Great Values

Domaine de Gournier Merlot 2005

Ever since reading the novel Sideways(and watching the movie), I’ve been obsessed with finding quality Merlot wines — so forgive me if I post too many reviews on them.

This one comes from France, from the southwestern part of the country (officially, “South West”) — a region that is often overlooked by the wine snobs because of its history as an area of high-volume production. However, there are many, many, tiny producers strewn throughout the South West, from places such as Languedoc-Roussillon, Costieres de Nimes, and Provence — which is where Domaine de Gournier is situated.

Luckily, there is an American importer by the name of Bobby Kacher who knows this area pretty well, and brings in some high quality bottles at more than fair prices. This Merlot is no exception.

Tasting Notes: Domaine de Gournier Merlot

A bright, ripe, open red wine. On the nose is black fruit, tar, tobacco, earth, and black pepper. . Luscious and jammy upfront, spilling over with black and red raspberries. Smooth as glass texture, almost creamy, carrying the ripe fruit into a well balanced finish of mild acidity, medium tannins, and plenty of berries and spice. Match it with burgers, chili, sloppy joes, tacos, and cheesy dishes. A full, fruit-forward, classy wine that over-delivers on its price. At about nine bucks or less, it is a great value.

a-8 t-8 b-10 fc-8 v-10 ~ 94 Points

Importer: Robert Kacher Selections

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Garnacha de Fuego 2006

Importer: Tempranillo Imports (Jorge Ordonez Selection)

Grenache of fire! I guess that means it’s pretty darn hot in Catalayud, Spain, where the vines of this grape grow. Garnacha / Grenache is a hot weather whore of a grape, much like Syrah and Zinfandel.

Luckily, this wine outperforms the old Renault Fuego (with or without the biturbo, it makes no difference).

For the uninitiated, Garnacha is the same grape known as Grenache in France, California, and many other areas of the world. In fact, Grenache / Garnacha is one of the most widely planted grapes in the world, though it’s most commonly associated with the hot, arid regions in the south of France, the southern Rhone Valley and throughout Spain. If you’re unfamiliar with the Garnacha of Spain, it may be helpful to know that Grenache is usually one of the base grapes of Cotes-du-Rhone and Chateauneuf-du-Pape (often, these wines also have Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvedre, and other grapes blended in as well).

But enough of the French version; this wine es de Espana, and does a fair job of representing the Catalayud region. Though “DO Catalayud” (”DO” is pronounced “dee - oh” and is short for Denomination of Origin) is fairly new to US consumers, in fact they’ve been making wine there for oh, about 2000 years. The region sits in the province of Zaragoza, toward the western boundary of Spain and sort of in the middle (between north and south). It should not be confused with Cataluna, which is another DO entirely and is covers several provinces. OK, enough with the boring details, let’s taste the wine …

Tasting Notes - Garnacha de Fuego

On the nose, this wine shows ripe black fruits: black raspberry and prune, with a touch of eucalyptus, pepper, and a smidgeon of earth. The palate offers a silky smooth texture, warm black raspberry, black cherry, and plum, with a touch of spice – maybe vanilla? Acidity and tannins are medium, appropriate for food but not so high that they’re overbearing when this wine is drunk by itself. Drink it with burgers, skirt steaks, cheese, tacos. At around eight bucks or less, this is a very good value. Yet another winner from perhaps the best importer without a decent website, Jorge Ordonez.

a-8 t-8 b-7 fc-7 v-9 ~ 89 Points

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Vinum Cellars Clarksburg Chenin Blanc CNW 2005

The “CNW” on the label stands for “Chard No Way” … hmm, what’s the winery trying to tell us?

Here is an ideal “out of the box” idea for the Thanksgiving table — a Chenin Blanc! And Vinum is winery in Clarksburg, California, so it fits in with the American theme of the holiday.

Tasting Notes

Bright, open nose of fresh ripe white peach, pear, melon. Deliciously bright fruit on the palate as well, dominated by apple, pear, peach, and honeydew melon. A touch of stony mineral adds a nice complexity. Very clean. Texture is smooth. Acidity is low. This is a fine sipper on its own, and a fantastic match for the Thanksgiving meal. Its bright flavors and low acidity match well with just about everything on the table – the lean turkey, stuffing, pearl onions, and veggies. Guess what? This wine also pairs nicely with asparagus – how about that? Also good as an aperitif, or match it with similarly lean dishes, or spicy foods (Asian and Indian, for example).

a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-8 v-8 ~ 90 Points

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Canella Prosecco

It’s been a while since we’ve done a sparkling wine review … and I really should post more of these. After all, why wait for a celebration to open a bottle of bubbly? Shouldn’t every day be celebratory?

Yeah, yeah, I know … how many of us can afford to drink Champagne every day? Well, who says your bubbly has to be Champagne? There are plenty of inexpensive sparkling wines — imported and domestic — that have the excitement of bubbles, taste great, and won’t give you a headache.

For example, this Prosecco from Canella is a wonderfully appealing, easy drinking sparkler that will set you back only about ten to twelve bucks.

Tasting Notes: Canella Prosecco

Clean, mild nose exhibiting a touch of citrus and mineral. In the mouth, bubbles are coarse, flavor is clean with some salty mineral. There is enough acidity to match fairly well with food. Citrusy fruit, light body, easy drinking, simple and short but pleasing finish.
Try it with spicy dishes as a foil, or with fish, and with Greek cuisine (goes well with tzatziki). It’s equally enjoyable as an aperitif, palate cleanser, and with simple appetizers. A great value.

a-7 t-7 b-8 fc-8 v-9 ~ 89 Points

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Note about the above links: even if you aren’t interested in purchasing a wine online, it’s a good idea to click on both of the above links to get a ballpark idea of what a local retailer should be charging for the wine. And you may just get lucky and find out that the wine is available right around the corner!

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Silver Spur Pinot Noir 2002

I have to admit, I was expecting very little from this wine. Silver Spur was completely unknown to me, as I’d never seen the winery name in a retail shop, on a restaurant list, nor read in a wine magazine. It was sent to me by MyWinesDirect, an internet-only retailer that specializes in introducing unknown wines to ignorant palates such as mine.

With such low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the wine, immediately apparent after being poured into the glass. The nose is forward, and open, and exudes a fresh, ripe aroma of strawberries, black cherry, earth, and a distinctive smokiness. Though this wine hails from California (specifically, Carneros in Napa Valley), it is more “old world” in style – one of the few American Pinot Noirs that remind me of red Burgundy. Unlike the jammy, over-the-top Pinots typically produced in the West Coast heat, this wine is ripe but not overwhelming, and retains both a rustic character and a tie to its terroir (soil).

In the mouth it has a silky smooth texture, and fills the mouth with ripe black cherry, red raspberry, ripe strawberry, some vanilla spice, and a touch of earth and leather. Acidity is appropriately medium, and tannins are likewise. Alcohol is there but subdued, so the finish is barely warm. All in all, an elegant, polished wine that is well balanced, full of fruit, and has an appealing finish. It is enjoyable alone, but will be better with lean dishes, such as turkey, fish, chicken, vegetarian. Or have it with a mild cheese or simple appetizer.

a-9 t-9 b-9 fc-8 v-8 ~ 93 Points

Silver Spur Winery website

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Powers Merlot 2004 Columbia Valley

Real deal price: 12.99

Ho-hum you say … a California Merlot review. Well … not really.

Actually, Powers Merlot is from Washington State — but that’s a giveaway for anyone who took the time to read the label and knows where Columbia Valley is situated. Powers is a “sister” label to Badger Mountain, a 100% organic vineyard also in Columbia Valley (in fact, it was the FIRST vineyard in Washington to be Certified Organic, back in 1990). In 1992, Badger Mountain founders Bill and Greg Powers (a father and son team) decided to make non-organic wines as well, from grapes sourced from well-respected vineyards throughout Columbia Valley — and thus the “Powers” label was born. Though Powers is best known as a Cabernet producer, their Merlot is pretty tasty as well — and a fine value.

Powers Merlot: The Tasting Notes

Open, forward nose of ripe raspberry, black cherry, green earth, black pepper, bell pepper, tar, tea leaves, and a minty herb (anise?) aroma. In the mouth it has super-ripe, juicy raspberry fruit, earth, mild sweet tobacco, black cherry, plum, bell pepper, and hints of chocolate and tar. Texture is smooth. Acidity is somewhere between mild and medium. Tannins are medium, and most noticeable in the midpalate. The finish is a bit hot – the wine’s only significant negative – but also offers some raspberry fruit, black pepper, and earth. This is a good match for burgers, skirt steak, cheeses, braises and stews. At about $12.99, this is a very good to great value.

a-8 t-9 b-7 fc-7 v-9 ~ 90 Points

Powers Winery Website

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Bodegas Famiglia Valentin Bianchi “Elsa” Malbec 2004

Proof that there are still good values to be had in Argentina. In fact, at a price between eight and eleven bucks (depending on the retailer), this is a super value.

Valentin Famiglia Bianchi has been making a range of consistent, quality wines from their vineyards in San Rafael for about 70 years — in my opinion, some of the best-for-your-buck Malbec, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon coming out of Argentina, year in and year out. Their style is clean, full of ripe fruit, round, and warm, with luscious, silky texture. Most of their wines go through some kind of barrel aging to add a nice vanilla spice component — but not so much to overpower the fruit, which is always the focus in their winemaking. Though they have some outstanding high-end bottlings, they also have a range of “entry level” wines labeled as “Elsa” — which is the Malbec we’re reviewing today. If there’s a negative to Valentin Bianchi’s wines, it’s finding them in the US — though they are supposed to be distributed throughout most of the 50 states, they’re about as easy to find as a needle in a haystack. However, they’re worth the effort of seeking out.

The Tasting Notes

Rich, vibrant, surprisingly complex aromas: ripe, fresh raspberry, plum, blackberry, vanilla spice, boysenberry, earth, hint of tar. Smooth as glass on the palate, showing excellent jammy fruit upfront, but not so much that it is overwhelming (the way an Aussie Shiraz might). Rather, the flavors pleasantly and slowly mellow into a well balanced finish, where mild to medium tannins and sufficient acidity appear and hold things together. The taste of the wine is a mirror of the nose: lots of ripe red and black fruits with spicy notes and hints of earth. Match this with a wide variety of foods, from blackened chicken to pork / veal chop to hamburgers to, of course, skirt steak grilled Argentine style.

Life would be truly wonderful if all bottles under nine bucks packed this much punch. Get a case and count on it as your daily drinker.

a-8 t-8 b-9 fc-10 v-10 ~ 95 Points

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Domaine Charvin Vin De Pays De La Principaute D’orange 2005

Here’s the scenario : I’ve just bought two 90% lean beef patties for hamburgers (with swiss cheese, grilled onion and tomato). I go into the wine shop with the goal of finding a suitable red to go with my burgers. I’m thinking Cotes-du-Rhone, maybe even be a little adventurous and go for a Californian Rhone Ranger. Essentially, I’m looking for : red, earthy, with black pepper notes, a medium acidity to fight the 10 percent fat and enough tannins to foil the protein — but not so much that it’s overbearing.

Going through the Cotes du Rhones, I came upon this bottle — which doesn’t make clear what it is, other than a VDP (Vins de Pays). The winery – Charvin – is a relatively unknown (among pedestrian wine buyers) but well-respected producer of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and is imported by Weygandt-Metzler — who in my experience has been reliable when it comes to price-to-value ratio. Suffice to say, I was not disappointed.

This wine’s nose emits a lot of black pepper, wet earth, and ripe black fruit — cassis, plum. In the mouth it has a surprising amount of jammy blackberry and plum fruit upfront, which is soon joined by spicy black pepper, earthy tobacco, tar, and the slightest hint of anise (makes sense; I found out later it was a Merlot - Grenache blend). Good acidity makes for easy food matching, and supple, firm tannins keep everything together. Alcohol is medium-high, but appropriate for the fruit ; there is no sense of hotness. The finish has good black fruit and drying tannins. It may be too dry and tannic to drink alone, but is absolutely perfect for food. Drink it with burgers – as I did – or have it with a piece of cheese, grilled beef, roasts, sausage. At about twelve bucks, it’s a very good value.

a-7 t-7 b-8 fc-10 v-9 ~ 91 Points

Importer : Weygandt-Metzler

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Tall Horse Pinotage Rose 2007

You’d think this site became a pink wine blog …

Yes, it’s yet another rose wine review. Sorry, but there are so many gosh-darn good pink wines this year.

The latest I’ve tasted is by Tall Horse, made from 100% Pinotage — an unlikely candidate for rose wine. Pinotage is from South Africa, and traditionally a big, bold red wine with black berry and earth character, and a touch of an unusual aroma that can only be described as “band-aid”. When I heard that a) there was a rose from South Africa and b) it was made from Pinotage, I had to get my hands on a bottle for no other reason than to satisfy my curiosity and bewilderment. After all, it’s difficult to find ANY South African wines in a typical US wine shop, and damn near impossible to find a rose from SA — and even then it most likely would be made from Cabernet.

Suspicious of any pink wine made from Pinotage, especially one adorned with a label of a cartoon-like giraffe, I’ll admit my initial prognosis was, “there’s no way this is going to be good.”

As is often the case with low expectations, however, I was pleasantly surprised — this rose is a fruit-filled quaffer with plenty of complexity and enough structure to stand up to food.

The tasting notes:
Mild aromas of red berry, red licorice, cranberry (none of the typical “band-aid” aroma associated with Pinotage, by the way). Fruit is more pronounced on the palate, offering juicy watermelon candy, raspberry candy, pomegranate, pear, peach, and a touch of mineral. Acidity is mild to medium – not too high for drinking alone, but tart enough to match with fairly simple foods. It finishes quickly, but with a nice red licorice and red cherry flavor, as well as a bit of citrus. Easy drinking, with enough perceived sweetness to sway white zinners toward finer wine. Don’t drink this too cold, or you’ll miss a lot of the fun and complexity. Enjoy it as an aperitif, with simple appetizers, or with barbecued chicken. May also be good with sweet and spicy dishes, such as you might find on a Chinese take-out menu. At around 8 bucks, this is a great value.

a-7 t-8 b-8 fc-7 v- 9 ~ 89 Points

Tall Horse Wines website

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Chateau Laulerie Bergerac Rose 2006

Where did the summer go? It seems like it just arrived, and now it’s on the way out. Maybe I wouldn’t have realized it had I not seen banners and ads all over the place for Halloween … sheesh! However, the weather is still warm in most parts of the USA, and you can continue to enjoy the pink / rose wines that were released over the last few months. Thank goodness, too, because I have at least a half-dozen reviews of good roses that you can still find and will be fresh enough to enjoy for about another month or so.

One excellent value — you can find it under ten bucks — is Chateau Laulerie Rose from Bergerac in southwestern France. It’s made from grapes grown just to the east of Bordeaux, along the Dordonne river — 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot and 15% Malbec. This wine offers a typical rose nose: mild ripe aromas of red raspberry, strawberry, and a touch of red licorice. In the mouth, you get ethereal flavors upfront carried on an almost creamy texture that become more intense as the wine sits on your palate and moves toward the finish. Good ripe strawberry, red raspberry, a touch of red cherry and a hint of mineral. Acidity is mild to medium, tannins are mild — both are at appropriate levels for the fruit. The finish is longer than expected and pleasant, first offering raspberry and cherry, eventually ending with watermelon and some tart acidity. A great wine for food — ideal for a barbecue. It goes with grilled sausage and peppers, shish kebab, salads (bean, pasta, leaf), chicken dishes, all kinds of appetizers, anything with sautéed onions, quiche, vegetarian dishes. There’s the slightest bit of perceived sweetness that will offer a refreshing foil to hot and spicy cuisine as well. Don’t drink this too cold or you will miss all the juicy ripe fruit — drink it slightly colder than a red, slightly warmer than a white. Easy drinking … almost too easy, even on its own.

Importer: Michael Skurnik Wines

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a-7 t-7 b-9 fc-10 v-10 ~ 93 Points

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Les Deux Rives Corbieres Rouge 2005

Summer is the best time for drinking white and pink wines, but that doesn’t mean you should swear off reds completely. In fact, now is a good time to sample lighter reds that you might not consider during the braising and roasting seasons of autumn and winter.

One such lighter-bodied red, which I find to be a nice match for an array of summertime meals, is Les Deux Rives Corbieres rouge (lay doo reev core bee air rooozh). If you didn’t take French 101, and don’t know much about France’s wine geography, you might have some trouble pronouncing this wine, much less understanding all the gobbledygook on the label.

First, let’s talk about the brand name. “Les Deux Rives” is the name representing the best wine blend of Corbieres produced by les Vignerons du Val d’Orbieu, a group of winegrowers based in Narbonne in Southern France (Val d’Orbieu is in small print somewhere on the label, but this wine is best known by the former moniker).

Additionally, “Les Deux Rives” means “the two banks”, as of a river or other water current (as opposed to Chase and Wachovia). In this case, it refers to the two banks of the Canal du Midi, a canal built in the 1600s that ran through the Corbieres region connected the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. It was one of the most important routes for transporting wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon to northern France, Europe and beyond. The label, in fact, is a rendition of a 1920s postcard of the Canal. So now you have a cool story to tell your friends when you’re pouring the wine.

In addition to the story of the label, it’s helpful to know something about Corbieres. The Corbieres is one of the largest wine appellations in France, a sub-region of the Languedoc-Roussillon, located in the south of France, below Minervois and along the Mediterranean Sea. The main grape grown there is Carignan, which you’ll see throughout the south of France and also in California, and is usually used in combination with other grapes such as Grenache and Cinsault. For a long time, the wines of Corbieres were considered “cheap plonk”, and deserved little attention from critics. However, there are now many fine wines produced in the region, including several excellent values.

This Corbieres from Les Deux Rives is a blend of mostly Grenache and Syrah, with lesser amounts of Mourvedre and Carignan. The nose is soft, not too expressive. Smells of black cherry, hints of earth and tar. Soft and easy on the palate. Not too complex, but good balance and structure that makes it an ideal match for mildly flavored foods, seasoned fish (blackened), fried chicken, hash browns, mild cheeses. Acidity is medium, tannins are soft to medium. Flavors are black cherry, cranberry, red raspberry, touch of mineral, and an earthy, herbal / vegetal component. Smooth texture.

I discovered this wine about six or seven years ago ever since have had it on my list of reliable standbys. Year in and year out, Les Deux Rives provides a consistent flavor profile and structure that is typical of the Corbieres. It’s a step above Beaujolais, a step below Syrah (more like Grenache) — a solid, “bistro” wine and good value. Match it with roasted chicken, lamb, mac and cheese, burgers, and pretty much anything off the grill.

a-7 t-7 b-8 fc-8 v-8 ~ 88 Points

Importers: Pasternak Wine Imports and Martin Sinkoff Wines

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Drylands Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2006

In the summertime, I’m always on the lookout for a clean, quality Sauvignon Blanc under fifteen bucks. They’re around, but can take some time to find. Usually you’ll find such bargains from Chile or Argentina, and on occasion from New Zealand or South Africa. One good valued example is this Sauvignon from Drylands, which retails for about $14.99 (though some retailers may have it for a few dollars less).

Drylands is a winery — and vineyard — in the Marlborough region of New Zealand, and is a label under the umbrella of the Nobilo wine group. The property consists of a 33-acre block that was planted with Sauvignon Blanc rootstocks back in 1980, and now also is home to some Pinot Noir plantings. You don’t need to know any of this information to enjoy the wine, but it makes for interesting dinner conversation.

Wide open on the nose, with lots of bright gooseberry and grassy aromas, along with limey citrus. The palate is equally bright, showing ripe citrus (lime), green melon, some mineral, and a touch of granny smith apple that comes along in the finish. A faint bit of a vegetal component comes in the finish as well — maybe lemongrass? Very clean and crisp. Good edge of tart acidity balances the ripe fruit and allows this wine to be matched with a myriad of foods. Finish is fairly long, harmonious. Well balanced. Try it with all kinds of fish, poultry, spicy foods.

a-8 t-8 b-9 fc-10 v-8 ~ 93 Points

Drylands Website

Importer: Constellation Brands

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Vinos Sin-Ley G2 Garnacha D.O. Monstat 2005

Vinos Sin Ley translates to “wines without law”. This is an interesting winery, created by two bright winemakers who have added additional enologists to their group and are focused on making high-quality, value-oriented wines. They produce wines that retail from seven to thirty bucks, with the bulk of the assortment under $13. Macintosh users will be comfortable with their Garnacha range, which is named G1, G2, G3, G4, ,G5, and G6 (prices raise as the G-number increases).

Bright, ripe, open nose of red and black berries, earth, tar, hint of tobacco. In the mouth you get juicy, almost candylike (jolly rancher) wild berry flavors, along with mild earth, a touch of tar and sweet tobacco. Clean, with a polished, smooth texture. Acidity and tannins are mild, making this a better match for lean meats and fish rather than fatty beef and cheesy plates. Enjoyable on its own as well – fine for a cocktail quaffer. This is an enjoyable, easy drinking wine with more complexity than you’d expect from an under-$10 bottle. Great value.

a-8 t-8 b-7 fc-7 v-10 ~ 90 Points

Importer: Ole Imports

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With the label featuring a black and white photo of a sweet Labrador Retriever, how could one possibly leave this bottle on the shelf?

I’m not clear on exactly who makes this wine — the label lists both Vinum Cellars and Wilson Vineyards, and states that the wine is from Clarksburg, California. I’m guessing that Vinum Cellars is the producer, and Wilson Vineyards is the winegrower?

Anyway, who or where it comes from matters not … it is a very enjoyable wine: polished, smooth, well-structured, and ready to drink.

The nose is fairly closed at first, but if you let the wine sit in the glass it will eventually offer inviting aromas of sweet black raspberry, blueberry, a touch of tar and hints of black cassis and prune. In the mouth the first thing you notice is a smooth-as-glass texture, which carries forward, ripe red and black fruits — plum, raspberry, some touches of herb, earth, and pepper, as well as a delicious spicy component that resembles cardamom, cocoa or vanilla. Acidity and tannins are at medium to medium-high levels, and in good proportion to the juicy, almost jammy flavors. Fairly enjoyable on its own, this wine really finds its potential next to a ribeye or skirt steak. Will also do well with other grilled meats, dry cheeses, and short ribs. Added bonus: a portion of the profits for this wine go to the winery’s local animal shelter. At somewhere between 10 and 13 dollars, this is a very good value.

a-8 t-9 b-9 fc-7 v-8 ~ 91 Points

Website: Vinum Cellars

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Could there be a better time of year?

The weather is perfect, school is nearly out, baseball season’s in full swing, and the rose wines have arrived.

If you’ve never been “tickled pink” by the youthful selections available in your local wine shop during the late spring, this year is as good a time as any to start trying rose-colored wines through crystal-clear glasses. An ideal bottle to begin with is this Provencal example: Mas de Gourgonnier Rose Les Baux de Provence 2006 — a consistently tasty pink wine and one of my annual favorites.

Made from about 60% Grenache and completed with a blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, the color is a bright, dark pink, almost cherry. Though the nose will eventually open up, right now, it is somewhat subdued, offering just a hint of strawberry and pear, belying the vibrant, bright fruit you get in the mouth. Flavors of fresh strawberry, pear, sweet pink grapefruit, cranberry, watermelon, pomegranate, a touch of citrus, and red currant dance on the palate, carried by a good edge of racy acidity and juicy, mild tannins. The finish is very pleasant and fairly well balanced, eventually leaving lingering tastes of sour red cherry, red currants, pomegranate, and a hint of strawberry. A perfect match for food, enjoy it with spicy foods, Indian cuisine, salads, fish, chicken, pork, bbq ribs or bbq chicken — just about anything. As with most quality rose wines, don’t drink this too cold, or you’ll miss all the fun. At about twelve bucks, this is a good value.

a-7 t-7 b-10 fc-10 v-8 ~ 92 points

Importer: Michael Skurnik Wines

Mas de Gourgonnier shelf talker available through DownloadPOS

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At some point in your wine buying life, you may have come across bottles from South Africa — most likely, they’d be cramped up in a back corner shelf near the wines from Australia and New Zealand. You may have found their origin intriguing, but feared buying a bottle, since no one’s ever talking about South African wine.

However, there are some very good wines coming out of South Africa, though the majority are still trying to find a receptive audience. Part of the problem is the flavor profile of their flagship grape — Pinotage — which has been described as being similar to Band-Aids (no kidding … and yes it IS a good thing). Despite its name, Pinotage is nothing like Pinot Noir, though might be closer to Meritage. In any case, it has a distinctive, earthy character, which some people love and others hate. As if that weren’t enough going against it, there are a number of subpar, inexpensive Pinotages littering the shelves — and unfortunately there are no ten-dollar bottles that can do the grape justice. The result is that people who might take a gamble on a cheap Pinotage, will likely come away believing that South African wine stinks.

Luckily, there is a veritable representative of South African wine that won’t break your budget: Kanonkop Kadette. Kanonkop is THE winery for Pinotage (as well as a great Bordeaux-style blend called “Paul Sauer”) and this is their ‘entry-level’ introduction to the raw beast of a red wine that South Africa is capable of producing. Kadette is typically 50% or more Pinotage with the balance a blend of equal amounts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Adding these grapes softens the aggressive qualities of Pinotage, and the result is a red wine that most will find intriguing, as it offers a cross-section of what South Africa’s vineyards have to offer. You will get a touch of the distinctive “Band-Aid” quality on the nose, but not so much to be offensive. At the same time, you’ll also enjoy the other marks of typical South African wine: plummy cassis, black raspberry, black cherry, grape juice, and earthy flavors wrapped in appropriate levels of tart acidity, ripe tannins, and alcohol.

In some years this wine is earthy and rustic, but there have been vintages that were more ripe and jammy, with succulent plummy fruit upfront. Regardless of the vintage, Kadette is almost always a fantastic burger wine, and you can also match it with grilled sweetbreads, blackened / cajun dishes, cheeses and cheese-based dishes. At about twelve bucks, it’s a great value and an excellent introduction to the wines of South Africa.

Importer: Cape Classics

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Well if the name doesn�t grab you, I�m not sure what will.

Oh, and don’t confuse it with that 20/20 stuff you drank as a poor college student.

This is a jammy and earthy, fruit-forward, typical Aussie Shiraz that may well knock your socks off. Just one thing — it�s NOT from Australia.

If you are an astute wine geek with a particular fascination for the more obscure wine regions of Spain, then the mention of Monastrell on the label might have tipped you off. For the uninitiated, Monastrell is a grape indigenous to the Jumilla DO region of Spain, and is the same grape they call Mourvedre in the Rhone Valley of France. It�s the base grape for many of my good-valued Spanish wine favorites, such as Juan Gil�s Wrongo Dongo.

Mad Dogs & Englishmen Shiraz Cabernet Monastrell has a deep, rich nose of earth, spice, and cooked black fruits. The nose actually reminds me more of a Rhone wine, such as a Gigondas or Vacqueyras. On the palate, it tastes like an Aussie Shiraz that has been blended with a Rhone Syrah, as you get both the typical New World style fruit-forward jammy flavors upfront, and also get the more earthy, vegetal, cooked fruit / prunelike Old World chacteristics on the midpalate and through the finish. Tannins are medium to strong, and acidity is medium. The sweet jamminess eventually evolves into a more bitter, vegetal finish. Overall this is a very interesting, complex wine. By itself, this wine is contemplative and unusual, but the green flavors and ample tannins may turn you off. For that reason, I strongly suggest you enjoy it with food — such as a nice hunk of cheese, a steak, burger, meatloaf, or similarly protein-rich dish.

I thought for sure this wine retailed at $16 or more � however you will probably find it for no more than eleven bucks, possibly as low as eight. A great value and worth trying.

a-8 t-7 b-7 fc-7 v-10 ~ 89 points

Imported by Click Wine Group

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Over the last 25 years or so, the island of Sicily has tranformed itself from an overgrown grape juice factory into a hotbed for cutting edge, superripe, fine wines. Its long, arid, sweltering summers allow for extreme ripening of grapes, thus producing ripe, dense, fruit-packed wines. In the last decade some remarkable (and expensive) Sicilian wines have stunned the wine world, but the island is also becoming known as a place for great values.

One of these is this red wine from the Colosi winery — Colosi Rosso — which retails for under 10 bucks. It has a somewhat closed nose at first, but if you give it some time it will eventually produce aromas of sour cherry, sour cranberry, and a touch of plum. In the mouth it has a ripe, fresh, open fruit flavor — cherry again, along with jammy red raspberry, black raspberry, plum, and pomegranate. It displays good depth, with mild hints of earth and tar, and has a smooth texture, with medium tannins.

I originally discovered this wine about four years ago, and though the acid and tannin levels seem to fluctuate according to the vintage (in some years, this wine may remind you of Chianti), the fruit has always been ripe and buying a bottle has never been a disappointment. Try it with chicken fricasee or chicken pot pie, or with meals based on turkey or lean ground turkey. It�s also enjoyable on its own — consider it with simple frozen-food type appetizers (hot poppers, pigs in blankets, mini-pizza). Because of the juicy jammy fruit, this might be a good bridge wine for transporting Yellow Tailers to real wine.

a-7 t-8 b-8 fc-7 v-9

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This wine is imported by Vias Wine

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How often can you find a Barbera from Piedmont under ten bucks? And would you believe it would be any good?

Once again Vias Imports delivers a great wine value from Italy, this time it’s Castelvero Barbera.

The wine comes from a high-altitude (about 1200 ft.) vineyard in the Monferrato hills of Piedmont, is fermented in stainless steel, sees no oak, but does get a malolactic treatment, for those who want to sound smart when chatting about it. The lack of oak allows the pure, clean Barbera fruit to come out in the wine — which for me is a positive.

That pure fruit is immediately noticed in Castelvero Barbera’s perfumey, open nose, which bursts with red cherries, black raspberry, hints of spice and earth. The palate has ripe black and red cherry fruit, raspberry, touches of cranberry and spice, all delivered on a smooth texture. Gushing, mouthwatering acidity and soft tannins add to the structure and help with food compatibility. It’s well balanced through the finish, which is longer than expected and includes both red and black berry fruits. Match it with pasta in marinara and other red-sauce dishes, grilled or blackened poultry, meaty fish (salmon, trout, blackened catfish), mild cheeses, mac and cheese. This is a really nice red wine for the price: soft and easy drinking, yet complex enough to be enjoyable and matchable with a variety of foods. Great Value and an Everyday Wine.

A-7 t-7 b-8 fc-10 v-10 ~ 92 Points

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This wine could have been the result of Southern rap (Ludacris) meeting punk rock (Sid Vicious) … but, in reality this wine has nothing to do with either.

Looking again at the label, you might think “oh great, another Pinot!”. Wrong there too … it’s actually “Pinol” … but you’re getting warmer. But hey, there’s no reason you can’t say this is a “Pinol from Spain” — and let the uninformed think it’s Pinot Noir.

Pinol is actually not a grape, but the name of a family owning a winery (Vinos Pinol) in a little town in Spain called Batea, within the region of Terra Alta. This is a significant fact of geography, because Batea is in what is called “Zone 5″, and just a hop, skip, and jump away from Priorat, which is a Spanish wine region that produces world-class wines that no one with a nose in Napa Cab has ever heard of. Which is just as well — allow geeks of Spanish wine to continue getting great deals.

Back to Ludovicus �

The grapes in this wine are Garnacha (35%), Tempranillo (30%), Syrah (25%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%) — and all can be perceived on the nose, which is vibrant, open, and full of ripe black and red fruits, earth, tar, tobacco, and vanilla.

The palate has similar characteristics: wide open, forward, upfront ripe black berry fruit is immediate on the palate, and is followed by spicy vanilla notes before finishing with a mixture of fruit, earth, black pepper, and tobacco. Everything is held together with ripe, mild to medium tannins and mild to medium acidity. By itself, it is interesting and borderline contemplative. With food, its upfront ripe fruit and structure has enough to match with burgers, mac and cheese, leaner meats, such as roast turkey and chicken, turkey or tofu burgers, gamey fish, and grilled vegetables. This might be a bargain bottle for Thanksgiving dinner, and at around $9 qualifies in my book as an Everyday Wine and Great Value.

a-7 t-7 b-7 fc-7 v-9 ~ 87 points

By the way, thanks to David Ogilvie of Purple Lips Wine Log for the bottle photo of Vinos Pinol Ludovicus you see here. He also reviewed this wine, if you’d like to get another person’s opinion.

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Vinos Pinol Ludovicus 2005 from Wine.com

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Tasca d’Almerita makes two very reliable everyday “table” wines from its Regaleali property, one white, one red. This is the white — Bianco — and the 2004 vintage is still fresh and enjoyable.

In an attempt to clear up some confusion: Tasca d’Almerita is the name of the winemaking family that owns the Regaleali estate. Generally speaking, wines made by “the Count” — Count Tasca d’Almerita that is — are referred to as “Regaleali”. Whether you call it Regaleali or Tasca d’Almerita, the wine is the same — and it’s usually very good. The Regaleali Bianco is made from three grapes indigenous to Sicily — Inzolia, Catarrato, and Grecanico — but you won’t see these grapes anywhere else so it’s not necessarily important to commit them to memory.

Regaleali Bianco teases the nose with subtle aromas of pear, straw, and lemon, but the wine really comes alive in the mouth. Fresh, clean, ripe white fruits are tasted immediately, specifically pear, white peach, and a citrusy component that resembles lemon. The fruit remains strong and seems to increase in concentration as it lays on the palate, and stays ripe and apparent through a surprisingly long and balanced finish. This wine’s ample, chalky acidity and hint of mineral make it a wonderful wine to match with a wide variety of foods, especially dishes based on chicken, fish, and pork — I’d also recommend it with Asian cuisine and vegetarian dishes. At around around a dozen dollars, this wine gives you a lot of bang for the buck. A good value.

a-7 t-7 b-10 fc-10 v-9 ~ 93 points

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Buying a bottle of Malbec can be a somewhat mysterious experience, as the grape — much like Chardonnay — can be so many different things. Think of Malbec as the Peter Sellers of grapes: so many disguises and personalities, and you’re never quite sure which one you will get.

Of one thing there is little doubt: Malbec from Argentina is nearly always a good value. (Though we’ll see how long that lasts, as more and more people are discovering the grape, and demand is increasing.) However, it can be soft and easy, lively and vivacious, or bold and dominating. There are simple Malbecs that you may chill for a while and enjoy with chicken salad, and there are complex, full-flavored, tannic Malbecs that you store in the cellar for 10 years or more.

Never having the Gascon Malbec before, I had no idea what to expect. Since it cost only about nine bucks, I figured there was a good chance it would be on the fun and fruity side, soft, and easy drinking. Boy was I wrong, and knew it the minute I stuck my nose in the glass. Green, herbal, earthy aromas dominate the nose, saddled by black fruits, black pepper, and a touch of tar. On the palate, it’s all black, ripe fruit, with black pepper, tar, and hints of tobacco, wrapped with ripe tannins and a good level of acidity. The finish is mostly tar, tobacco, and black pepper, and is longer than expected, carried by the medium-high level of tannins and acidity. Final verdict? This is an excellent value, a bold red wine begging for steak, chops, or cheese. And if you like a wine in this style, it is fairly enjoyable all by itself.

Note: I recorked the half-full bottle and stuck it in the fridge, and two days later it was nearly as enjoyable as when it was freshly opened. To me that makes it all the more valuable.

a-8 t-7 b-8 fc-8 v-10 = 91 Points

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One of my favorite wine regions in the world is Tuscany, Italy, the home of, among others, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Carmignano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and Morellino di Scansano. Perhaps the reason Tuscan wines tug at my heartstrings is all the Sangiovese flowing. Sangiovese-based wines tend to be high in acidity, yet tempered with tannins, and bursting with ripe cherry fruit; all these elements combine to create a wine that matches perfectly with all kinds of foods.

As such, I’m always on the lookout for a solid, Sangiovese-based, Tuscan wine — and am a sucker for one that retails around ten bucks. So, when I saw this bottle from Badia a Coltibuono, I made a quick snatch from the shelf and ran to the register.

One whiff of Cancelli greets you with attractive red berry, black cherry, and earthy aromas. Hints of menthol and spice add to a lovely, complex nose. In the mouth it is soft and fruity, as flavors of black cherry, black raspberry dominate. Mild, sweet earth components round out the palate. The texture is smooth, almost silky; surprising for a ten-dollar wine. Acidity is mild to medium, but lower than expected from a Tuscan Sangiovese-based wine. Tannins are also mild. Overall it is well-balanced with a pleasant f