~$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.

~$30US, 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 10% Cinsault, 5% Syrah, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone, France
Deep crimson. Very tight on the nose and palate. WAY too young - this wine should be put away for at least 5-7 years, or opened at least 24 hours before you intend to drink it. I had this open for about 8 hours before it starting to put itself together. Red cherries, oregano, thyme, leather, and some interesting Mourvedre gameyness. A slightly unusual blend with a relatively high Cinsault component which may influence the overall taughtness.  Definitely on the elegant side of C-d-P, which I admire, but I felt that I had thrown the baby out with the bathwater opening this too soon. I think patience will be rewarded if you can sit on this one for awhile.

~$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.

~$27US  60% Grenache / 35% Carignan / 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, Priorat Spain

MAGENTA! Wicked color on this wine. Nose of fresh blueberries, smoked meats, and provincial herbs. Very chewey, deep-toned flavors of berries and herbs, which revealed the balancing acidity over time in the mouth. Then cabernet added a touch of tannic structure that was very well integrated. As it opened, it became softer and more liqueur-like, with some red-fruits coming into play. Very long finish, with stony and earthy notes.

This wine really offered the best of old and new world wine-styles - big and round fruit, with alluring wild herbal notes and an elegance to the overall presentation (no crazy oak, no crazy ABV, etc). Well done. A rebuy.

~$16US 60% Grenache /24% Syrah /12% Mourvèdre /4% Counoise, Paso Robles, CA

This is my first Tablas Creek wine - A joint venture between the Perrin Family of the Rhone, (Chat. Beaucastel) and their longtime importer, Robert Haas. This, their entry-level offering, was a medium transparent ruby. The nose was shy at first but opened with time to reveal syrupy cherry, raspberry, and saline. The palate was medium-to-full-bodied and hot (15.2% ABV difficult to integrate here), but very juicy and lush. A nice surprising minerality and unique maritime character supported the upfront fruitinesss, with some great dried herb notes - oregano and anise. The herbal notes continued to the finish, but the alcoholic bite bittered the final impression.

This is an exciting wine. There are more complex wines in this price point, but there is nothing wrong with a linear, fruit-forward wine when it delivers the goods without going to Candyland. Most importantly, it achieves real character and a sense of place, which is (arguably) the most profound expression a wine can make. It might have been a tad more alcoholic than it’s framework could support, but the overall feeling was a fine counterpoint and challenge to the typical Cotes-du-Rhone.

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.

~$18US Grenache and Carignan blend, Roussillon, France

Pop and pour. Ridiculously aromatic. Fresh thyme, rosemary, fresh berries, vetivert, cedar, tar. I’ve never been to Roussillon, but I hope this is what a jog through the hills smells like. Very round and coating on the palate, but a fresh streak of acidity and minerality brings vigor. A balance of sweet and savory, rustic but not clumsy, exotic flavors and aromas (sandalwood? lavender? glove leather?) intertwined with red fruits. Perfectly integrated - the kind of wine that is difficult to pick apart because it is just working. This would be wondrous with roasted pork with fruit or rabbit stew. Utterly compelling juice and a super value to boot. And to think that this is their ‘entry-level’ wine…

~$9US Grenache / Syrah / Carignan / Cinsault, Coteaux du Languedoc, France

I’m loving these Languedoc-Rousillon value wines…they are not the most complex wines in the world, they might not flourish and evolve after decades of cellaring, but they do have great character, uniqueness, and charm. The “Les Ruffes” was very gamey and barnyardy at first, but the funk blew off to reveal dark berries and a very clear and distinct white pepperiness. It retained a wild-meatiness with raspberries that worked well with a hard goat cheese. Medium-bodied and easy-drinking. It actually had some structure too, with some tannins, a mild brace of acidity, and a medium candied finish.

We killed the bottle in record time. Compared to the “critter” wines in this price range, this is a no-brainer for an everyday value, offering a real sense of place and a peek at what the bigger (read: expensive) Rhone-varietals can offer.

~$35US Grenache Blend, Priorat

This was tried on an impulse - I’m big on the region,  it seemed a decent price (for a Priorat),  and I hadn’t heard of it, so what the heck. Popped and tasted: Garnet, and nothing but wood and tannins. I came back a few hours later, and it started to shed the oak and pick up some steam. The nose opened nicely, with cigar-box, black cherries, and chocolate-covered raisins. In the mouth, it was overall leaner than the nose let on, and more that a little tannic. The firm acidity added some lift and hit some pomegranate notes. While lean and dry, it showed admirable complexity but a short cherry-Popsicle finish.

Overall, this wine hit some really nice notes from a flavor standpoint, but missed for me from a structure and balance standpoint.  In my perfect world, I wish I could have dialed down the wood, up the fruit and minerality - and kept everything else as-is. I know very little about this wine, but 5 years old, so it’s hard to say if it was over the hill, too young on in a “dumb” phase.  Again, not a bad wine by any means, but I found myself dwelling more on the flaws than the strengths.