2005 Costano Solanera – $14

91 points Wine Spectator, 90 points Stephen Tanzer and Robert Parkers’ Spanish Wine Bargain under $20. Imported and custom blended by Eric Solomon, which is always a good sign, wines with Solomon’s name on the back label are usually a very good bet. A  red wine blend of 65% Monastrell, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Tintorera sourced from the Yecla Region of Southern Spain, an up and coming wine region that does not have a trendy name yet. Unfiltered and unfined, ten months aged in oak.

The color is a dark plush deep blood red. The nose is smoke, red twizzlers and dry autumn leaves.  Big and chewy with noticeable but smooth tannins . Tastes of silky dark chocolate truffles with liqueur centers, figs and blueberries. The finish is exactly the same as the initial taste that slowly fades into oblivion. A lush and I dare say, classy wine. Not fun and fruity, but deep dark and thought provoking. Another case of a under $20 wine that can compete with the big boys.

2004 Montroche Georgina Cuvee Syrah – $5

A Syrah blend from the Costieres de Nimes in the Languedoc region in France. It is a Vin de Pays du Gard wine, Vin de pays means “country wine” which is the French wine classification above “table wine” but below the AOC classifications. The bottle does not list all the grapes in the blend, but Grenache, Cinsault and Mouvedre are typical ingredients in Languedoc blends. The half the wine is stored in oak barrels while the other half stays in stain-less vats after six months the two halfs are reunited and left to rest, then half the wine is put back into oak barrels for another five months. The wine has oak for flavor, but not a lot of oak for cellaring, so this wine is at the point where it needs to be drunk before it starts to go downhill.

The color is a deep opaque crimson, the nose has a touch of mushroom, but also fresh strawberries and chocolate mints. A very soft wine, the tannins are very light, the fruit tastes young, fresh berries on the tip of your tongue. The finish is long lasting and tastes of black licorice and cherries.

This probably isn’t a wine that initially sold for $4.99, but wines from this region normally are good for 5 to 6 years, so the wine seller had to sell it before it was too late. Also if you are looking for value, “Vin de Pays” wine do not command the same prices that Bordeaux and Burgundy do, but can be very enjoyable wines.

Chateau Chateau Skulls – $17

Old World Wines vs New World Wines, Terrior vs Manipulated, Earthy vs Fruity. There has been a bit of a shift happening in the wine world, Australian wine sales are off 23%, stores that used to stock 100 different Aussie labels, not stock half that amount. There has been a backlash in the Wine Press, Australian wines are often described as “fruit bombs” or “over extracted”. I don’t quite get the change in attitude, Australian wines are every bit as good now as they were when they were the hottest wines going. So, times and tastes change and R winery is rolling with the changes. The Chateau Chateau series of wine is intended to show the terroir, the effects of Australian soil and weather conditions on the Grenache grape. They have a line of single vineyard vines all done in an “Old World” style. Skulls is the entry level wine for Chateau Chateau and has a very cool label, look at it one way and it is a surreal painting of a man falling from a tree, look at it again and it is a human skull.

Skulls is a french style blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mataro (another name for Mourvedre or Monastrell) no oak, aged in stainless steel. This is the entry level wine and it is not single vineyard,but sourced from vineyards all over South Australia. The nose is nice jammy cooked dark fruit with a touch of spice, the color is a see thru burgundy. The flavor has dark fruit in the lead, but it has mushroom, stewed meat element too. A very interesting transition on your palate from fruit to the savory flavors and then a nice long finish. All the flavors are well blended, nothing jarring, a slight bite from the tannins at first but that goes away with the second sip. All the delicious fruit you would expect from an Australian wine, but it still has that French funky, earthy thing going on, the best of both worlds.  Interesting flavors and the label is pretty cool, this one is a winner.

2007 D’Arenberg The Stump Jump GSM – $8

A Rhone blend sourced from multiple vineyards from all over South Australia, Grenache 50%, Shiraz 29% and Mourvedre 21%. It’s an Aussie wine so it has a screwtop. 89 points WA, but Vaynerchuk hated it, gave it a 71. So, we will see who is right.

The color is a see-thru plum red. The nose is a fresh baked rhubarb/strawberry pie, just after you used a menthol inhaler, opens up your sinus’s and makes your mouth water at the same time. Tastes of cherries, strawberries and a hint of milk chocolate. The spice from the Shiraz is definitely there, the tannins are very light. It has a long lingering finish, not as yummy as the initial taste, but it does go on. Mouth feel is light, kind of like 1% milk. I think Wine Advocate got this one right. It’s a tasty approachable wine at a nice price

2007 Caracol Serrano Jumilla – $7

This wine is made high in the mountains of the wine region Jumilla, which is currently the hottest region in Spain.  The wine is a blend of Monastrell (known as Mouvedre in the U.S.), Cabernet and Syrah.  It’s smooth and hearty with spice up front and finishing with spice, caramel and chocolate notes.

It would go wonderfully with a nice pork loin or rack of lamb.  At $7 a bottle, it’s a huge steal. Enjoy!

2007 Wrongo Dongo

Another Monastrell from Jumilla, Spain, price $7.99. Ya, I know, what were they thinking when they named this stuff. Nice ruby color, tastes of Dr.Pepper, spices and a touch of Kayo chocolate soda, most of the flavor is upfront, but the spiciness does linger. A lighter style. Not in the same league as the Altos (see review), but very drinkable, with food and by itself.

If you are looking for a under $10 wine try the Spain section of your local shop, your odds of blindly grabbing a really nice wine is better there than any other section. Even if you select a wine with a dumb name.

2007 Olivares Altos De la Hoya Monastrell

Single vineyard from the Jumilla region of Spain.(Monastrell is called Mourvedre elsewhere) This a very terroir driven wine, old vines and wild yeast fermentation, all for $9.99. Very dark purple in color, it has a nice complex nose and tastes of dark fruit with cherry tartness. A well made wine with good structure, Parker gave it 90 pts. This is one of those wines that makes you ask yourself how Spain can give you all this elegance in a wine for 10 bucks, California certainly can’t do it.