Perrin & Fils, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2007 The nose features sweet berries and black pepper. In the mouth it quite structured with medium weight; it’s crying out for red meat – nice value from the Rhone. This wine is 50% Syrah and 50% Grenache. Mis en bouteille in Orange 13% $9.69 at Bottle Barn

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Mas Amiel, Maury, Vintage 2006 In the nose you’ll find prunes and a sense of the fortifying spirit. The mouth shows a sweet and slick sense of cooked black fruits with caramel and a hint of acidity in the background.
This wine is a great destination for some lucky Grenache grapes in Roussillon. A natural for [...]

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Bodegas Alto Moncayo, Campo De Borja DO, veraton 2007 The oaky notes ring loud and clear with sweet red candy and a soft, rich profile. This wine is 100% Garnacha. Winemaker Chris Ringland from Australia. Estate bottled in Bulbuente 15.5% $21.69 at Bottle Barn

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Les Vignerons de Tavel, Tavel, Prestige des Lauzeraies 2007 Sweet cherry fruit marks the nose and carries over on the palate. The mouth is broad and weighty, the acidity low, the fruit flavors are compelling and the body is big – a nice Tavel. The grapes are 50% Grenache, 25% Cinsault and 25% Syrah harvested [...]

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Grey Stack, Bennett Valley, Dry Stack Vineyard, Grenache 2007vGrenache’s candy-like character comes through in the nose, sweet smelling and ebulliently fruity. In the mouth there is structure to match the fruit, a vision of Chateauneuf, where Grenache shows that it makes more than candy bombs – well done.
Winemaker Russell Bevan and Vineyard Manager Chris [...]

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Vall Llach, Priorat DOQ, Embruix 2005 The nose features a sweetness, black fruits with blackberry jam. In the mouth the sweet theme continues, with very ripe, jammy fruit, density yet suppleness, warmth, a bit of tannin and lowish acidity, a sense that this wine came from the New World, but it didn’t. The grapes were [...]

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Domaine de la Mordoree, Tavel, “La Dame Rousse” 2008 The freshness of strawberries are evident in the nose and in th mouth that theme is over a rather big and slightly warm structure. The grapes behind this pink wine are 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault and 10% Clairette. The domaine has 40 hectares of [...]

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Robert Hall, Paso Robles, Hall Ranch, Rose de Robles 2008
Strawberries and floral notes are the predominant features in the nose – very clean and fresh. In the mouth the fruit shines again in a very dry format with a lingering touch of creaminess. Hand harvested Grenache 47%, Syrah 41%, Mourvedre 6% and Cinsault 6% [...]

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Bodegas Palacios Remondo, Rioja DOC, La Vendimia 2007 The nose offers minty green character with liquer-like fruit. In the mouth it is quite fruity, a little chewy with a light body and a lingering creaminess. The grapes are approximately Tempranillo and Garnacha. Bottled in Alfaro 13.5% $11.59 at Bottle Barn

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Cims de Porrera, Priorat, Solanes 2004 This wine expresses ripe black fruits with a supple mouthfeel. The grapes behind this wine are are 40% Carignan, 30% Grenache, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 5% Syrah, from 60-100 year-old vines grown at 400-600 metres on steep slopes above the village. P&B by the cooperative in Porrera [...]

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With the 2005 vintage, Byron Kosuge is fully in charge of the winemaking at Tejada. In June we sampled the 05s with Ibo Tejada and his family at their estate in Lake County. The estate is noted for its focus on the grapes of Spain, cultivated organically.
Tejada, Lake County, Tempranillo 58% Garnacha 42% 2005 This [...]

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M. Chapoutier, Banyuls 2007 There’s lots of pruny complexity in the nose. In the mouth it is spot on, nuttiness and raisins tossed in molasses – yum. There was a touch of TCA in the first bottle tasted, described here but it wasn’t terribly noticeable.
A second bottle tasted in October ‘09 was quite delicious after [...]

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Tablas Creek Vineyard, Paso Robles, Cotes de Tablas 2006 California sunshine comes through in this New World wine, with ripe liqueur-like fruit and polished edges. There’s a sense of tart cherries and cranberries as well, acidity balancing the ripe character. This red Rhone-style blend is composed of 72% Grenache, 11% Syrah 9% Mourvedre and 8% [...]

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Perrin & Fils, Vacqueyras, Les Christins 2006 Black pepper and red fruits combine with a sense of the garrigue when you smell this wine. In the mouth it is structured and ready to accompany a pepper steak; the acidity carries the flavor a long way for the price. The blend of grapes is 80% Grenache [...]

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Mas de Gourgonnier, Les Baux de Provence, Rose 2008 The fruit is evolving away from freshness as this wine seems to be aging prematurely. The mouth is quite gripping – a disappointment. Bottled with a synthetic cork; perhaps the seal was less than adequate?  This estate is noteworthy for farming organically before many jumped on [...]

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Perrin & Fils, Cotes du Rhone 2007 The nose features black pepper, red fruits and a sense of the garrique. In the mouth this wine is ready to match with a bit of roasted pork; there is moderate acidity, ripe tannins and a creaminess as well. This moderately weighted red is certainly a good value.  [...]

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Yalumba, Barossa, Bush Vine, Grenache 2007 The nose features red fruit, fresh and dried with herbs and brambles. In the mouth the wine is soft, fruity and very light-bodied. The vines that produced this wine are 30 to 70 years old. Produced in Angaston 14.5% $11.99 at Bottle Barn Yalumba

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Bodegas Palacios Remondo, Rioja DOC, Crianza, La Montesa 2005 In the nose there are brown spices and a sense of the forest floor while the mouth is supple and fruity, with the acidity I associate with the wines of this region – delicious. The  grapes are approximately 45% Tempranillo, 40% Garnacha and 15% Graciano and [...]

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Alvaro Palacios, Priorat DOC, Les Terrasses 2006 There’s an appropriate amount of brett in the nose, offering complexity to the red fruit notes. In the mouth this is a chewy wine, showing the structure we associate with this rugged region. Let this wine settle into the cellar for a few years or if you must [...]

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Bodegas Borsao, Campo de Borja DO, Crianza, seleccion 2007

There’s plenty of sweet oak to greet you when you pick up the glass. The mouth features more of the same with ripe fruit and enough acidity to make this wine a food friendly value. The grapes are 50% Garnacha, 25% Tempranillo and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon [...]

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Quivira, Dry Creek Valley Wine Creek Ranch, Grenache, Rose 2008
In the nose the fruit is ever so fresh, featuring citrus and strawberries. In the mouth there’s plenty of acidity, a little phenolic grip and a sense of the alcohol in the background. The grapes were grown biodynamically and 12% of the blend is Mourvedre. Fermentation [...]

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Andre Brunel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Les Cailloux 2006 In the nose the fruit goes from fresh to raisin, with black pepper and spices from the cupboard. In the mouth, this wine is approachable already, chewy and dripping with acidity with plenty of extract to fill out the palate – excellent! This is their estate CDP. 65% old [...]

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Coudoulet de Beaucastel, Cotes-du-Rhone Rouge, 2005 The black fruits are alight in the nose with a liquer-like character. In the mouth the fruit is very expressive with the structure you’d expect – a great combo. The grapes are sourced from the Coudoulet vineyard, grown organically and include about 30% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache, 20% Cinsault and [...]

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South Coast, California, Grenache, Rose 2007
In the nose there is candy, flowers and the smell something citrus. The mouth is plump and amplified by a about 1% RS. This took the sweepstake award for pink wine at the Chronicle Wine Competition in January. Nice wine. The grape sourcing was split 50/50 between Lost Tierra [...]

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Mas de Gourgonnier, Les Baux de Provence, Rouge 2006
As in previous vintages, the band-aids are working in tandem with the black fruits. The mouth also repeats a similar profile in that it is quite gripping with much astringency. The Reserve du Mas has always been a favorite of mine but this wine, the Cuvee [...]

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Muga, Rioja, Reserva DOC 2005 The nose combines vanilla, smokiness and ash with cranberries and just the right amount of horse blanket and leather. In the mouth, the tannins make a ripe blanket on top of the tart cherry fruit – the acidity makes this perfect to consider with the next leg of lamb. 70% [...]

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Tejada Vineyards, Lake County, Tempranillo 50% Grenache 50% 2004 The spiritous character is starting to get ahead of the fruit in the nose. In the mouth the alcohol peeks out again, yet it works. There’s a great balance of fruit and structure. The acidity frames the fruit and there’s a dusting of ripe tannins. The [...]

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Bodegas Borsao, Campo de Borja DO 2007 The fruit just leaps out of the glass and has a candy element to it with a bit of black pepper. The mouth is soft, the wine is light-bodied, tasting of red candy, with a hint of tannin and a touch of warmth – this goes down easily [...]

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Bodegas Alto Moncayo, Campo De Borja DO 2006 The previous vintage was like what it would be like to drink candy – supple and rich, sweet-appearing as well. The ‘06 is even more so with tons of oak on top. This is 100% Garnacha aged in new French and US oak. Don’t let the alcohol [...]

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Jean-Luc Colombo, Cotes du Rhone, Les Abeilles 2006 This is a juicy-fruity budget offering from the famous Cornas producer. It drinks easily with a little bit of structure. Eleve et mis in La Roche de Glun in Tain 13.5% $???
Domaine des Girasols, Rasteau Cotes du Rhone Villages, Vieilles Vignes 2005 There’s minerality and black fruit [...]

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