~$US10, 100% Tempranillo, Argentina

I’ve been feeling the need to expand the old palate and try more wines from the Southern Hemisphere - looking for oddball wines that represent good value and aren’t overtly spoofalated. At first glance, this could easily be mistaken for a Spanish Tempranillo - but alas, it’s from Argentina, the land of Beef, Malbec and Torrontes. And priced at under $10, it had my attention.

In the glass, the La Linda was a crazy dark magenta, with a decent level of transparency, which was an auspicious sign that maybe this wasn’t overly extracted and jammed. The nose was definitely a fruit fest - a glass full of berries with dash of vanilla. Decadent, it smelled like it could be heading the wrong direction, but the palate really pulled this wine into a good place. A punchy acidity and an intriguing bittersweet tang on the back-end really surprised me. It was more medium-bodied and leaner than the nose let on, which gave it a refreshing quality - one to enjoy with food (pork?) or on it’s own. Beyond the fruit some cedar and pepper-spice added dimension. Curious cool. A slight edge of stiff tannins packaged the whole deal quickly but nicely.

Overall, a great change-of-pace-weeknight red or party wine. It didn’t bring too much oak, extraction, single-dimensionality, or the funk as some cheaper Spanish Tempranillos can - instead showed a clean balance of sexy fruit, an elegant palate, and slightly off-beat swagger that made it a joy to toss back another glass.

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.

~$15US, 95% Tempranillo, 5% Garnacha, Toro, Spain

I’ve been haunted by the Flor de Pingus I had a few months ago with it’s rich fruit and earthy, primordial robustness. I can’t imagine what the actual Pingus is like - but in any case, I’ve been looking for another Tempranillo that can deliver even a bit of that flavor profile at an everyday price. The Prima does a great job of hitting a few of key flavor buttons in the under $20US range.

Super-dark inky purple. Beautiful nose of plums and blackberries, with an wonderful tobacco and leather underlaying. The oak is poking out a little, but does not intrude - it ads a slight vanilla edge. Volumnous and big on the palate, with blackberries and maduro tobacco. A touch of heat from the 14.5%ABV. Firm tannins. Concentrated and tight still - it needed some time to unwind.

Day 2: A luxurious evolution to a much more velvety and integrated wine. This is not going to win awards for elegance, but there is good scale and complexity, with 2nd and 3rd tier flavors (some espresso, violet and lavender aspects). The oak still there, still not overpowering the fruit, but there. 4-6 more years would probably make this wine rock even more.

This is a genuine and accessible wine - highly recommended and easy to love.

In my…commitment…to understand the scope and reach of Bordeaux’s varietals in their blended forms, I had a packed week/weekend featuring three of the five (Cab Franc, Sauv. and Merlot), blended with a few additional curveballs.  The lay of the land is quite interesting. I put the Nolados and the Cambra at the top, the Geol and Picque Caillou on the bottom.

I hope to try North and South American efforts plus an Italian to complete the circle.

Dominio Buenavista, Veleta ‘Nolados’ 2005

~$14US, 40%, Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc and 20% Tempranillo, Vino de la Tierra Contraviesa Alpujarra, Granada, Spain

Deep ruby-purple. Heady aromas of plum, cassis, supported by red cherries and a subtle earthiness and minerality beyond. On day 1, the fruit was had big presence front and center, but it was not overpowered by the acidic lift and fine, but tight tannins. Deftly integrated oak - some spices and caramel, but again, balanced and harmonious. On day 3, the wine was generously evolved, smooth as silk with secondary and tertiary flavors and aromas…leather, tobacco, and a dusty, gravelly road. Tons of old world character lurking behind ripe-new-worldly fruits. And sweet tannins moving towards a clean finish.

I would have probably overlooked this wine, had it not been for a lucky tasting with the head of the estate, Dr. Juan Palomar and wife, locally last year. Their efforts are truly a great success -  This wine is a home run and an astounding value.

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Rafael Cambra ‘Dos’

~$20US, 50% Cabernet Savignon, 50% Cabernet Franc, Valencia, Spain

While his Monestrall-based ‘Uno’ was less impressive to me, the ‘Dos’ delivered the goods. Deep dark violet color. The shy nose that opening up over the course of 5-6 hours - showing cherries and red currant, with a floral overtone. A little wet straw, bay leaf, green pepper and orange-zest too. The palate was full and vibrant, with a great acidity and structure - which softened to become almost lush, aside from some alcoholic bite on the backend. There’s a zesty Priorat-like schiste flavor on the finish. Sturdy.

This is a very precise and focused wine, with a understated elegance and an exotic streak. Bordeaux meets Priorat. Only a smidge less ABV would’ve made this classic. Maybe the 2004 or 2006  are a little less hot - I hope to try.

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Thomas Cusine ‘GEOL’ 2005

~$21US, 65% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Carinena, Costers del Segre, Spain

A Monsterous blast of fruit from popping the cork to pouring…This is a ripping, ripe, large-scaled wine, and not your father’s Merlot. Lots of stewed fruit, plums, blackberries, and cherries. Some disintegration with a sweet syrupy oakiness, which turn me off a little. Very concentrated. The tannins seem medium, but the alcohol definitely seems hotter that the 14.5% ABV on label. But beneath lies an energy gives the wine momentum and keep it from flabbing out. This is a full-throttle primary fruit monster right now…It may become more complex and settle down, but there is plenty to enjoy if you’re in the mood now.

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Château Picque Caillou 2005

~$20US, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux France

Beguiling aromas of Cherry cordials, tobacco, Spanish cedar, and sandalwood. Interesting and full of character - but a little thin through the palate. Clean minerality in the finish. Firm tannins and forward acidity probaby portent a good chance of fattening up in bottle over the next 3-5 years. Wait on this one - while the nose is cool - the palate is dissappointing right now.

~$50US, 100% Tempranillo, Ribera del Duero, Spain

This is the 2nd wine of the cult-garagiste-super-hyped Dominio de Pingus, in Ribera del Duero. Peter Sisseck brings a Bordelais heritage and strict selection with obnoxiously low yields to the Tempranillo grape. I just saw the 05’s come out, so I was temped to try this bottle. I popped and decanted about an hour before tasting.

It just smelled big - an overscaled bowl of cherries and strawberries like a massively rich California Pinot Noir. There was something primal about the nose - not earthy, but of-the-earth. Given the power of the aroma, I was expecting the palate to be jammy-jam extracted, but it shocked me with a very acidic and bright punch to the mouth. Young and vibrant. It didn’t give much in the midpalate and the tannins were grip-tight, but the finish just wouldn’t quit. One of the most lingering wines I’ve had in awhile, ripe with red cherries and dusty leather.

This is obviously a wine built for the long haul - 5 hours in the decanter, and still tight. A new-world nose, with an old world palate - fascinating, but just not in a pleasurable place right now. Like getting a masterful massage when you have a really bad sunburn - sometimes it’s best to wait a little longer.

Update: I left about 1 glass worth in a half-bottle overnight. Softer overall and more even-keeled. Chewey (almost chunky - depositing strange residue specs on the glass) with leather dominating along with coffee flavors. Acidity still coming through most prominently. Not quite there…but much more interesting than day 1.

~$20-40 US 40% Touriga Nacional, 40% Tinta Roriz, 20% Touriga Franca, Douro Portugal

I’m just getting into the dry wines of Portugal, and the last few I’ve tried have really overdelivered on their $10-15 price point. I’m curious to see what the next pricing tier had to offer - so when I saw this Douro wine with a slashed price, it was a no brainer.

Day 1- Deep garnet. Red and black cherry with subtle garrigue/herbal notes. Very tight - but serious “delicious potential” - needs more time.

Day 2-Slightly more open - now showing white pepper and a very refined and elegant palate. Still very tight - I wouldn’t be afraid to put this away until 2012+ - but there is no harm in enjoying it now (with food to help balance the mild tannic astringency on the back-end.) Medium bodied and stylishly balanced acidity, herbal complexity and fruit. Leather and cherries. Again, the finish speaks to me about the ’schisty’ Douro hills - and the overall impression reminds me of the more elegant Priorats like Lo Givot.

Terrific value at its sale price - it’s simply rare get this level of quality and age-ability for this price. This Douro strikes well beyond it’s weight class.

~US$13, 52% Touriga Nacional, 16.5% Touriga Franca, 14% Tinta Barroca, 13.5% Tinta Roriz, 4% other, Douro, Portugal

Medium Ruby color. Ripe black fruits on the nose - plums, black cherries and blackberries along with a mild dried herbaceousness. Darker, portlike flavors make their presence known, but the wine is never heavy or cloying. The medium-bodied palate revealed vibrant acidity and surprisingly refined tannins. Black fruit gave way to a nice white pepper component reminiscent of southern Rhone varieties. Short and dry mineral-driven finish.

My overall impression was this tasted like the lovechild of a Priorat and a rustic Cotes-du-Rhone, but with a  lighter body. Very interesting and a fantastic value - probably my favorite sub$15 red wine in the past 4 weeks. Try the sweet-and-savory combo foods like Hawaiian pizza or Peking duck.

~$12US, 100% Tempranillo, Granada Spain

Deep ruby with a purplish cast. Rich, ripe plums and blackberries on the nose…big fruit that smells of sunshine, with secondary leather and spicebox aromas emerging with time. Medium-full bodied on the palate and structurally well-constructed for this price. Just the right acidic lift to balance the fruit, taught but clean tannins (this has at least another 4-5 years of upswing), and very disciplined use of oak all add up to a wine you’d expect to be in the US$25-30 range. It’s tight but enjoyable at this point - but I detect some (nice) vegetal and spice complexities that need a little time to unwind. The finish revealed a soft decrescendo of fruit and a touch of rocky schiste-iness I usually attribute to Priorat and wines from Southwestern France. Welcome and versatile at the table - I imagine it standing up to strong sauces (garlicky/peppery) or with earthier vegetarian dishes.

A screaming value not only for what you get for $12, but what pitfalls it avoids among its price-peers (over-oaking, flabby tannins, funky brettyness, over-extraction, oxidation, etc). Easy to drink - the bottle just disappeared… I’d love to stock up on this and try it over the next few years to watch its evolution…and surprise friends when it upstages their latest California ‘cult’ wine for a fraction of the price. Seek out.

Calera Mt. Harlan Chardonnay 2004, Napa ~$24US

nose: Caramel apples, alcohol
palate: round but fresh, white peach, green apple.
finish: soft, buttered popcorn, glycerine

A solid California Chardonnay - Oaked, but not over-the-top. Well made, but not outstanding. There are similar wines cheaper, and better wines at this price.

Siete 7, Vinos de Terrunos 2005, Navarra Spain ~$8US - 80% Grenache, 20% Tempranillo

nose: Red cherries, petrol, blacktop, some dirty, wet leaves
palate: Serious. Cherries; appealing acidity, juiciness and smooth tannins. Some balsamic notes = brett maybe?
finish: Spree, long.

Similar to the ‘Les Ruffes”, except this one is from Spain and has Tempranillo. Also a great value, probably more interesting in its earthiness. And sweet label.