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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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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