2006 Jacques Puffeney ARBOIS Pinot Noir (France)

Grown in a backwater region midway between Burgundy and the Swiss border, this wine makes you imagine a mountain stream flowing with Pinot Noir. Distinctive and very good.

Light ruby color with some amber at the rim. Lively, interesting nose of stony, cool minerals, crisp cherries and cherry pits, and high-toned, sweet smoke. In the mouth, it's vibrant, lively, and penetrating, with piercing cherry fruit, hints of old wine barrels, and lots of stony minerals. Still some soft tannin in the crisp, lean, but lengthy finish. 89. Will hold nicely for another year. Was $33 at Spec's on Smith (not cheap, but worth it). Imported by Neal Rosenthal.

2007 "La Huella de Adaras" ALMANSA (Spain)

This was a truly unique wine. It was kind of like an Australian rugby player who takes ballet lessons. Not for the faint of heart. Made from the Alicante Bouschet grape, which locally is known as the Garnacha Tintorea, even though it's not related to Grenache at all.

Saturated black ruby with a little lightening at the rim. Animated, animal nose, with beefy, woodsy, baker's chocolatey scents, along with tangy, rich blackberry fruit. Full, aggressive flavors of rich, ripe dark berries, along with drying baker's chocolate again, and lots of crushed stones underneath. Tangy acidity presents a startling counterpoint to the big flavors, and there's a lingering , pleasant bitterness in the finish. Loads of character here. 89. Was $14.99 at Houston Wine Merchant. Imported by Eric Solomon.

2009 Chateau Mourgues du Grés "Les Galets Rosés" COSTIÈRES DE NÎMES ROSÉ (Rhone Valley, France)

A very fruity, lively, and balanced dry rosé made from Syrah and Grenache.

Light, bright, youthful pink color. Intensely fruity nose of fresh peach and watermelon, with the barest whiff of stony minerals. Great purity. Soft, round, and mouthfilling, yet with a light feel. Lots of pure fruit flavors and a clean, dry finish. Not a crisp rosé, but not flabby either. 88. Good value at $13 and change at Spec's on Smith. Drink over the next 6 months. Imported by Imported by Weygandt-Metzler.

2008 Domaine La Bastide "les Genets" SYRAH "Vieilles Vignes" (VDP, Languedoc,Southern France)

This Syrah -- from a dry, hot region in the south of France, and unoaked, I think -- is an excellent value. I would put this up against Crozes-Hermitages and oaky U.S. Syrahs costing 2-3 times as much.

Gorgeously dark ruby with violet highlights. Deeply fruity nose of rich cassis and blackberry along with smoky, gravelly scents. Concentrated and tight, with good weight in the mouth yet with a relatively soft texture. Tightly-wound core of deep-toned dark berry fruit with a long, mineral/schist-infused finish. Soft enough to enjoy now, yet its balance, concentration, and loads of soft tannin will insure that it will keep for a couple of years. 88. Only $11 at Spec's on Smith. Imported by Weygandt-Metzler.

2009 Guerrieri-Rizzardi BARDOLINO CHIARETTO CLASSICO (Rosé) (Veneto, Italy)

A relatively rare rosé from Italy. And a very good one!

Light, bright pink color with a canteloupe tinge. Direct, fresh, fruity nose: lots of strawberry and tropical fruit; slight hint of earth. Round, richly-fruited, but with medium-light weight in the mouth. Very soft texture, pure fruit, and a fresh, dry, slightly minerally long finish. Very elegant and nicely-done. 89. Imported by Enotec Imports and was $16.99 at Houston Wine Merchant.

2006 Umani Ronchi ROSSO CONERO "San Lorenzo" (Marche, Italy)

A classically-proportioned example of the quintessential red from my ancestors' region of Italy (Le Marche -- which is mid-way up the boot on the Adriatic coast). Made from 100% Montepulciano grapes.

Very black-toned ruby. Smoky gravel scents over minerally blackberry extract. Dark, brooding flavors of fragrant charcoal embers and very low-toned dark cherry. Gives the impression of a rustic, country wine that has learned how carry itself elegantly. Good acidity and tannin for structure. Long, smoky finish. Was a great accompaniment to pork ribs braised in wine and tomatoes with garlic and rosemary (a classic Marchigiano style braise). 88. Was $17 at Spec's on Smith. Imported by Bedford International.

2009 Domaine du Tariquet SAUVIGNON (BLANC) (VDP Cotes de Gascogne, France)

A fleshy, fruity, grassy Sauvignon. Not elegant, but doesn't skimp on flavor.

Pale silvery gold. Fresh nose of cold grapes and gooseberries, with grassy, green pepper notes. Soft and fleshy in the mouth, with lots of pear and pear skin flavors. Full for a Sauvignon Blanc, with fairly low acidity and a broad mouthfeel. Not a shy, crisp minerally Loire style. Much more New World than French-seeming. 86. Imported by Robert Kacher. I think I got this at Whole Foods on Bellaire for $12.

2006 Terredora di Paolo LACRYMA CHRISTI DEL VESUVIO ROSSO (Campania, Italy)

Teetering at the edge of old age, this wine is good but needs to be drunk immediately.

Ruby color with some amber at the rim. Right out of the bottle, the wine had a fantastic nose of smoky, rich gravel, tobacco, and rich plum juice, with a hint of eucalyptus. The mouth was not quite up to the standard set by the nose. High-toned, mature flavors of dried underbrush, iodine, and macerated red fruits. Drying finish. More austere in the mouth than the nose suggests. 90 for the nose with an 80 for the mouth. 85 overall. (Not sure where this is available, or how much it costs as it was a gift).

Two mediocre wines

These were both disappointing.

2007 Domaine Chevreau "Or Rouge" BEAUJOLAIS-VILLAGES -- From one of my favorite importers (Neal Rosenthal), strangely enough, this wine was both bitter and tart. Sour cherry and caramelized sugar flavors, and lots of green acidity. ($16 at Spec's).

2009 Domaine Castillon COSTIERES DE NIMES ROSE -- A flat, overripe rose. Loads of fruit and body, but at the expense of the acidity needed for freshness. ($7.99 per 500 ml bottle at Whole Foods on Bellaire).

2008 ElementOs 70% Tempranillo/30% Garnacha (Calatayud, Spain)

A ridiculous bargain! A soft, well-made, flavorful red with a bit of complexity for $5.99? Pretty darn rare. I bought this to cook with and ended up drinking most of it.

Dark ruby color. Youthful nose of blueberries, cinnamon, and coffee. Mouthfilling clean blackberry fruit augmented with stony minerals. Pure-tasting, decently long finish, with good balancing acidity. 87. $5.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

(Sorry -- couldn't find a photo.)

2008 "THREE TREES" (100% Syrah) (VDP de Cotes Catalanes, southwest France)

This is a very good wine for the money. Tastes like a much more expensive Cornas.

Dark black ruby with violet highlights. Closed at first, with significant air time (and pouring through a Vinturi), it develops a big, dark, meaty, smoky blackcherry extract nose. The glory here, however, is in the mouth. These grapes must have been picked the perfect time. Loads of perfectly ripe, plummy, blackberry fruit, together with loads of smoky, sandstoney earth, Fantastic acidity. Lots of chewy, ripe tannins. Excellent! 90. Was $16.99 at Houston Wine Merchant on South Shepherd. Imported by Louis/Dressner Selections.

2006 Eric Chevalier (Domaine de l'Aujardiere) CHARDONNAY (Loire Valley, France)

This is an outstanding value in a fresh, minerally, unoaked Chardonnay. Tastes a lot like a high quality Chablis.

Very light gold color. Nose of lemony-limey fresh grapes infused with chalky rock dust. Loads of lively, peachy fruit, with a clean, stony component throughout. Bone dry and very refreshing. Medium-light bodied, with a very pure-tasting finish. Very nice, and definitely a repeat purchase at $13 and change at Spec's on Smith. 88. A Kermit Lynch Selection.

2009 Chateau Saint-Pierre de Mejans ROSÉ (Cotes de Luberon, France)

This was a terrific, refreshing rose.

Very light, pinkish-copper color. Very fresh, ripe nose of earthy minerals and freshly-crushed plums. In the mouth, loads of ripe fruit and mineral flavors are delivered in a medium-bodied, dry format. Very good acidity, especially for a wine from southern France. 88. Was $14 and change at Spec's on Smith.

2006 Masi "Brolo di Campofiorin" RIPASSO (Veneto, Italy)

An example of what would have been -- if not for the use of small oak instead of the typical large casks -- an excellent wine. The influence of the small barrels made it too oaky for its own good.

Sultry, black ruby/crimson color. Rich but intensely oaky nose, with ripe, sappy black cherry and smoky earth underneath. Dark, chocolatey, and intense, with good balancing acidity. Unfortunately, the taste of oak overshadows the fruit, detracting from what otherwise were obviously good raw materials. 84. Was $16 at Nundini's Deli -- a great Italian import store on North Shepherd.

2008 Zaumau (Priorat, Spain)

This garnacha (grenache) and samso (carignane) blend was excellent. Very soft, ripe, and balanced.

Vibrant dark black ruby. Textbook Spanish grenache nose of crushed-stone infused spicy dark raspberries and black cherry. Richly fruity and velvety soft, this mouthfilling yet not-heavy red offered lots of rich, up-front berry fruit, full-body, and a lengthy, pure-tasting finish. Some very fine-grained tannin and good acidity added structure. Very nice. Imported by one of my favorite Spanish importers, Jose Pastor Selections. 90. $20 at Spec's on Weslayan.

Coupla middlin' Italian wines

Not really worth their own blog entry.

2008 Pieropan SOAVE (Veneto, Italy) had a bitterish and sour component. Nice medium gold color, but the nose was kind of pungent, with lots of pungent minerals and sour pear fruit, with an interesting caramelized sugar crystal component. Some pear, apple, and lemon fruit, but led to a short, pungent, minerally finish. Funky. 78. Kind of disappointing, as Pieropan was one of the first producers to bring Soave out of the insipid, industrial acid water that used to pass as white wine in the appellation in the 1970s.

2006 Barberani "POLAGO" (Montepulciano-Sangiovese blend) (Umbria, Italy) -- This had some character but was too rustic. Med. dark ruby garnet. Straightforward, vinous nose of winey, old cherries, smoke, and moist, funky gravel. Medium body, with basic cherryish flavors that faded quickly into an acidy, rough, drying finish. A decent peasant wine to quaff with basic spaghetti and meatballs. 80.

A bunch of great wines drunk with Angy and Susan

My brother Angy and his wife Susan were visiting for several days from Connecticut (which answers the question, who ever comes to Houston in summer for vacation?). To try to revive them from heat shock, we opened up several great bottles. But I was feeling too hot myself to do any serious analysis, so these are just quick impressions from memory.

First, the whites. A 2007 Domaine Weinbach SYLVANER Reserve ($17 at Spec's/Smith) was well-balanced but did not have inspiring depth or complexity. Sylvaner is a rather neutral tasting grape, so I guess I shouldn't have expected more than what I got, even from a great estate. The 2007 Domaine de la Rossignole SANCERRE "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" ($19 at Spec's/Weslayan) was excellent: super crisp, lemony, and redolent of chalky minerals. None of the herbal, grassy side of Sauvignon Blanc on display. Finally, the 2007 Jacky Preys TOURAINE "Cuvée de Fie Gris Vieille Vigne" (ordered direct from North Berkeley Imports, which no longer ships to Texas thanks to the Texas wine police) was excellent and unique, bone dry and round, with a unique pumpernickel/rye bread component along with minerals and pear fruit.

A 2009 Lucien Crochet SANCERRE Pinot Rosé was a star, with unbelievable freshness, and a light mouthfeel yet with persistent ripe, crisp fruit.

Now for the sick reds we had. The 2008 Jean-Paul Brun MOULIN A VENT "Terres Dorées" was utterly classic Beaujolais, juxtaposing great freshness and lightness with very intense cherry fruit and crushed stone flavors. The 2004 Perticaia MONTEFALCO SAGRANTINO (previously reviewed) was holding beautifully, displaying soft, lush, mouthcoating fruit and crushed sandstone notes but with good balance and structure. A 2004 Nino Negri INFERNO "Mazér ($34 at Houston Wine Merchant) was a really fine example of a textbook Valtellina Nebbiolo, with a lightish color, and a lithe, austere mouthfeel serving as the delivery system for rose-scented intensely cherryish fruit.

And then there was the king: the 2004 Renatto Ratti BAROLO "Rocche" ($69 at Spec's on Weslayan) was mind-blowing, old fashioned Barolo, the likes of which I haven't drunk in literally decades. Ridiculously rich and complex nose, which featured ripe chokecherry liqueur fruit and a constantly-evolving, earthy, peat-like like component, and staggering length, richness, and balance. This will likely age for several more years, but I can't imagine it getting any better than it is now (keep in mind that my personal tastes veer decidedly toward younger rather than more aged wines). The contrast in this Nebbiolo with the Valtellina Neb from Negri of the same vintage was really instructive.

No scores, but the Sancerre Rosé, Moulin a Vent, Inferno, Sagrantino, and (especially) the Barolo, would all have been 90+ wines for sure.

Sorry about the lack of activity . . . .

. . . a hectic summer vacation travelling schedule (visiting family in New England) and heat/humidity in Houston have conspired to both prevent me from having the time, and to sap my energy, to blog.

Stay tuned for a possible guest blogger post on some recent, slightly-more-expensive-than-usual treats I have enjoyed, however . . . .

2007 Hopler RIESLING (Burgenland, Austria)

A really refreshing, bone-dry Riesling. Very good value. Not as complex and deep as a good Alsace, but terrific for a hot day.

Very light gold with gorgeous greenish glints. Fun, lively nose of perfumey, powdered stones, crisp cool pears, and crunchy Macintosh apples, along with a peachy note. Light-bodied, mouthwateringly refreshing, and dry, it sports crisp, apply fruit and a clean, stony streak. Clean, crisp, medium length finish. 88. Was $16 at Houston Wine Merchant on South Shepherd.

Boots GRENACHE "Size 07" (nonvintage) (Barossa Valley, Australia)

A decent, fleshy, but fairly simple Grenache.

Dark ruby. Ripe but kind of galumphy nose of tangy berries and pungent stone powder. Gutsy, straightforward, ripe fruit in the mouth, with full body and a moderately long, minerally finish. Not bad. The Aussie equivalent of a solid, entry-level Cotes du Rhone. 85. $13 and change at Spec's on Smith.

(Sorry: "Size 04" pictured).