I hadn’t had a drop of Grenache in many months - and wanted to see what I’d been missing. This CdR gave off a nose of smokey dried cherries, wild thyme and ripe blackberries. Big, in stature and up-tight tannins and texture, but a little boozy on the back-end. Dust and licorice on the finish.

Thankfully, it’s not spoofy, acids were present, and no oak lipsticking -  but it’s not jumping out at me. It’s really a seasonal thing I guess - Côtes du Rhônes have always been more of a winter-warmer-with-a-hearty-stew for me, and under the 90 degree humid Cincinnati oppresssion we call summer, I’d rather have a chilled Txakolina. It does have a “tastyness factor” and lots of folks are gunna love this, expecially with the right pairing, on the right cool evening.

These two beautiful off-the-path wines kept us warm and cozy through the first snowy weekend of the season. Both of them kicked their game up when paired with foods - becoming like an ingredient or component to the dishes.

Etxegaraya, Cuvée Lehengoa 2006, Irouleguy, France

This dark and rich Tannat blend (from 150 yr old vines!?) offered aromas of black cherries with a dollup of savory goodness (peppers, meatiness, tomato?) - almost Chinon-like, but bolder. The palate was large-scaled, but wonderfully fresh - the tannins present, but much more integrated that I’d expected. An interesting orange-zest and clove note came through on the finish. With time, this wine rounded out and softened - just a joy to drink. This just rocked the house with a rustic beef stew and boiled parsley potatoes.

Domaine du Clos d’Alari, Grand Clos 2004, Cotes du Provence, France

This Syrah/Grenache blend exhibited a gemlike deep ruby color, and a mix of ripe plums, red cherries and peppery-herby aromas. Medium bodied and drinking just-right now -  there was some honest structure and soul to this bottle. Black pepper and a rustic meatiness came through on the palate. Towards the finish, some Cabernet notes emerged (currant and peppers, with a dusty tannic edge) bringing some complexity to this Southern-Rhone ringer. It was maybe a tad too hefty for the pasta dish, but from a flavor standpoint, it married so well with the proscuitto, basil, and oregano flavors.

~$9US, Mostly Garnacha, Almansa, Spain

This is one of those wines I had to take a chance with: Nothing on the label was familiar whatsoever, no varietal, an unknown DO,  a few curious and almost unpronounceable words, and RED SPANISH WINE in all caps.  At 8 or 9 bucks and the shop’s recommendation (with the headline “Sweet Tarts”), I gave it a try.

I’ll start by saying that this is just an unusual wine, and I love it’s honesty. The nose offers lots of stoney minerality, dried cherries, some blackberry and sun-dried tomatoes.  Surprising complexity at this price and absolutely free from obliteration via  the oak monster. On the palate there is just a searing beam of brightness and acidity, which contains the fresh bing cherry fruits, that does not let up. The finish is telling of solid winemaking and vitaculture - long and slowly tapering chalky and floral notes, and indeed, Sweet Tarts.

This acidity here almost pushes the limits of pleasurability, but when paired with fattier foods like charcuterie, cheeses, etc - it comes off like an elegant Southern Rhone with the palate of a fine Barbera d’Asti or a lean Cru Beaujolais. In a perfect world, this could use a touch more fattness in the midpalate, but I can’t complain - the overall purity and drive of this wine is rarely matched at 2-3x the asking price.

Volver Tempranillo 2005, La Mancha, Spain $US14: Monolithic cherry fruits. High-alcohol, overtly oaky and syrupy. Acidity came into focus on day 3, but with the lumber and alcohol, it couldn’t quite pull itself together. Not undelicous, but food unfriendly. Personally - I’d reach for the amazing Prima (offering more complexity and character) over the Volver any day.

Sella Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna Reserva 2005 $US9: Who turned on the Funk Machine? Barnyard leaping from the class, with mineral oil and red cherries. Violets and dried herbs with air time. Transparent, Pinot-like color. Round palate with medium-weight - excellent acid freshness and balance. If you run with the funkand have some red-sauce and/or game, this is your wine.

~$25US, approx 80% Grenache, 20% Syrah, Gigondas, Southern Rhone, France.

I had fun with this one…Saw the single ‘99 sitting in a bin-end & having read great things about Barruol and the Gigondas appellation but never having the opportunity to try either, I bit. I had intended to pick up a Chateauneuf, but I couldn’t miss an opportunity to try something new.

Popped and decanted on Saturday. Had a sip and it tasted good - but the fruit, alcohol and herbiness seemed out of wack. Ended up drinking beer…Put it back in the bottle after 3-4 hrs in the decanter, recorked and threw it in the fridge.

Sunday afternoon, I took it out of the fridge and let it warm up a touch. Beautiful. The time had softened the wine considerably - to almost Pinot-Noir suppleness. Really exciting stuff coming into play. The Thyme/Sage herbal flavors really locked themselves into sweet strawberry and red cherry juice. Great acidity and medium body. Firm and lengthy finish; after all this playing around, the end-grip balanced the fruit’s fullness perfectly.

After nearly a decade, this wine was showing all kinds of beautiful, and had the cojones to go another 10 in bottle. This is a tough wine, but kinda  tough in it’s principals and resolve more than brute force or brawn.

While Chateauneuf-du-Pape is getting expensive and trendy (though always near and dear),  I’ll be buying up all the older Gigondas that I see, thank you very much. And playing with wine for a day or two can be really rewarding.

~US$30, Grenache/Carignan/Cabernet Sauvignon, Priorat Spain

I love Priorat wines for stories and soul that goes into the wines as much as the actual liquid. From accounts and photos of the area, it’s a beautiful and dangerous other-worldly terrain that would seem unlikely to be producing much in the way of agriculture/viticulture. But in the past 20 years,a small group of producers (led by Alvaro Palacios, Daphne Glorian, and Rene Barbier) have proven that through insanely hard work - world-class wines from indigenous varieties can be coaxed from the schisty, terraced cliffs.

Les Terrasses is Palacios’ entry-level Priorat cuvee, comprised of Grenache and Carignan with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. Pop and poured - zingy acidity, red fruits, but tight and astringent - so I put it away for 2 days to see how it developed. Retasted and it put on wonderful complexity and weight. Bing cherry flavors melded with a deep, herbal spiciness - primarily lavender and thyme. Immediately comparable in flavors to a Chataueneuf-du-Pape, just lighter in body. The Cabernet brings some nice cedar and currant to the midpalate with an clean tannic lift. Signature Priorat wet-slate finish, which could be lengthier. Even after 2 days open it still had very dry tannins which mark this for pairings with fattier foods - it could make your gums a little too sticky on its own. There is clearly enough fruit here to carry this wine for another day or 2 in an open bottle, or probably till 2018+ in cellar.

Personally, this is a great value @ $30 - because it affords the ability to be played with over a week - and it’s just delicious and not mind-blowingly alcoholic or too fruity or oakey. This is a finessed wine that probably wont be revelatory to the wine-drinker buying Spanish wines in the $10-15 range - but for those who drink the pricier Rhones, Shiraz, and even certain Bordeaux, this wine will have you wondering why you’d want to spend 2x or 3x this price.

~$US35, 85% Grenache, remainder Mourvedre, Syrah, etc. Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone, FranceLess opaque than expected, but a nice garnet hue. Killer nose that just gave and gave and gave. The kind of wine you could just sniff and be satisfied for the evening. Explosive red cherries, serious cigar box (like Cuban Bolivars in a cedar cabinet), some herbal tones of basil and fennel and anise. Rich, but not reductive or jammy. The palate showed signs of serious craftsmanship and longevity for a wine in this price range. Medium-bodied, but deeply flavorful and dry, but not tannic. While enjoyable shortly after opening, the wine still was tight after 6 hours of decanting - not tight in a bad way because the flavors were all there the whole time. The wine simple put itself together continuously organizing the tannins, fruit, herbs, wood, acidity, etc in a way that become more and more harmonious.An excellent wine all said and done - one that you might pair with a good dry-aged steak. I think you’d have to enjoy a flavor-profile that favors herbs and cedar with fruit 2nd (I do!) to really enjoy this. This definitely has a long lifespan ahead, and if I get another bottle, I’ll wait till 2010. This is one of those wines, that despite all the recent popularity and hoopla, shows me why C-d-P is so near and dear to my heart. Big thanks to the 3 Wine Guys for the heads up on this bottle.

 ~$20US, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Columbia Valley Washington 

I believe the bottle to be flawed or damaged. Over-oxidized balsamic and grape Robotussin flavor. Disappointing and will reserve judgement on Owen Roe wines until after I try the 2006 ‘Lady Rosa’ Syrah maturing in the cellar. 

~$25US, 51% Mourvedre, 33% Syrah,16% Grenache, Calaveras County

Purple. Juicy, fruity, integrated, with some smoke. Bacon-wrapped plums. Smooth, dense,  and chewey on the palate. Easy to drink due to the quality of the fruit and structure. Coffee and some cocoa through the midpalate. While not the least bit acidic, the tannins and spice give it lift and vibrancy.

Absolutely a new world fruit-driven wine, but done well. Long finish with glycerin, licorice, and mineral-water flavors. A little heavy-handed on the new oak - not obliterating the fruit, but keeping this from becoming a truly outstanding effort.

In any case, I appload the producers in creating something unique- a Calaveras-county(?!)-mourvedre-based-Rhone-style-blend with complexity and style. *%#&@! yeah!

~$45US - Garnacha, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah,  Priorat, Spain

Night 1: Sweet-tarts. Strong plum and raspberry fruit, black pepper and zippy acidity. Firm tannins. Very tight. Whisper of oak. Must revisit tomorrow.

Night 2: Still tight, but opened up very nicely over several more hours. Plenty of fruit, but much deeper and longer as the tannins smoothed out. Leather and herbal (basil?) aromas float in and out of focus. Sweet-tartness still a primary attribute. Definite chalky and gravelly flavors on the finish that are just delicious in contrast with the fruit and acidity. White pepper.

This is truly and elegant and subtle wine. It has a fascinating structure - a very focused and linear core of fresh fruit surrounded by a periphery of wild, darting flavors- chalk, leather, coffee, herbs, flowers, rhum agricole.

The components of the blend are so well integrated that it’s hard to tell where one’s contribution ends, and another’s begins. This is a family of 4 grapes; each speaking, but telling one story about their home vineyard. A triumph of place over style or variety.