Muscadelle blend from the fringes of the Bordeaux region was light, very soft, and featured refreshing bitter grapefruit and mineral flavors.

2004 Castello di Bossi CHIANTI CLASSICO (Tuscany, Italy) -- Old school. This Chianti sported classic old school aromas of earth, leather, and brandy-macerated cherries, and was lean and food-friendly.

2002 Domaine Martin Schaetzel RIESLING GRAND CRU RANGEN (Alsace, France) -- ZOWIE! What a wine! Unfathomably rich, yet refreshing at the same time. Nose of apricots, honey, Earl Grey tea, and minerals. Broad, intense, and long in the mouth. This wasn’t totally dry, but was still a great pairing with pecan-wood grilled flounder and shrimp. From a biodynamic producer who flies under the radar of most wine geeks.

Wines from Grandma and Nonno’s visit -- Part 2 (short-form notes)

1998 Marcarini BAROLO “Brunate” (Piemonte, Italy) -- Seemingly lean and devoid of fruit at first, after a couple of hours of breathing in a decanter, this Barolo opened up and show classic Nebbiolo scents of dried cherries, leather, and minerals. On the palate, this wine showed a more feminine style (almost Barbaresco-ish) than I expected. Very nice and could even last a couple more years.

2001 Guilhem Durand SYRAH “Vieilles Vignes” (Southern France) -- This cheap red had been tucked away in my wine closet for several years. I had been afraid to open it because I thought it was in a state of advanced decrepitude, but figured “what the heck” and popped and decanted it. What a surprise! The color was still youthful, and the wine was full, ripe, and complex, with big scents of dried cassis, eucalyptus, and minerally, wet earth. Tannin has all dropped away , leaving a soft, long finish.

2006 Martin Schaetzel PINOT BLANC “Vieillles Vignes” (Alsace, France) -- Ripe, soft, simple, and peachy.

2006 Mollydooker SHIRAZ “The Boxer” (South Australia) -- A tremendously rich, mouth-coating wine. Loads of flavor, with minerally-graphite and cassis extract flavors predominating.

2005 Turley ZINFANDEL “Ueberroth Vineyard” (Paso Robles, Cal.) -- Intense in every sense of the word: intense boysenberry fruit, intense rock-dust minerality, intense body, and intense acidity. Great with mesquite/pecan wood grilled porterhouses.

Wines from Grandma and Nonno’s visit -- Part 1 (short-form notes)

Mom and Dad are visiting from Massachusetts, so I'm not going to have time to do the full version of the tasting notes, if experience is any guiide. So here are the Reader's Digest notes of the first batch:

2004 Verget VIRÉ -CLESSÉ “Vieilles Vignes de Roally” (Burgundy, France) -- a terrifically rich, dry, ripe, minmerally Maconnais Chardonnay with poire William and melon-scented fruit. Loaded with character, and soft as a summer breeze. Great.

2006 Luzon (Jumila, Spain) -- a great value ($8 and change) in a Monastrell/Syrah . Ripe, rich, full, balanced.

2001 Guigal CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE (Rhone Valley, France) -- At its peak, this was a very elegantly-textured wine, with classic Provencal scents of smoky herbs from the garrigue, and iron-y cassis/blackberry fruit.

2005 Rene Barth RIESLING “Vignoble de Bennwihr” (Alsace, France) -- A classically austere style of Alsace Riesling: lots of pungent, stony minerality and lemon-lime fruit. Crisp and bone dry.

2005 Tenuta la Cipressaia CHIANTI COLLI FIORENTINI (Tuscany, Italy) -- A medium-bodied, tight but food-friendly Sangiovese, with crisp cherry mineral flavors and and some tannin in the finish.

2007 Menguante "Old Vines" GARNACHA (Carinena, Spain)

A great buy in a young, flavorful Grenache. Needs a little time in the bottle to settle down, though.

Eye: Vivid dark ruby purple.

Nose: Intensely youthful and unformed, fruity nose of crunchy raspberries and stones.

Mouth: Layers of pure, straight-up fruity. Very primary at present, but with excellent ripeness and depth. Good balance and some noticeable, youthful tannin in the back end of the palate.

Score: 87+

Cellar or drink? Pleasant enough now -- particularly with a any intensely flavored, rustic meat or pasta dish -- this wine really needs a year or two to settle down and soften up. It could be even nicer when it does.

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

2006 Torbreck "Woodcutter's" SHIRAZ (Barossa Valley, Australia)

A very deep-toned, exceedingly full-bodied wine.

Eye: Nearly fully saturated black black ruby, with violet highlights.

Nose: Deep, inky cassis liqueur scents with smoky cedar, a prominent eucalyptus component, and graphite in the background.

Mouth: Deep-toned flavors of spicy cassis extract, black peppercorns, tar, and grilled Italian sausage flavors. Extremely full-bodies, with noticeable alcoholic warmth in the finish. Massive and inky. Needs a rich meat or game stew to really shine.

Score: 88.

Cellar or drink? My experience is that wines with this much alcohol showing in the finish usually don't hold up that well in the cellar. The alcohol tends to burn through the fruit more over time. Drink over the next year.

Price/store: Was $18 and change at Spec's on Richmond.

2005 Domaine Schlumberger PINOT BLANC "Les Princes Abbes" (Alsace, France)

A perennial good value, the 2005 iteration of this wine is a very satisfying, if not very complex, white.

Eye: Light, bright greenish gold.

Nose: Beautifully ripe fruit melange: peach skin, apples, and watermelon, with a hint of earthy gravel.

Mouth: Gobs of fruit on entry (like fruit salad with lemon juice squeezed on top), but then tapering quickly into a crisp finish. Average concentration and weight, but still lots of fun to drink. A very nice aperitif or party wine.

Score: 87.

Cellar or drink? Drink over the next 6-8 months.

Price/store: $14 and change at Spec's on Smith.

2004 Domaine de Fenouillet BEAUMES DE VENISE "Terres Blanches" (Rhone Valley, France)

This Cotes du Rhone Villages was very elegant and flavorful.

Eye: Dark ruby garnet color.

Nose: Sultry nose of deep-toned ripe red and black berries, smoke, and lots of stony minerals.

Mouth: Broadly-flavored and mouthfilling, with lots of soft, mouth-coating tannins and long, rich flavors of cassis, blackberry, subtle iodine, and deep herbal notes. Long finish transitions from deep fruit to minerals. Very civilized, mature, and balanced.

Score: 90.

Cellar or drink? At its peak, drink this over the next year.

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