2008 Verdemar Albarino

A nice, fresh, blast of pear and beach-stones are the first impression on both nose and palate. Typically light, clear and beautiful in color, we've had this with snail and shroom pizza, and a Mediterranean mezze. What a find for $9 at a local store here in S.Fe. 9.27-9.30.09.
85/100
Bottom line: Not complex, but for this price, its acidity could cut a pork belly. Very nice.

2008 Fontanafredda Briccotondo Barbera (Piedmont, IT)

Now this is more like it - a smooth, balanced, yet nicely acidic Barbera that played really well with the Basque Chicken I made last night. Plum-coated chocolate, nice dark berry compote scents and flavors for nose and mouth. $13? Party-time. Buy a case. Seriously. Right now.
90/100

2004 Navarro Correas (Limited Edition)

This blended Argentine held promise - and it was reasonable at $14 - with its 60/20/20 mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec. But there's something off here - perhaps oxidized, perhaps simply sat in the sun somewhere along its journey. Think of the smell of a tar-pit; now combine that smell with the odor of burnt rubber and stewed prunes. Appetizing, isn't it? I didn't think so. The last wine I try from this producer.
70/100 - and that's being generous. You could use this wine for cooking, if you added about a cup of sugar to the reduction.

07 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon (reserve)

I really expected, and wanted, to like this wine. It's typically a solid wine, with great minty-currant Chilean fruit for the price (all of $10). But it stayed very shy for the first two nights, drinking like a low 80-pointer until the third evening. So if you crack it, let it breathe for about an hour (or two), either in a decanter or in a big glass - then you'll get the currant, eucalyptus, and caramel-vanilla notes that you deserve. Wonderful otherwise with a great short-rib beef stroganoff. 82-87/100 depending on when you approach this.

07 Bogle Old Vines Zinfandel

This was a surprisingly shy, but cheap, bottle of Zinfandel. There was none of the huge, strapping fruit and white pepper that I was hoping for. Instead, what we got, alongside braised short ribs and purple mashed potatoes, was nice, delicate jam-fruits. It was reluctant to turn into anything else, but it was balanced and had decent acidity. I can't complain given the price ($9) but still...it hardly drank like a New World Zin. 83/100.

07 Black Mesa Petite Sirah

OK, I finally caved and tried the local wines here in New Mexico and largely by accident; I'd been meaning to take a bottle of reasonable Chilean Cab Sauvignon for an interview, but left it at home. Drats. So I quickly pulled over at the Black Mesa Winery in Alcalde, NM and asked for a recommendation. The server guided me to their latest vintage of a Petite Sirah (2007) that was...well...good! Purple violet scents, aromas of earth, ink, and mineral followed into the mouth where the dark fruits took over and began their usual "pirate tooth" treatment (: black teeth). A decent finish, well balanced, a really nice surprise. 87/100.

2003 T Vine Napa Valley Petite Sirah

This should be called the Deep, Dark Purple Monster, an appropriately titled B-movie that could feature a 20 foot Sirah [sic] monster wandering through swamps, making the masses smell his inky arm-pits full of graphite, and though you would fight it (maybe?), you would eventually succumb to the masses of purple violet scents, blackbeard like British teeth (=stained), and just left awestruck at how Greg Brown is able to coax both density and balance, with real finesse, from this wine. Amazing stuff.
92/100. (Had it with rotisserie chicken, rice pilaf, side salad).

Celler El Masroig Solà Fred 2008

I enjoyed a bottle of this with mayordomo and fellow degenerate Eric S in Santa Fe on Friday, September 4, 2009 at La Boca, a nice Spanish tapas bar-restaurant downtown.
Tasting notes: This red from Montsant (Catalonia, Spain) is a 90/10 blend of Carignan/Grenache (respectively) opens with dark fruit and a ton of licorice. There is a rustic and gutsy presence to this red that suggests decanting or at least 15-30 minutes in a glass...but you might miss some of the more interesting opening aromatics. Anyway, while straightforward and simple, at about $10/11 a bottle, at retail at least, this is solid and I'll look forward to having more in the future. Makes you wonder why anybody would spend 2, 3, or 4 times more on a Priorat. These are just lovely wines. Highly recommended -- good with the morcilla and chorizo slices we snacked on, probably great with a nice fatty stew of some kind...
86/100.
Bottom Line: Sure, you could spend more for a fancier Priorat, but why?

2003 Domaine Ligneres, Le Signal ($16)

This wine, a 80/10/5/5 blend of Carignan/Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre, was simply lovely. We took it over to some new acquaintances here in S.Fe on 9.1.09 and it was enjoyed by all. It started with a nice mineral cherry whiff but became more complex with a kind of whirling licorice and mocha note as we started to work our way through the bottle, becoming spicy later on the finish. We really enjoyed this with the Moroccan red pepper-based dip placed atop cucumbers. Unusual combination, but the pairing really was dynamite.
89/100 on this one. Well worth it.

Bottom line: Yet another under-estimated Corbieres red goes joyfully down the gullets.