Bodegas Ateca Honoro Vera Garnacha 2011

From the Calatayud region of Spain this red wine is a 100% Garnacha that is fruit forward, and easy drinking. The vineyards are at a high elevation, the soil gravelly and dry, and the vines are old and gnarly, making the grapes earn their living and producing a really interesting everyday wine with a great price tag of $8.45 (Bottle/case price $5.91... I had a 30% off coupon at Pop's Wines in Island Park, NY).

Aromas are a ripe and jammy red berry with caramel candy, while the palate shows definite balsamic overtones with hints of white pepper and cherry and a good finish.

Bodegas Zabrin Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines 2006 Spain

Bodegas Zabrin Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines 2006 • This Grenache from Spain's Catalayud region has a bouquet of spices and smoke, soft tannins and on the palate, cherry, plums, and vanilla. Medium bodied, 14% alcohol, and ruby red, this went well with a cavatelli pasta with garlic and olive oil, sausage and broccoli rape. Finish was ripe sour fruits. Nice price of $7 makes it a no-brainer for an everyday wine with dinner. Picked this up at Rosetta Wines.

Campo Viejo Rioja Crianza 2007

I've tried this Crianza from Spain's Rioja region from many vintages and always enjoyed it immensely. The grapes used here are a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha and 5% Mazuelo that is aged for 12 months in barrel before bottle aging for another 12. Dark ruby colors with earthy aromas marrying with cherries, plum and vanilla and completing the circle with toasted oak. $10.

Alvaro Palacios Les Terraces Priorat 2005 Spain

From Cataluna, Spain, and made with 40% Carinena, 40% Garnacha and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, this dry, deep, ruby/purple red wine blend has intense aromas of ripe figs, anise, leather, earthy minerality, and leather. Exotic flavors range from black currants and herbs to licorice on the mid-palate, and a finish of sour cherries and blackberries with firm tannins. 14% alcohol and in the $35 range.

Bodegas Ondarre Rioja Reserva 2001

70% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha, and 15% Mazuelo, all varietals are fermented separately in American and French oak casks for 16 months. Color is deep cherry with oak, leather and spice aromas. It has good body, structure and balance with a long finish. Found this at a tasting at Best Cellars on 3rd avenue an 87th street in the $15 range. Nice.

Vega Sindoa 2007 Rose Spain

From the Navarro region of Spain comes this rich Rose made from 50% Garnacha and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose has a citrus raspberry, flint and definite spiciness. On the palate are cherries, honeysuckle and a lemon/grapefruit finish, and a bit bolder than most Rose wines. In the $9 range.

Colleccion Vivanco 4 Varietals Dinistia Vivanco

Another tasting entry from La Rioja Wine Seminar at Astor Center, this one is a red made from 70% Tempranillo, 15% Graciano, 10% Garnacha and 5% Mazuelo-- all fermented separately in French oak vats. Aged for 24 months in French oak barrels. Color is a deep rose red with a floral nose of violets and cherries. On the palate is oak, toast, flower petals and cherries.

Cameron Hughes Wines

From Wikipedia:
Négociant
A négociant is the French term for a wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name.

Cameron Hughes is a Negociant in the wine world, delivering small "Lots" of high-end wines at very affordable prices. He’ll shop around the world’s best wine regions, including France, Italy, Spain, Australia, Argentina, South Africa, and California to find some very good juice in bulk that a vineyard might sell for $55 per bottle and sell it for $15. He sells directly to consumers on line thru his website and retails mainly at Costco.

I had the pleasure of meeting him yesterday to sample some of his newer releases at the Snooth offices in NYC. To me they were all great value wines. Here are some of my abbreviated tasting notes:

Lot 108 Napa Valley Chardonnay 2007 $14
Apple, pineapple, lemon rind and pear aromas with lemon verbena and grapefruit on a creamy fresh finish.

Lot 159 Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2008: new release $14
Musky aromas, citrus, creamy oak.

Lot 125 Napa Carneros Pinot Noir 2007 $18
Aromas of dark cherries, mineral/petrol with flavors of black pepper, raspberry, chocolate and a creamy caramel finish.

Lot 129 Campo de Borja Garnacha 2007 $16
Leather, red fruits, wood bark, dark cherry fruits, smoke, violets, slight carbonation.

Lot 135 Central Coast Syrah 2007 $12
Animal, bright fruits, dark berries, strawberries, red licorice.

Lot 169 Napa Valley Merlot 2007: new release
Blue fruits, candy cane, some heat, blueberries, oak, structured.

Lot 147 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 $15
Dry, tarry, some minerality, tight, attractive aromas of leather, sachet d'Épices and black cherry, with violet notes and oak.

Lot 149 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 $22
Super intense perfumes of flowers especially lilac, powdered violets, sweet juicy blue fruits and cassis. My favorite of the group.

Lot 154 Lake Country Zinfandel 2006: new release $13
Bubblegum, vanilla, banana and blueberry

Little Black Dress Diva California Red 2013

Winemaker Margaret Leonardi crafted this red blend from Mendocino, California. Made from a blend of mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Petit Sirah, with smaller amounts of Zinfandel, Tannat, Mourvèdre, Garnacha, Malbec and other red grapes.

Ruby colors with aromas of cherry, cassis and licorice, then a mild lingering toasty edge. The palate showing playful notes of wild berries and dried flowers combining to form a complex show for the money (about $12).

Leza Garcia Valdepalacios Vendimia Seleccionada 2005

Another wine from La Rioja Wine Seminar at the Astor Center, this red wine from Spain is mainly Tempranillo with a small amount of red garnacha. On the nose is a nice caramel and vanilla aroma and on the palate chocolate cherries, fresh strawberries/red fruit. Opens nicely.

Esporao Reserva Red 2009, Portugal

What a great red blend of Aragones (Tempranillo), Trincadeira (the dark grape used in Port wine), Cabernet Sauvignon and Alicante Bouschet (similar to a Garnacha)!

Fermented in stainless steel tanks, aged in French (30%) and American (70%) oak for 12 months and another 12 in bottle.

Deep red colors in the glass, rich, powerful and full bodied, spicy and herbal aromas with super ripe red berries on the palate along with wood and smoke. Good deep tannins and a wonderful balance. Really enjoyed this gem from Portugal. $25 SRP.

Faustino VII Rioja 2005 with whole wheat pasta

This lively red from Rioja, Spain, 50% Tempranillo and 50% Garnacha, is a light red color with intensely fruity aromas and vanilla, and velvety cherry flavors and smooth slightly spicy finish. Again, this wine is very fruit forward but so smooth and light, an excellent food wine. I paired it with whole wheat pasta, steamed broccoli, prosciutto and (toasted) pignoli nuts with grated locatelli cheese.

©2008 photo by Dave Trieger

Winemaker notes:
In 1861 Eleuterio Martinez Arzok set out on a journey, selling his Rioja wines direct from the barrel, working from the back of a horse-drawn cart. Thus began Bodegas Faustino, today Spain’s largest producer of Reserva and Gran Reserva Rioja wines. In the late 1950s, Eleuterio’s equally adventurous descendant, Faustino Martinez, launched the Faustino label. Source of over 25% of all Reserva and Gran Reserva Riojas sold abroad, Faustino is a proud custodian of the Rioja’s international reputation for world-class wines. A phenomenal nine million bottles of Reserva and Gran Reserva wines are stored in Faustino’s magnificent cellars.

Production Area
Grapes are harvested exclusively from Faustino estate vineyards in Spain’s Rioja region.

Vinification
It is aged 10 months in oak casks and in bottle for 6 months prior to its release.

Alcohol
12.5

BODEGAS FAUSTINO Rioja VII 2006

This is a vertical tasting for me, having tried the 2005 back in October of '08... it's a red from Rioja, Spain, 50% Tempranillo and 50% Garnacha, light red color with intensely fruity aromas of plum and vanilla with remnants of a forest floor. Velvet acidity and smooth tannins make this a really tasty food wine. $12.

10 good wines for Under $10... wines for the NEW GREAT DEPRESSION

Here is a list of 10 good wines, mostly Italian, that you can get for under $10 a bottle:

Monte Antico Toscano 2004 IGT Italy
Colosi Sicilia Rosso Nero D’Avola 2005
Santa Carolina Reserva Carmenere 2006 Chile
Straccali Sangiovese Di Toscana 2004 IGT Italy
Bodegas Zabrin Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines 2006 Spain
Casal Thaulero Montepulciano D’Abruzzo 2006 DOC Italy
Fattoria di Bibbiani Poggio Vignoso Chianti 2005 DOCG Italy
Rocca Delle Macie Chianti Classico DOCG 2004 (375 ML) Italy
Rocca Delle Macie Rubizzo Sangiovese di Toscana 2006 IGT Italy
Rocca Delle Macie Campomaccione Morellino Di Scansano DOC 2006 Italy

Crianza Borsao 2005 Campo de Borja

Coming from our amigos in the Riojas region of Spain, this medium bodied red Crianza is a blend of 60% Garnacha and 40% Tempranillo. Depending upon the specific region, Crianzas must be aged in oak for at least a year and then a year in bottle. It is all glycerine, licorice, spice and because of the aging, wood on the nose, while the palate sings of strawberries, cherries and oak. Paired well with lentil soup and a panini at Uvarara. Retails around the $10 mark and a decent deal.

10 good wines for Under $10

Here is a list (from this blog) of 10 good wines, mostly Italian, that you can get for under $10 a bottle:

• Monte Antico Toscano 2004 IGT Italy
• Colosi Sicilia Rosso Nero D’Avola 2005
• Santa Carolina Reserva Carmenere 2006 Chile
• Straccali Sangiovese Di Toscana 2004 IGT Italy
• Bodegas Zabrin Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines 2006 Spain
• Casal Thaulero Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2006 DOC Italy
• Fattoria di Bibbiani Poggio Vignoso Chianti 2005 DOCG Italy
• Rocca Delle Macie Chianti Classico DOCG 2004 (375 ML) Italy
• Rocca Delle Macie Rubizzo Sangiovese di Toscana 2006 IGT Italy
• Rocca Delle Macie Campomaccione Morellino Di Scansano DOC 2006 Italy