Holy %^&*, a Priorat for under $ 10 !!

Just when I got used to seeing my favorite wine from Spain for under $ 15 , Trader Joes comes up with this one for $8.99 . I only bought one bottle as I know well that Trader Joes has in the past had some wines that looked like a real deal only to be disappointments in the glass . Not so with this Reves 2006 from Chapillion. The blend is 40% Carignan , 35% Garnacha, 25% Syrah....a virtual Chateauneuf du pape , but from Spain. I expect a nice complexity from this normally pricey wine and even at the low price, the Reves delivers. It's cheap enough for a weekday dinner but good enough to serve when you want people to really have a treat that might not be something they have ever had. I give it 7 1/2 swiggs for the first bottle.....it may be revised upward in coming weeks now that I have a stash of a few more bottles.

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.

bang for the buck

Paso Robles has been getting more press as a wine region as of the last decade but mostly for Syrah. Zins have long been produced in the area and actually have consistantly high quality. Four vines has a few bottlings in the $ 25-up price range so this one at $ 12.95 represents what they offer for a more affordable wine. The color is dark and the alcohol pretty high but the wine is not overpowering and a fruity drink that will not kill the taste of your dinner. I give it a solid 7 swiggs......not the best of the area but certainly good for the price.

Oregon Pinot

Ever since the release of the movie " Sideways", there has been more pinot noir showing up at my door in the way of gifts. I'm pretty picky about pinot and don't like most of them. I really like the classic floral style of pinot that no longer seems in fashion for California wineries. Up in Oregon , folks there still want to make wines that really showcase the pinot grape as a lighter , almost perfumed drink instead of the fruit WMD's of Napa and points south. This Siduri Muirfield vinyard Willamette valley 2007 does the job nicely. While it might put some folks off who like the more modern new world style of pinot, I like it for waht it is-the real deal pinot noir in the Burgundian style. 7 1/2 swiggs.

One of the last '04 wines on the market.

Santa Cruz's own Storr's winery makes some great wines at the $20-40 price level. It isn't often that one finds one of their wines under $ 15.00 but I did just that yesterday. The '04 Central Coast Merlot at $ 14.99 is really a steal. This isn't one of those generic reds that typify what gave merlot a bad name a number of years ago. This wine is so full-bodied and flavorful that it is food-you'll have to drink this one slowly. It's a dense drink but really packed with excellent complex flavors , a real treat. Get some at New Leaf market before it is all gone. 8 swiggs.