Barossa for a deal

The Thorne Clarke 'Shotfire' Barossa shiraz is only $ 12.95 and widely available. I would rank it with other wines from this great winegrowing region of Australia costing twice as much. The richness and complexity of the Shotfire really make it a special treat, but at the low price it doesn't have to be something limited to special occasions. I think it would be hard to find a wine from Europe or the USA that has this much flavor and quality at this price. 9 swiggs.

Paso Robles cab.

Down south in Paso Robles there's an increasing amount of good wines being made. This one is not one I had tried so when I got it as a gift I was pretty happy. I'm not sure the source of this wine locally but I'm sure it can be gotten through the winery. This 2006 cabernet is really nice, medium bodied and good enough to enjoy on the weekend. I'll give it 7 1/2 swiggs , pretty good for the region.

Weekend wine experiment

Whenever I see an '04 cabernet, I usually pick it up. I know the wine writers don't really go nuts about '04 but I have found it to be my favorite vintage of the decade for California reds so far. The High Valley is one I haven't had. It turns out that it is a pleasant wine but it really does not compare to many wines in the same price bracket that I have lucked into since I have started this blog. At $ 24.95 , I'm really looking for a big wine with super good flavors all around. This wine was good but maybe a little light and a taste astringent, almost tart. Since it was on closeout for $ 18.95 I figured that I give it a try. I'll give it 6 1/2 swiggs.....not bad , but I would want more for $ 24.95.

Zin dosen't get any better than this.

Look for this wine if you are a Zin fanatic.The Gia Domella 2005 Russian River Zin- It has it all.....richness, complexity and depth. There's a place where all great California Zins all converge. This place is the pinnicle of what intense expression lies in this wonderful grape and it is somewhere special in the world of good wine. The grapes are from the Passalaqua family, a line of folks that started growing grapes beore prohibition. I am not sure what this wine costs but I'll bet that this limited production ( 356 cases only! ) isn't cheap. I'll give it 9 1/2 swiggs, about the top for a Zin. It's Russian river fruit-same general location as the Geyserville and Lytton springs grapes that Ridge masterfully crafts into some of the great wines of the world.

Sometimes the critics are right.

I have walked past the Layer Cake wines thinking that they were probably generic supermarket-style characterless and boring. Lat week I read that the critics were lauding this particular bottle so I became interested....not interested enough to pay the $ 15.95 , though. As luck would have it, a friend dropped by a couple bottles as a gift and upon drinking it, my wife and I were inpressed. I'll give this 2009 Shiraz 8 swiggs and reccmend it highly. It is available at Trader Joes among other places.

A taste of the Ventoux , without the pain

The Mont Ventoux has been long known as a supreme challenge for cyclists pretty much since the beginning of the last century.This giant mountian rises high above the northern border of Provence and can be seen from many miles away. While it might be known as a meeca for masochistic bike riders, it is also blessed with many acres of grapevines , mostly Grenache, Syrah and the other popular varietels that make up the Rhone blends. This VMV cotes du Ventoux is a wonderful taste of the south of France and it's dry, spicy tastes suit food better than most harder-hitting domestic products. Also, there's more going on tastewise in a wine such as this compared to similarly priced editions from the local market. If you can find it, it is only $ 8.99 and authentically French. 7 1/2 swiggs , from Shopper's Corner.

Beyond catagory

Just when I thought that I had found the ceiling...the absolute best of what I could put on the table , along comes a wine with class beyond the rest. I am without adaquate words to describe the completeness and beauty of the Ridge '04 Santa Cruz mtns. blend. All I can say is that for as long as I have been drinking wine, Ridge has always stood out as a benchmark , something to compare not only domestic wines to, but all wines from all over the world. This blend of the classic Bordeaux varietels goes beyond anything that I have tasted from Cailfornia. This is not to say that it is better, just mor complete, more sophisticated and timeless. Ridge does not appear to follow trends or pay attention to what cult winemakers are doing elswhere in the state. Ridge wines seldom cost more than $ 40, except for thier Monte Bello estate Cabernet, a very rare and coveted wine. I bought this bottle a few years ago at the winery and saved it until last weekend. My reward was a perfectly aged wine experience that I'll not forget.Seek this one out......it is probably the best red wine you'll ever have.