Bargain central coast Rhone style blend

If you missed out on the Rosenblum you had better not miss this one. The Rabbit Ridge "Allure de Robles" red blend shows up at Trader Joes once a year. This 2009 isn't a generic California garbage wine-it's a Paso Robles Rhone-style blend that is full flavored and ready to drink. It is not overly alcoholic ( 14.6 %) but it is no lightweight, either. I have had this wine from '06 and '08. I think the '09 might be better than the previous two and they were very good. I'll give this one 7 1/2 swiggs......a great score of a wine that retails for $ 4.99. This one usually sells out in a few weeks so I would not delay if you want to get a really great wine for dirt cheap.

Priorat for under $ 15.00

There are a ton of red wines from all over Spain, some good and some...well.....I guess you have to really have the right food to enjoy them. There are a few regions that stand out as my 'go-to' wines from Spain : Rioja and Priorat being the best bets in my opinion. Priorat is usually a pricey wine, seldom sold for less than $ 25. This Negre Priorat 2006 from Cost Plus was all of $ 14.95 . What you get for your money is a big hit of black cherry with a long finish....altogether a really great old-world wine with the kind of freshness that one gets with the new-world wines. I really liked it and give it 8 swiggs, a quality drink that is something a little different .

Rosenblum does it again !

It's time to run down to Cost Plus imports to get some of this great wine. The 2006 Rosenblum 'Chateau la Paws" red wine is really a bargain. The lable would lead you to think that the wine is attempting to be a Rhone style red but it is actually full-throttle Rosenblum the way we expect it to be. There's so much flavor you'll take your time drinking this one. Some folks might say that it isn't subtle enough-no finesse and all that. 'No wimpy wines' has been the motto of Rosenblum since the beginning and this red lives up to the motto in the fullest sense. Right now the price is $ 7.19.......really low for a wine this good. I'll give it 7 1/2 swiggs although it might deserve more.Rosenblum was sold a couple of years ago so this 2006 represents perhaps the last chance to get the original item. I have had some later bottles from Rosenblum and to me, it ain't the same thing anymore. We'll see how that plays out over the next few years.