Two from the Rhone

Among the recent bottles have been a pair from the Rhone - one old, one younger. The older wine was the 2000 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas. I will admit that this wine seemed to be fading. It wasn't bad, but the fruit seemed a bit muted, with hints of soy starting to creep in on the palate, a sign that the wine's age was a factor. There was still some underlying flavor of dark fruit, but I certainly believe that the wine was probably better a year or so ago. Santa Duc is regarded as one of the best producers in Gigondas, so it was a bit disappointing that I had held this bottle a little too long.

Up next was one of my regular choices, the 2006 Domaine La Garrigue Cotes du Rhone. Though I've had the hyped 2007, I've really enjoyed bottles of the 2006 vintage more. This bottle continued that consistency, with some good cherry flavors and a some of the typical Southern Rhone terroir. I've been reading of some issues of bottle variation on the 2007, so for now I'll stick with the 2006 vintage as long as I can, as it is a great value.

Two Spanish regulars

I've recently had two of my regulars from Spain, but while one was up to its usual standards, the other was a bit of a disappointment. First up was the 2007 Borsao Campo de Borja. As I've said on so many occasions, this is my favorite wine value anywhere, as it still sells for about $7 a bottle. A blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha, it gives off a great deal of primary fruit with just a hint of earthiness. I always enjoy it, and highly recommend it.

The next wine was the 2005 Volver La Mancha. Previous bottles of this have been enjoyable, though stylistically they are more in the modern, fruit-forward vein. I've usually found enough balance that the wine remains enjoyable, but with this bottle that wasn't the case. I thought the wine ended up a bit too over-the-top, with too much oak and not enough acidity to balance the wine out properly. I'm not sure if this was just an off bottle, or if there is a deeper issue, but overall I did not enjoy this wine as I had in the past. I may still get another bottle soon to see what is going on with this wine, though it may be one of the newer vintages now available.

Catching up, two more Italians

Again, I've fallen behind on blog entries with a lot going on, so I'll do my best to catch up in the coming days. I'll be doubling up by country again, starting with a pair from Italy. Up first was one of my standbys, the 2005 Zenato Ripasso. It's only been a couple of months since my last bottle of this wine, and it remained consistent. The wine isn't blowing me away, but it a solid effort, and a great food wine. I had it with Chicken Cacciatore, and it was a very good match. If you can find it around $20, it's definitely worth it, but at a higher tariff, I'm not sure it outdoes other Ripassos available for less in this vintage.

The next wine was the 2007 Altesino Rosso di Altesino, and IGT Toscana. This is a pretty good, though somewhat simple Sangiovese-based blend. It's from a pretty decent vintage and a great easy-drinking wine for food. It's pretty inexpensive, so a wine I'd recommend as a good everyday purchase to have with a meal.

2005 Turley Mead Ranch Atlas Peak Zinfandel (and a bonus)

Right before my trip, I figured it was a good time to have some barbecued chicken and thus open a Turley, as these wouldn't be tastes I would get while in Greece. When I went to the cellar, I decided to go for one I hadn't had before, and also one with a bit of age. The choice was the 2005 Mead Ranch Atlas Peak Zinfandel, and it was quite tasty. The wine reminded me a bit of a ripe Chateauneuf du Pape, with plenty of dark fruit and a bit of spice. With a bit of age, the wine also wasn't overpowering, but wasn't really light either. The 2005s didn't get the best reviews, but I found this to be a pleasing wine from Turley.

As an additional note, when I went home to Pensacola after returning from Greece, we opened a bottle of the 2003 Turley Ueberroth Zin, which was also quite tasty. Parker's review had indicated the wine was quite austere in its youth and may not develop, but it seems the age has helped the wine. I thought the wine was big and robust, drinking quite well.

Two from Spain

Over the past couple of weeks, I had a couple of very nice Spanish wines, one a little older, one newer. The older wine was the 2001 Alvaro Palacios Les Terrasses Priorat, the entry-level wine from one of the top producers in the region. This wine was a great example of a base-level Priorat, a blend of 30% Grenache, 55% Carignan, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon. It was nicely balanced and had a good bit of age that had rounded things nicely. The latest vintages of this wine still retail for about $30, a fair price for a very nice wine.

Up next was the 2005 Sierra Cantabria Crianza, a value from Rioja. This wine is 100% Tempranillo and had a very nice balance and depth. For the price (around $14), this is a very good wine to have with a variety of foods, as it doesn't overdo it with the oak or extraction as some Spanish wines have been criticized for over the past few years.

Two familiar bottles from Italy

The two most recent Italian wines I had were both ones I had tried before. It had actually been a while since my last bottle of the 2004 Feudi di San Gregorio Rubrato, but it remains a favorite. The wine remains very elegant for an Aglianico, especially one at the price of about $16. I highly recommend it.

Up next was the 2006 Cesari Mara Ripasso. I've had this wine in prior vintages, and it really impressed me, so I was pleased that the latest vintage measured up. This is a top-quality Ripasso with plenty of dark fruit flavors and a hint of sweetness. What's even better is the price - at under $20, this is a steal. I seem to only find this wine on occasion, but need to be certain to search out more of it from a very good 2006 vintage.

Back from vacation, a trio from Southern France

It has been quite a while since my last entry, thanks to a vacation in Greece and another weekend away to start football season. I'm catching up first with some wines from before and after the trip, all from Southern France.

Up first is the 2006 Pegovino Vin de Pays d'Oc. I've mentioned this wine before, and once again it delivered as one of the great bargains available on the market. As sub-$10 wine will rarely offer up this much flavor and balance, especially for anyone who is a fan of Southern Rhone wines.

Up next was a split of the 2004 Grand Veneur Chateauneuf du Pape. My last night before vacation I had no wine open, so it was a great night to open one of these small bottles I keep. This wine was still quite young, but still very good. A blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre, it offered great quality for the price (inexpensive for Chateauneuf). Grand Veneur makes great Cotes du Rhones as I've noted before, and this shows that their Chateauneufs are quite nice as well.

Finally, I had the 2007 Clos Chanteduc Cotes du Rhone, my latest purchase from this stellar vintage. This wine seems to be coming around nicely, with some nice fruit and spice to it. I think the 2007's as a whole needed a little time to settle down, and this wine is now rounding into form.

Overall, these were three very enjoyable wines that anyone who likes Grenache-based wines like I do will enjoy, especially for the great prices they all can be found for at most shops.