A couple of not so young Aussies

The first was the Lehmann's 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa (WS 90). It took a while to open up, initially smelling like pine, pinesol, mint, mineral with some black and purple berry. But after 45-60 minutes, it was a lovely with blueberry and currant in a medium light frame with some eucalyptus and mossy tree trunk. At its peak now. Very similar to the WS review. My score: 91-92.

Several nights later, I had the Pirramimma 2003 Shiraz Mclaren Vale (WS 92, $23 list). I don't remember drinking this so it was not particularly uh, what's the word... memorable.

Just this past weekend I had the Yellow Tail 2005 Shiraz Reserve (WS 90, $12 list). Yes, Yellow Tail. And double yes, 90 points. It took a while to open up with moderately complex blueberry, currant and just a hint of mineral. Very nice. My score: 90-91.

A bargain Riesling

It is not easy to find good Riesling on the cheap. The (really) good stuff is from Germany or the Alsace and it will be $14 at a minimum if you know what to look for. I did a WS search for 87+ points costing at most $10, with at least 10,000 cases imported made in 2005-2008.

There were a total of 12 matches, 8 which got 87 points and the remaining 4 scored 88 points. Three of the 88 pointers were from Washington State.

But I found the other non-Washington 88 pointer, and bought it yesterday. It has a huge production of 200,000 cases, so you can pretty much find it, if you are willing to get off your couch.

And it was under $6.

At Safeway. (Which is having a big sale. Combine it with their 10% off 6+ bottles discount, which I did.)

But the final kicker is that it is made by

Yellow Tail. That's right.

Here's the WS review: Yellow Tail 2008 Riesling South Eastern Australia, (88 points, $8 list) Light and tart, with a fresh-baked bread edge to the pear and kiwi fruit flavors. Drink now. 200,000 cases imported. --HS

Now go out and get some.

Update: I've tried it and it is a difficult wine. It is often a bit thin, meaning it has less intensity than a really good riesling, and most of the time the complexity is missing and the flavors are muted. But every once in a while it really shines. Don't serve cold and let it breathe a tiny bit. My score: 84-89 points.

Some $10 and under reds for Jez

As my wife chats with her pal Jez on Google Wave (not generally available, those lucky two) about wine, and asks for my recommendations, I thought I'd summarize what I said to her.

First, remember the cardinal rule: drink what you like and try not to pay more for it than you have to.

Jez tried two $6 Aussies: Black Swan (shiraz/merlot) and Yellowtail (shiraz/cab). She liked the Black Swan better but her favorite was an Italian, Luna di Luna (merlot/sangiovese).

Italy

The Italian blend is likely to be less fruity and more earthy, than the fruit-driven Aussies so I recommend she try the following:

1. Fontanafredda, Barbera Piemonte Briccotondo 2006, 2007, 2008. The 2006 and 2007 got 90 points from the Wine Spectator and the 2008 is equally nice. Can be tough to find once the 4 week release window has passed. (Costco carried the 2007 and then 2008 recently). It is hard to find a good Barbera (the grape varietal pretty much only from Italy) for under $25 so this is a real buy.
2. Falesco, 2006/7/8 Umbria "Vitiano" ($8-10). This is has been an up and not-so-up blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cabernet over the years, with some tremendous bottlings and some others that were more average. The recent 2008 bottling got a very solid 88 from WS. It is widely available and has the earthiness of an authentic Italian Tuscan blend. These can be a bit rough initially and will taste fine for 4-6 years.
   
3. Monte Antico, 2006 Sangiovese-Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon Toscana ($9-12). This also got 90 points from the WS and with 80,000 cases made, it should be findable with a bit of a search.

It is not easy finding pure Sangiovese for under $12, so I've gone with blends. I find Italian wines are not priced cheaply so it pays to experiment with what you can find.

Australia

Here are some Aussie wines to try. They will all be fruit driven with controlled acidity and minimal tannins.

1. Yellowtail, Shiraz ($6): Their secret is to make sure their wines, both red and white, taste a bit sweet. I liked their 2005 (?). It's the most famous of the Australian "critter" wines.
2. Rosemount, Shiraz or Shiraz/Grenache or Shiraz/Cabernet or Cabernet or Merlot. A decade ago, the $8 Rosemount was one of the best value buys of the world, regularly getting 88-90 points. Times have changed with production of this going up 3-5X, and the rest of the wine world catching up by making better wines across the board. But it's still worth trying the $6-9 "Black diamond" Rosemount Shiraz. The Shiraz/Grenache blend about 6 years ago was one of my favorite sub $5 wine at Trader Joes. The 2005's scored well at WS but they are probably hard to find now.
3. Jacob's Creek, Shiraz or Cabernet Reserve ($8-11). Get the "Reserve" level ($2-3 more than the $6-8 non-reserve). This has been consistently good over the last 5 years. The 2001 Shiraz was stunning with some age, with sweet blueberry and spice. Unfortunately these wines are unusual for a sub $12 bottle in that they will improve with some bottle age; they will likely be tannic if drunk within 18 months of purchase. If you must open a recent bottle, let it breath in the glass for 15-30 minutes, sampling it every so often to see how it changes.
4. Penfolds, anything under $10 (3-8 types). Robert Parker consistenly likes their "Koonunga Hill" label Shiraz very much; I didn't find it to be that special. But their wines are big and fruity and worth a try. I had a few wonderful bottles of the "Rawson's Retreat" label ($6-9) about 5 years back.
   
5. Lindemans, anything for under $10. A very consistent never great, never bad, red wine. Worth a try. Think of it like a very well run chain restaurant... consistent.

France

These are all from the Cote du Rhone region (this link takes some zooming out to get the context) near the France-Italy border at the southern end of the Rhone river valley. These wines are very different from other French regions, so these wines do NOT represent all French wines. Each region (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire, Rhone, and more) has its fans; I'm especially partial to the Rhone, which more often than not makes a diverse variety of blends from the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault grapes. The wines are fruity, but lean, and are balanced by acidity and/or some minerality.

1. Le Vieille Ferme (with a hen on the label), any of their $6-$10 wines including white, rose and their red "Ventoux". Good clean fruit with nice acidity giving the wines a nice crispness. A great buy was a 1.5L (double bottle) at Costco for $9.50 of the red. These are a perfect example of an authetic local Cote du Rhone that people might drink with many a meal.
2. Perrin et Fils, Cote du Rhone Reserve ($8-11). Similar to the Le Vieille, a wonderful widely available, esp at Trader Joe's, cote du Rhone.
3. Any Cote du Rhone wine for under $8 or $10. If possible find a few wines based on the Grenache grape. I've bought these blind with relatively good luck.
   

Top wines of late

Let's review some wines I've had lately that stick in my memory in no particular order. Also, while it is easy to be blase about the scores, it has taken the recent economic meltdown and the continued improvements in wine making to allow this. Prior to 2005, I could count the number of 93+ pointers I had tried on my fingers.

1. Rosenblum 2005 Syrah Kick Ranch (WS 94, $23 list $45). This is what I'm drinking now. I've been saving this, but we needed a wine to open and I finally decided it was time. And it is good. My wife gives it an "A" (aka 93-95 points) which is pretty darn rare. I've decided she agrees with James Laube of the WS when it comes to Cali Syrah. It's a classic complex, meaty, leathery, California Syrah that is thick, intense and has dusty fruit flavors and a hint of tannins backing it all. This has opened up nicely over the last hour. It had the Rosenblum drying tannnins at first but now I'm impressed. I can see how it got 94 points (which is huge), but it's not that much my style. My score: 92-93 (this is going up as I write this and find more flavors...yum).
2. Landmark 2006 Syrah Steele Plow (WS 94, $30). While we are on the topic of Cali Syrah's here is another one. I brought this to the Artisan restaurant in Paso Robles recently and while I didn't drink too much of it, it was very smooth, rich and had those hints of beef and dusty fruit. Everyone else really liked it. My score: 91-92.
3. Paraiso 2007 Pinot Santa Lucia Highlands (WS 92, $16). Every so often a Pinot blows me away. This was almost one of them. A big pinot that was rich, smooth, and balanced. Fruit, some spice. It just went down really nicely. This was also brought to the Artisan dinner. My score: 92.
4. Montes 2006 Syrah Alpha (WS 91, $16). This will likely be my wine of 2009. Consistenly very good to excellent, and this last bottle was just that. The most complex nose of any wine in 2009 at its best. This last bottle did not quite have that, but still just a lovely wine. I think I bought over case. The last bottle, my score: 90.
5. Seghesio 2007 (?) Pinot Noir ($28?). Had this at a restaurant Poc Chuc with no corkage. A bunch of shared this and it was very fruity, but not as big as I expected with more red raspberry and purple fruit than black. Smooth, but not too complex. My score: 90.
6. Sebastiani 2004 Cabernet Alexander Valley (WS 88, $23). This is the wine that reminded me via a gentle slap, that I need to drink more Cabernet. Elegant with that high-end California unmistakable cabernet taste. Smooth, with some complexity. Lovely. My score; 91-92.
7. Columbia Crest 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Estates ($8, WS 88). My wine of the year for 2008. This was probably my last bottle. After having the Sebastiani a few days before ... it had that same classic cabernet taste. The oak had died down and it was a lovely, somewhat one-dimensional wine that was just starting to fade. My score: 90.
   

Back to basic, lessons from the last year

It is time to come back home. I have traveled the world and sampled its bounty of terriors and varietals. I'll admit I cheated in my travels since I mostly went to local wine shops and headed to the foreign aisles. The main insight was European wines are largely miss with a few hits. I can stop buying these randomly, eager to discover how a wonderful famous region or varietal tastes.

1. France. It maybe the wine capital of the world, but except for the Rhones and Languedocs, I don't need to buy these. I'll admit, the Loire is still an open case. But, are you listening Bordeaux and Borgounone (Burgundy)? And most of my wine heathen peers feel even less generous toward French wines, not caring for them much at all.
2. Italy. I've tried numerous fine Sangioveses and sadly found I don't care for it. There are some Italian Cab or Merlot blends which are fine but Italian wines are not bargains, so I will stop actively looking. Too many Italian wines taste dusty or barnyard/leathery to me. The wines of Piedmont (barolo, barbera, nebbiolo) are too expensive for me and I'm not that fond of them to boot. The one good exception has been Primitivo (zinfandel) which is less ripe and more floral than the California counterpart.
   
3. Spain. Unpredictably hit or miss. Sometimes corked, sometimes too funky and sometimes amazing. Spain is the real conundrum, since even knowing the varietal I cannot predict if I'm likely to like the wine. I've had lovely Monastrell and Garnache; and some I didn't care for at all. Some of my favorite producers are Juan Gil, Luzon and Can Blau. Albarino is a white I've liked, but it is hard to find for under $10.
4. Portugal. Despite what everybody says about great red bargains coming from here, I have not tasted it, over 5 or 6 inexpensive reds, including a few 90+ pointers.
5. Isreal and maybe Lebanon. This was a surprise as the few reds (cabs, merlot) I've tried have been good. A bottle of the Golan Heights ($16?) I bought was quite good.
   
6. Greece, Turkey, other small countries. Nothing sticks out.
7. Argentina. This is mostly a miss. Perhaps 1 in 6 bottles is great. I still don't know what Malbec is supposed to taste like, since it seems to taste different everytime. Torrontes is the one find I like.
8. Chile. This was my next great white hope. Actually red hope, since the whites are not that special. For a bit, I had found some wonderful reds (an $8 Carmenere, the $16 Santa Rita Cabernet Reserva, some Santa Ema Merlots and Cabs, Montes Alpha Syrah). I even proclaimed Chile as perhaps my favorite new wine region. And as I am want to do, I bought them. By the partial case. And I've been drinking them. There not bad, but they just don't thrill me too often, as I had hoped. With the Montes Alpha Syrah 05, 06 and 07 as exceptions. Perhaps my expectations are too high. But I'm cutting back. A little bit. And it is not the savior I had perhaps thought it would be.
   

So what is a gal, who is actually a guy, to do? Back to the basics. Back to the fruit-forward new-world wines of old. (Notice how I worked in "back", "forward", "old" and "new"?) Back to Washington state, Australia, not-too-pricey California and some Oregon.

My wife loves this style, too, particularly Washington and Australian. These days, when I try to find an inexpensive bottle to open, I struggle a bit as all I have is higher-end stuff she'll like, and European wines she won't necessarly like. So embarrasing. I expect to load up on tried and true sub-$13 favorites including Columbia Crest, Jacobs Creek, Lehmanns, Jim Barry, Marquis Philips, Leasingham, Penfolds, Razor's Edge, and maybe even some Rosemount.

They say your wine tastes evolve toward more elegant old-world wines as you get older. Mine are; just not that fast.

What you can't get in a $10 wine

I espouse inexpensive wines. I claim you can get great wines for under $20. And you can.

But there are certain "rides" that where $10 just won't cut it.

Let's call this ride "intensity" or "focus" or "concentration", since naming something defines it.

Case in point: the Denner 2008 Viognier from Paso Robles, which I visited a few weekends back. Denner owns a huge amount of acres of vineyards and grows 18 varietals of which they've sold many of their grapes in the past, but are starting to make more wines from their own grapes. I liked their wines quite a bit, but they are a mid-high end producer and so my strict pricing rules got in the way. But their $30 viognier was a bit of a revelation. Bananas, pineapple and other rich tropical fruit. The deal was buy two bottles and they waived their tasting fee. Sold!

I opened a bottle last night and the concentration and intensity were obvious. This level of ripeness and flavor costs money. At $30, I consider it a bargain.

I need to drink this wine cool, not cold right out of the fridge to really appreciate the full range of flavors. It's thick, rich, sweet and intense. My score: 93.

The best rose I've ever had.... and you'll probably hate it

I went wine tasting a few weekends back in the Paso Robles area. One place we stopped at on the east side of 101 was Barrel 27 as they had some very nicely rated Syrahs by the WS at nice prices. I liked their wines alot, but the wine that caught my attention was their 2005 (!) Syrah Rose. It is a very big rose in that it has an edge of tar, smoke... and if pressed, I'll admit the slightest hint of burnt rubber along with slightly darker fruit flavors than I've found in any other rose.

I was tasting with friends and two of them had to spit this wine out, they disliked it so much. And this was the only wine they spit during the entire trip. My wife doesn't care for this much either. And the funny thing was this wine was $13 but if you bought a case, it was only $7 / bottle. So I thought about it long and hard for 2 minutes and prudently only bought 12 bottles.... aka a case. Talking to the servers at another winery ("where have you been?" "Barrel 27.. an this rose!"), they knew of this and thought it might have brett. Well that really sunk my boat as I had already bought the case. But you know what?

I am so glad I bought a case. Pretty much everyone on the tasting trip hated it, except for D who thought it was interesting. But I love this crazy wine. My score is 93 points. Some nights I wonder what to drink and this is at the top of my list. Warmed up a bit, it has notes of tobacco, tar, smoke, a bit of mineral and a wisp of steel all in a somewhat big rose body. I mean how can you like this? Yet I do. Holy crap.