2001 Fess Parker PINOT NOIR "American Tradition Reserve" (Santa Barbara County)

This was a fully mature, flavorful, Pinot Noir, though it wasn't that complex. Rich, sweet nose of wet earth, sappy cherries, and peaches. Rich, soft, earthy flavors, with lots of body. Very voluptuous and up front. Kind of a floozy, but floozies have their place, right? 87. Was $22 at Fiesta Mart near Reliant Stadium.

2004 Chateau de la Greffiere MACON LA ROCHE VINEUSE (Burgundy,France)

A notch above even the previous Mommessin Macon Villages, this was a superb unoaked Chardonnay. Had it at Farrago restaurant this past weekend. I've seen it around in stores -- not sure if it was Richard's, Spec's, or both. But I think it's around $15-$16 retail. It had more of everything that the Mommessin had going for it. More fruit, more body, more freshness, more length. Years ago, I preferred oaky California Chardonnays to the unoaked, more minerally and restrained Maconnais wines, but now I'll take a wine like this any day.

2004 Mommessin MACON-VILLAGES "Old Vines - Chardonnay" (France)

This is a dynamite buy in a cheap, well-made, unoaked Chardonnay. Didn't have time to take notes, but this wine had good body and ripeness, some nice minerality, and nice balance on the long finish. About $8 at most Spec's stores. GET SOME.

Coupla Mediocre Wines

2005 Domaine de Coccinelles COTES DU RHONE Rose -- Pretty, light bubble gum pink color, but things went downhill from there. Tight, austere, minerally nose, followed by tight, tart, austere flavors. Got some body, but unfriendly flavors. 74.

2004 Domaine de Gournier GRENACHE NOIR (Rhone region, France) -- An estate imported by Robert Kacher, which is usually a good sign. This wine, however, while it had good color, was austere and acidic, with sharp, scorched earth and tart cherry flavors. Lots of acid on the finish. Heartburn city. 70.

2005 Trumpeter Mendoza TORRONTES (Argentina)

Torrontes is a white varietal that is a specialty of Argentina. I view it as a poor man's Viognier because it has lots of tropical fruit scents, fairly full body, yet falls apart within one to two years.

This one is very inexpensive, but not bad. Bright, crystalline light brassy-gold. Very fruity nose of tropical fruit (mango?), with apple and ruby red grapefruit scents as well. Medium bodied, with lots of up-front fruit and fruit-pit flavors, with citrusy notes. Fades fast in the mid-palate, however. Short, clean finish. 82. Was $7 at Spec's on Westheimer (near Fogo de Chao).

2005 "Red Guitar" Navarra "Old Vine" TEMPRANILLO/GARNACHA (Spain)

This wine has started to show up at a lot of stores. Apparently a big, well-connected company is behind this, although I can't tell which one.

Surprisingly for a wide-distribution wine, this has some character. A saturated dark ruby/purple color, with a fragrant nose of spicy ripe raspberries, cinnamon, stones, and cream. Medium full-bodied and pure in the mouth, with penetrating, tight fruit, some youthful, but soft, tannin, and a clean, spicy fruit and mineral finish. Will soften and expand in flavor over the next year. Very good value at $9 at Whole Foods on Bellaire (also available at Spec's and some supermarkets). 87+

2004 Chateau de Chatelard BEAUJOLAIS BLANC "Vieilles Vignes" Chardonnay (France)

The last wine (the Sancerre Rouge) was a rare red from a white region. This is a rare white from a red region.

Bright, light nose of crisp apples, pears, and chalky minerals. Tight, fresh and minerally in the mouth; not terribly concentrated, but very clean and balanced. A nice oddity, but not a repeat purchase. 86. Was about $10 at Spec's on Smith.

2003 Jean-Max Roger SANCERRE ROUGE "Cuvée Les Caillotes" (Loire, France)

A very distinctive Pinot Noir, displaying the minerally, austere capabilities of the grape.

Medium light ruby. Snappy nose of tart cherries, plums, and lots of sweet, pungent minerals. Dry and austere texture, this wine has lots of bone-dry cherry and mineral flavors, with some crisp acidity and peppery heat. Distinctive, and an interesting wine to sip and ponder, but not the most hedonistic of wines. 84. Was about $19 at Spec's on Smith.

2004 Lolonis Redwood Valley ZINFANDEL (Mendocino County, California)

This was a beautiful, textbook Mendocino Zin.

Beautiful saturated black purple/ruby color. Classic Zin nose of crisp, ripe, penetrating mountain berries, creamed caramel, and lemony spice. Round, soft, and full, yet vibrant mouthfeel. Perfect fruit/acid/ alcohol/tannin balance. Ooodles of pure fruit with an undercurrent of toasty balsa wood. A big, beautiful, food-friendly Zin. I think it's organically grown too. 90. A very good value at $15.20 at Spec's on Westheimer (near Fogo de Chao).

2003 Reilly's "Old Bushvine" GRENACHE/SHIRAZ (Clare Valley, Australia)

Can't the Aussies come up with some phrase other than "bushvines" for "old vines." I've got it! How about "old vines"? Something about the name "bushvines" just rubs me the wrong way.

Anyway, this is a very distinctive wine, but it's not for everybody. It's like a big, plush ball of viscous fruit plasma . . . what some wine geeks now pejoratively call a "fruit bomb."

Medium dark ruby/garnet. Oozingly sweet peaches and raspberries on the nose, with steely minerals underneath. Plush and richly fruity in the mouth, with salty peach pit and raspberry flavors, and a nice hint of charcoal in the finish. Full-bodied and very voluptuous. Hedonistic, even. Drink right now. Do not age. 90 points based on pure pleasure, even if it's not very complex. Was $18.90 at Spec's at Richmond & The Loop.

2004 Domaine des Aubuisières VOUVRAY "Cuvée de Silex" (Loire Valley, France)

A very understated, elegant wine. Exceedingly pale gold. Delicate nose of sweet flowers, apples, and ripe white grapes. Faint stony minerality in the background. Soft fruit -- freshly-crushed grapes -- with chalky minerals in the mouth. Light-to-medium bodied, with some residual sweetness, but great balancing acidity. Persistent finish. Very good feminine style Vouvray. 87. Was $15.79 at Richard's on South Shepherd.

2004 Altos de la Hoya MONASTRELL (Jumilla, Spain)

Yes, I've tried a lot of Monastrell-based wines from the Jumilla and other regions in southern Spain recently. Because there are lots of good values to be had there, that's why. This is another one.

Saturated black-ruby/purple color. Very unusual nose for a Monastrell: lemons,peach pit, sweet raspberry, sweet cream,and just a tad of earth. Big and intense, yet very nicely balanced, with flavors that emphasize the fruity rather than the earthy side of the Monastrell grape -- blueberries, cassis, and minerals. Lots of well-integrated tannin and good acidity too. Drinks well now, but I think it will soften considerably over the next two years. Less than $10 at Spec's on Smith. 88+

A Note on Big Zinfandels and a Stupid Article

A couple of weeks ago I got the Spec's monthly or quarterly wine mag in the mail. In it, there was an article by someone I've never heard of about Zinfandel. One of the premises of the article was that they're too big, too full, too ripe, and too high in alcohol. The writer recommended that winemakers try to throttle back, and make them with less body, less ripeness, and more acidity so they'd be more "food friendly."

WHAT A LOAD OF IGNORANT CRAP.

Zinfandel is a wine that naturally ripens at higher sugar levels than other varietals. So guess what? When it's fermented, turning the sugar into alcohol, there's more alcohol and therefore more body. It's been my experience that it's hard to find it hard to find a Zinfandel that tastes like Zinfandel at lower than 14% alcohol. The lower alcohol Zins I've had tend to have less varietal character, because (all other variables being equal) they're picked earlier when they're less ripe. To try to produce a lower alcohol Zin than nature wants to give you is like trying to make Anna Nicole Smith or Queen Latifah look like Gwynneth Paltrow. It doesn't work, and the world becomes less interesting as a result.

And it's a false premise that big Zins don't go with food. Yeah, maybe if you're eating seared tuna, some fancy pants veal or chicken breast dish, or some restaurant pasta dish finished with the now ubiquitous "touch of cream," then a big fleshy Zin isn't the way to go. But I cook lots of stuff like braised lamb shanks, pasta with long simmered meat sauces, oxtail Roman style, steak grilled over mesquite, winey pot roasts and stews. With big boldly-flavored food like that, it's hard for me NOT to reach for a big, ripe Zin when I go to the wine closet.

If the writer wants lower alcohol, more restrained Zins, he or she can get some by being selective about what regions to look for. For example, I'm not a big fan of Zins from the cooler Russian River Valley, and they aren't usually as ripe as I 'd like and they tend to have higher acids. Some wineries are known for their more restrained style of Zins, too, like Storybook Mountain or Quivira.

If they aren't "restained" enough for for the writer of this ridiculous article, then my advice would be to drink a damn Cabernet or Merlot. But don't go trying to make my hound dog (we actually have a hound dog mutt named Zinny) into a miniature poodle.

2004 Di Majo Norante SANGIOVESE (Molise, Italy)

This winery makes good, solid, simple Sangiovese and Cabernet, which are widely available in lots of stores and supermarkets. Unfortunately, the best wine they make I usually can't find anywhere. That's their "Contado," a wine made from the Aglianico grape, which to my taste is the finest varietal grown south of Tuscany.

In any event, the Sangiovese was a solid, gutsy wine, but true to form it was simple, and really not recognizable as a Sangiovese. Dark black ruby color. Big, grapey, chocolately, resiny, smoky nose. Simple, rich, broad chocolate and cassis flavors. Lots of body and guts, but really simple and goofy. A great wine to guzzle at a big spaghetti supper. Widely available at around $8. 85.

2005 Domaine des Corbillieres TOURAINE PINOT NOIR ROSÉ (Loire, France)

An OUTSTANDING rosé. Very light, bright, salmon-pink color. Phenomenal nose that vaults out of the glass -- freshly-picked stawberries, cherries, tropical fruit, and cold steel. In the mouth, this wine juxtaposes great fruit and concentration (for a rosé) with the ethereal lightness of a ballet dancer. Long, dry, pure-fruit finish. Easily the most pleasurable rosé I've had in several years. 92. WOW! Was only $10.99 at Richard's on Shepherd. GET THIS IMMEDIATELY! (I mean, after I go back and get a few more bottles).

1999 Domaine Tempier BANDOL (regular bottling) (Provence, France)

This was one of the best of the basic, non-reserve wines I've had from this excellent estate (which I used to sell when I lived in NYC and worked for Mosswood Wines). A classic Mourvedre based wine (with some Grenache thrown in), this wine had a deep black-ruby color with only the barest hint of age at the rim. Nose of earthy red fruits, classic Mourvedre "tree bark", and sweet cream. Big, athletic flavors of earthy raspberry liqueur and gravelly-minerals. Fine-grained tannins still remain, as does the vibrant fruit, both of which augur for nice ageing for a few more years. Very nicely balanced, medium/full-bodied. Would go well with stews and meat-based pasta sauces. We had it with risotto with red wine, prosciutto, and radicchio. 88. Got this from a very neat mail-order wine shop in Chicago, Flickinger wines, http://www.flickingerwines.com/, for about $20 a year ago.

2000 CHATEAU RAHOUL -- Graves (Bordeaux, France)

I used to see this wine a lot in NYC when I lived there in the early 80s. It was always a good value for a Bordeaux and still is.

Dark ruby/brick color. Plummy, sweet, curranty nose with lots of typical Graves cigar box and sandstone scents. Soft, rich, earthy flavors in a medium-to-light-bodied frame. Beautiful structure and texture, nice length. Not super-concentrated, but very well done. This is why I like Cabernet blends from the Graves region (or its sub-region, Pessac-Leognan) better than Cabernets from anywhere else on earth: the balance, softness, and earthy complexity. 87. I think this was about $20, but I can't remember where I got it.

2004 Hewitson "MISS HENRY" Grenache Syrah Mourvedre (Barossa Valley, Australia)

Dark ruby garnet -- not young-looking, but not old-looking either. Substantial airing coaxed out a really nice nose of sweet cream, sweet mountain berries, and graphite. Medium-bodied, with flavors of salty, sappy raspberries and a hint of scorched earth way in the background. Not overly dense or fleshy, but good concentration and length nonetheless. No discernable tannin, but a little pepperiness (14% alc.) on the finish. 88. Drink in the next year, I'd say. Was $18 at Spec's Warehouse.

2001 Quinta do Alqueve "ANCESTRAL" (Ribatejano, Portugal)

Deep blackish ruby with no real signs of age. Wickedly high-toned nose of very spicy, mineral-laced raspberries and crusty bread. High-toned flavors as well, with lots of earthy/sandstone and spicy red fruit. Beautifully balanced, with a long finsh. Very distinctive. 88. Was $13 at Richard's on San Felipe.

2004 Verget MACON-VILLAGES "Mis Tardive" (Burgundy, France)

A nicely-rendered white burgundy in the "Verget" style (emphasizing mineraliness rather than fruitiness).

Beautiful light yellow-gold color. Medium intensity nose of minerals, honey, and marzipan, with some bitter pear-skin scents. Bright, intense flavors of stones, bitter pear again, and flowers. 87. Was about $13 at Spec's on Westheimer (near Fogo de Chao).