2008 Monasterio De Las Vinas Garnacha/Syrah Blend – $7

Okay, we outdid ourselves this time.  We found another wine from the Cariñena region of Spain that is a ridiculous steal.  This 70% Garnacha 30% Syrah blend – aged 3 months in American oak – has a nose of strawberry and raspberry jam.  On the palate you get orange, raspberry and a little spicy pepper, with a finish that lasts and lasts!

It’s great with ribs and pizza and comes in at 13% alcohol.  It also scored an amazing 91 points with the Wine Enthusiast. You really need to buy this one by the case!

Sourced from a single vineyard, the “Monasterio de San Jose”, where for centuries monks produced wine. Nowadays, this is a large production wine made for the American market, but they really got it right. The Quality-Price Ratio (QPR) is off the charts for this one.

2008 Agostón Garnacha Syrah – $10

OK first of all you know our stance on wine with cute little critters on the label (we’re looking at you Yellow Tail, Long Neck & Tall Horse). Yeah usually horrible! But a wild boar isn’t exactly cute, plus a friend is really pushing for us to review Little Penguin Shiraz, so we might as well start somewhere.

This 60% Garnacha, 40% Syrah screw top blend hails from the Cariñena region of Spain which aside from giving the Carignan grape its name is right next to Calatayud in the shadows of the Ibérico mountain range. It gets its name from the wild boars that would sneak down into the vineyards at night to feast upon the grapes like – well, pigs.

It’s a light bodied, see-through crimson in the glass and noses like the black currant iced tea you get at Egg Harbor or Maggiano’s. A sip gets you raspberry and black cherry that fades into a nice wild herb and cocoa finish. It’s juicy and relaxed even at 13.5% alcohol.

This wine is like Lucky Charms, it’s magically delicious. Drink it all by itself to see what I’m talking about or drink it down with grilled steak skewers, Firecracker Shrimp or the Buffalo Wild Wings #4.

2006 Razor’s Edge Shiraz – $9

Every time I pick up a valued priced Shiraz, I go on the internet and find that it got 90 plus points from some national wine publication. This McLaren Vale Shiraz is one of Robert Parker’s Best Buy’s of Australia. From what I could find about the Razor’s Edge, it’s made primarily for  American tastes. There is not much information available about how long it is aged in oak, etc.. on the internet for this wine.

The color is your textbook Shiraz, deep, dark, opaque burgundy red. The nose is interesting, it is not all fruit, there is mushroom, earthy notes and dark fruit (that’s the McLaren Vale influence).  The mouth feel is slightly watery, but it does fill your mouth with flavor. Tart cherry juice and chocolate are the main flavors, but not candy sweet, now I see why these wines get 90+ points, who does not like chocolate covered cherries, it’s a very luxurious flavor. The finish is blueberries, it does not last a long time but it is pleasing.

I think I understand why all these inexpensive Australian Shiraz’s get these high grades, they taste great. That’s got to be one of the most important aspects to wine. Australia has a way with the Syrah grape. Lush, tasty wine is almost second nature with Australian Shiraz. Yes, the Razor’s Edge does not have all the layers and complexity of the the best Shiraz, but you can’t argue with “it tastes great”.

2006 Carhartt Vineyards “Chase The Blues Away” Rosé – $10

A small production Rosé (250 cases), Estate Produced and Bottled in the Santa Ynez Valley all for ten bucks. Carhartt Vineyards is a 10 acre family owned Estate on a mesa in the Santa Ynez Valley (Santa Barbara, California). The Rosé is a blend of Syrah and Merlot and the wine is aged six months in neutral French oak. To simplify things, a rosé is red wine grapes turned into wine using white wine methods. The grape skins are left in the vats for a short period of time at the beginning of fermentation. The wine gets a bit of color, but not much in the way of tannins.

The color is a very clear peachy, orangey red. The nose is bright fresh fruit, strawberry shortcake, I even think I detected a bit of whipped cream and raspberries. The flavor is smooth, crisp and light fresh, creamy red fruit. Not too sweet, very refreshing. The alcohol content is 13.6%, but it tastes much lighter.

It is winter in Chicago, but the “Chase the Blues Away” Rosé has me thinking of warm weather. A very nice choice for a lazy summer evening, this is a bottle that goes down nice and easy.

A small production wine, but you can find it at Lush http://tiny.cc/Qepbb

2006 Domain Menada Tcherga – $10

This is a first for me, a wine from the Thracian Valley Region of Bulgaria. A red blend of 70%Merlot and 30% Rubin (a cross of Syrah and Nebbiolo). The name Tcherga refers to the folk craft rugs made in that region (check out the label to see what those rugs look like). The wine is aged for 8 months in French and Bulgarian oak.

The color is crystal clear see thru burgundy red. The nose is strawberries, blueberry and spice. Nice mouth feel. The flavor is very bright fresh fruit, gobs of vanilla, very light tannins, the oak is lightly evident in the back of your mouth.The finish fades a bit too soon, but is a very nice combination of chocolate and vanilla. A very tasty wine.

I was expecting Bulgarian wine to be too sweet and too simple, but  I was wrong. This is a good tasting new world style wine. Put Bulgaria on the wine world map, the Tcherga is a well made wine.

2008 Bitch Grenache – $9

You have probably seen this in the wine shop and thought, “With a name like that it can’t possibly be any good.” But you would be wrong, it’s actually a nice little Grenache. The back of the label is funny, they printed the word “bitch” 68 times in a row, then added, “ and bitch some more” for a total of 69 bitches. No other information other than what is required by law. Sourced from the Ebenezer region of the Barossa Valley in South Australia and made in a “drink it now” style. so it sees no oak. The alcohol content is 15.5% and in Australia the posted alcohol content has to be within 1.5% of the actual alcohol content, so it could possibly be 17% alcohol. The 2006 vintage of this wine got 90 points in Wine Spectator.

The color is a see thru cranberry red with orange highlights. The nose is fruit, but not fresh fruit, more like a bag of pungent fruit flavored hard candy. The mouth feel is light and oily, the flavors stick to the parts of your mouth the wine hits. It tastes of candied fruit, with spice reacting with your tongue. The finish is cherry Dr. Pepper, the finish lasts a long time, but the intensity fades fast. There are two main flavors competing for your attention, the sweet candied fruit and hot cinnamon spice, think strawberry Jolly Rancher followed by an Altoids. This may not be a wine you would want to pair with dinner, it would be better served with dessert or skip the food altogether and have it after dinner

2007 Snap Dragon Cabernet Sauvignon – $8

Had an interesting wine at my local P.F. Chang’s last night, where they do a little something different for their flights – they offer a “build your own” flight of three.

I went for the 2007 MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, (reviewed here a while back), the 2007 7 Deadly Zins Zinfandel, and the awesomely easy-to-drink 2007 Snap Dragon Cabernet Sauvignon.

Dark burgundy in the glass, chocolate covered cherries on the nose, medium body with raspberries and blackberries up front give way to a smoooooth toasty vanilla spice and toffee finish.

Winemaker Jason Dodge sourced his fruit from the best vineyards in California, creating this affordable, approachable, great at twice the price cab that will go well with BBQ, grilled steak, roast beef, pizza or spicy pork dishes.

NV Brownstone Pinot Noir – $10

People say that you can’t find a good Pinot Noir at an inexpensive price. Well, we have news for them. We have discovered a yummy Pinot Noir for $9.99. Full of earth and juicy grape flavors, this wine is wonderful by itself, but is structured enough to go with most white fish. It is an earthy juice bomb and I have had Pinots at twice the price that are not this good.

find it at http://www.dobbysliquors.com/

2007 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel $8

Back in 1994 or 1995, Vintners Blend was the very first wine that caught my attention, it was the “house wine” for a now defunct local restaurant aptly named Zinfandels. I went thru quite a few bottles of this back in the day, it actually cost 4 bucks more back then. After a few years I got turned on to other wines and I forgot about Ravenswood and it’s been 10 years since I tried a bottle of the Vintners Blend. This Zin is sourced from vineyards all over California, it’s 76% Zinfandel (in California to be a single varietal the bottle must contain at least 75% of that grape), plus 9% Carignane ( a blending grape used to give the wine color and acidity, 8% Petite Sirah ( a grape that also adds color, tannins and a dark blueberry flavor) and 7% mixed blacks ( various red grapes). The ’94 was a really tasty wine, I hope the ’07 still has some pazazz.

The color is Dorothy’s ruby slippers red, crystal clear and see thru. Not a bad nose, cherry cough drops, hints of menthol, plums and some kind of savory stewed meat thing going on. The first flavor is dark fruit and then a hit of oak in the back of your mouth. The second sip brought strawberries and raspberries and a dose of spice. It has a persistent cola flavored finish. Soft and smooth for a zinfandel, but good tasting. This would be the perfect wine to have with BBQ ribs.

Is the Vintners Blend as good now as it was 15 years ago? I don’t know, my palate has changed since those days, but I liked it then and I like it now. So kudos to Joel Peterson, the Vintner, for keeping the quality of this value priced wine consistent for all these years.

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.

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