2007 Cotes du Rhone and Southern Rhone

Not surprisingly, I've been drinking quite a bit of wine from the 2007 vintage in Southern France. I feel like the lower-end bottlings are finally coming into their own, and not just those from the Rhone, but also other areas.

Up first was a wine from the Languedoc, the 2007 Mourgues du Gres Costieres de Nimes les Galets Rouge. I picked this wine up in Charlotte, as the 07 vintage has not arrived here in Atlanta yet apparently. It's a predominately Syrah blend, and is really quite outstanding, especially for the price (around $15 I think).

Next was the latest vintage of one of my perennial favorites, the 2007 Chateau Pesquie Les Terrasses. I've noted this wine before, and it's definitely a fantastic value. The latest bottle was just as good as the last, maybe even a bit better as the wine has really settled into a sweet spot.

I then moved into the Rhone for two more wines from this amazing vintage. First was another favored producer, Domaine Les Aphillanthes. The 2007 les Aphillanthes Cotes du Rhone still has a bit of acidity, but is settling into what should be a really great value. Another few months should see the wine hit its stride, but it is already quite good. I've really enjoyed the 2006 Cotes du Rhones-Villages from this producer, and this wine has the potential to be even better.

Finally, I had the 2007 Mas de Boislauzon Cotes du Rhones-Villages. This was actually the first wine I think I've had from this winery, but they apparently hit a home run in 2007. Their top Chateauneuf du Pape cuvee got 100 points from Parker, and while this wine isn't nearly at that level, it is still really good. Like I've mentioned with the others, this wine is just really coming into its own, and will probably be at its best over the next year or two.

Overall, there is just so much fantastic quality and value coming from the 2007 vintage in southern France. I keep buying so many of these wines, and after several months they are finally settling down and becoming the great wines everyone has said they would be. Over the next several months, I anticipate many more notes on this fantastic vintage.

Ridge - a favorite from California

While I certainly love Turley, my favorite California winery may actually be Ridge, which continues to make great wines at fair prices, and using a variety of grapes. I've recently opened two of the wines I got while Loudoun and I were on their direct shipping list. Up first was the 2005 Dusi Ranch Zinfandel. This is a full, rounded Zinfandel, but it isn't overpowering. Instead, it's got a bit more finesse and subtlety, but without sacrificing any of the great fruit. It's definitely a high-quality Zinfandel.

Up next was the 2002 Lytton Estate Syrah, the first predominately Syrah I've had from Ridge. It was an excellent wine, really showing off how California can do a great job with this grape, but not overdo it. This wine isn't an overly New World-styled wine, but more refined like a Rhone Valley wine. It probably helped that it had some age on it, but this wine was really in a great spot. I definitely enjoyed both of these selections, and they reminded me that I might want to start getting more wines from Ridge again soon.

Italian values

I've had several nice, inexpensive Italian wines over the last few weeks, from three very distinct areas (one popular, one emerging, and one still pretty off the map).

Up first was the wine from an "emerging" region, the island of Sicily. From one of the biggest wineries there, the 2007 Planeta La Segreta is a blend of 50% Nero d'Avola, 25% Merlot, 20% Syrah, and 5% Cabernet Franc. The wine is very fruit-forward, certainly a bit more modern in style, but also quite enjoyable. For about $12, it certainly delivers plenty of drinking pleasure.

Up next was a wine from the region of Le Marche, I believe the first I've had. The 2006 Saladini Pilastri Rosso Piceno Piediprato is a blend of 50% Sangiovese and 50% Montepulciano. It is really nice, soft, wine with a lot of finesse. Again, this wine was about $12, and is really a pleasure to drink, though much more restrained than the Planeta. I bought this bottle in Charlotte, but would love to find it here, as it is really a great value.

Finally, I had a wine from an area and a producer I am very familiar with, but this wine was new to me. The 2005 Ciacci Piccolomini Poggio della Fonte IGT Toscana is a great value from one of my favorite producers in Montalcino. A blend of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet, it is another fruit-forward wine, but very balanced. It won't confuse for a higher-end wine, but again the $12 price point makes this a fantastic value. I immediately went out for more of this one.

Overall, these three wines continue to show why I have fallen in love with Italian wines. These are all great values, and also three very different wines from different regions, and incorporate both indigenous and international varietals. There is just so much good wine being made in Italy today, and I love discovering it all.

Rhone cellar selections

I've been a bit slow with updates, but have several lined up over the coming days. To begin, I've recently had a couple of Rhone Valley wines from my cellar. Up first was the 2001 Chateau St. Cosme Gigondas, one of several wines from this producer that I have. I knew when I pulled this bottle out that it may be a little long on the tooth, and I was right. The wine wasn't shot, but it was definitely fading. On the first night, it was still good, though obviously not at its peak. By the second night, it had unfortunately lost more fruit, with the aged soy characteristics taking over.

Up next was the 2004 Chante Cigale Chateauneuf du Pape, the latest bottle from the case of this I purchased a couple of years ago. Every so often, I like to check in on this wine, and it is still not at its peak. The wine is very nice, with lots of traditional southern Rhone characteristics, and for the price I paid (about $19/bottle) a really nice wine. I think another year or two will put this wine at its peak, so I intend to wait a while longer before opening the next bottle.