2006 Anglim "CERISE" 39% Mourvedre, 32% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 4% Viognier "French Camp Vineyard" (Paso Robles, Cal.)

This Rhone blend was almost Pinot Noir-like not only in its gentle, feminine nature, but also in its flavor profile.

Medium dark ruby. Earthy, complex almost Pinot-like nose of sappy cherries, warm, smoky gravel, and lemony spice. A streak of intensely minerally, dark winey cherry fruit up front, along with some peppery heat, but in the finish an interesting note of ripe peach/peach pit. Lots of minerals in the finish. Decent acidity. Ready to drink right now. B. Was $14.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2008 Three "Old Vines Field Blend" (Contra Costa County, Cal.)

This was a dense, brooding, macho-styled wine that needs lots of air time (or multiple Vinturi pours) if opened in the next few months. It should definitely be cellared for a couple of years if possible. It's a blend of 34% Zinfandel, 21% Carignane, 19% Mataro, 16% Petite Sirah, 8% Alicante Bouschet, and 2% Black Malvoisie from 100+ yr.-old vines.

Jet black violet color. Brooding, reticent nose of baker's chocolate, roasted earth, and concentrated cassis and blackberry extract. Dark, tannic, and powerfully concentrated, with very low-toned dark berry and dark chocolate notes. Long, clingy finish with some cracked black peppercorn bite. Reminds me of a young theoretical California Bandol. Very good potential. Drinkable (barely) now. 88+. Was $16 from WineAccess.com.

UPDATE 3/3/11: Just had another bottle of this that was significantly more open than the first bottle -- not nearly as "brooding." I opened the first bottle about 2 weeks after receiving shipment, so maybe it hadn't yet recovered from the travel. The bottle I just had was still very deep and vibrant, with great concentration yet no jamminess whatsoever. Just a lot more open. Really delicious. Solid A-.

2006 Qupé GRENACHE "Purisima Vineyard" (Santa Ynez Valley, Cal.)

Showing the herbal side of Grenache, this was a distinctive wine.

Medium dark ruby/garnet color. Scents of rhubarb, raspberry, herbs, and intense powdered stone notes. Lean but intense in the mouth, with herby, minerally raspberry flavors and a very noticeable peppery component. Long, minerally, peppery finish. 87. Was $19.99 on sale at Houston Wine Merchant (on South Shepherd).

2007 Cline "Ancient Vines" MOURVEDRE (Contra Costa County, Cal.)

This winery really has hit a consistent groove over the last several years with its "Ancient Vines" Zins and Mourvedres. This latest iteration of the Mourvedre is excellent and a very good value. Again.

Youthfully bright, dark black ruby. Deeply fruity nose, with loads of dark plums, blackberries, and even a hint of peach, along with a sweet, high-toned balsa smoke note. Rich, fruity, and balanced in the mouth, with concentrated plummy fruit accented with a vaguely bitter dark chocolate note. Lots of soft tannins in the long fruit-and-spice finish. 89. Widely available, I got mine for under $14 at Spec's on Westheimer near Montrose.

2007 Barrel 27 GRENACHE "Rock and a Hard Place" (Santa Barbara County, Cal.)

Very nearly outstanding. A very big, full flavored mouthful.

Nearly fully-saturated blood/ruby. Fragrant nose of dry raspberry syrup, yeasty notes, toasty baking spices, and dry stones. Concentrated, full-bodied, with focused flavors of port-like fruit (but dry) and tons of crushed stones. Excellent length. If these grapes had been harvested just a hair earlier, this wine would have been even better. I think the fruit would have veered away from its port-like quality more towards raspberry and it would have been even better with just a bit more acidity. What the heck do I know, though? I'm just a dang lawyer. I still liked it enough to give it a 90.

Was $24 at Spec's on Smith.

2007 Beckman Vineyards CUVEE LE BEC (44% Grenache, 28% Syrah, 20% Mourvedre, 8% Counoise (Santa Ynez Valley, Cal.)

This perennial good buy is a great buy in this vintage.

Dark blackish ruby violet. Big southern Rhone-like nose of earthy herbal scents over blackberries and pungent minerals. Big, deep-toned, and fleshy in the mouth, with intense "garrigue" (that's the French way of saying "earthy-herbal") and iodine/mineral-tinged blackberry fruit. Long, peppery finish with substantial but soft tannin. A big, satisfying mouthful of red. 89. Was about $17 at Spec's on Holcombe.

Easter wines

Sorry -- I know I'm behind, but here are the wines we popped open for our Easter dinner (with truncated, from-memory notes).

NV Pierre Sparr CREMANT D'ALSACE Reserve Brut -- To my mind, in general, sparkling wines from Alsace are the best values in the market for bubbly. They're generally $15-$20, and have as much character as non-vintage Champagne costing twice as much or more (although because of the different varietals used in Alsace the flavor profile is a bit different). They tend to be more flavorful than the Spanish cavas as well. This one was decent, but not a great example -- crisp, citrusy fruit, bone dry, but I detected just a note of beginning oxidation. Lucien Albrecht and Rene Mure are other producers to look for in Houston.

2006 Jean-Max Roger SANCERRE "Cuvee Les Caillottes" (Loire Valley, France) -- Lean, very herbal and crisp. A tad underripe for my palate. Bone dry and refreshing, however.

2001 Delectus MERLOT "Stanton Vineyard" (Napa Valley, Cal.) -- Yes, I have often repeated the famous Merlot line from Sideways, but this wine (which our guests the Murphys brought over) floored me. Superb, rich, chocolately dark fruit on the nose. Full, and still sporting some nice tannic structure. Lots of concentration and length, but with good balance. Can even stand a few more years in a cool cellar.

2006 Linne Calodo "NEMESIS" 82% Syrah, 14% Mourvedre, 4% Grenache (Paso Robles, Cal.) -- Big disappointment for such a cult winery. Overripe and massive, but plainly out of balance, with hot, hot alcohol burning from entry to finish, obliterating the flavors.

2005 Tablas Creek COTES DE TABLAS (43% Grenache, 24% Mourvedre, 18% Syrah, 15% Counoise) (Paso Robles, Cal.)

This nicely-rendered Rhone varietal blend showed why it is important, particularly in the heat of the summer, to make sure reds are served, NOT at ACTUAL room temperature (which is invariably too hot), but at a temperature in the low to mid 60s.*

Eye: Dark, sultry black ruby.

Nose: When I popped the cork after taking the wine out of my wine closet (which is about 71 degrees in July and August), the nose was overwhelmingly dominated by peppery alcoholic scents. I could hardly smell anything else. Alcohol vaporizes quite readily as temperature increases. So I popped the wine in the fridge for about 20 - 30 minutes, and upon cooling down to the mid-60s, the alcohol receded and deep-toned scents of smoky earth, dark black berries, and pungent yet sweet balsa wood emerged.

Mouth: Rich, dark flavors of smoky, mineral-laced blackberry syrup, with good density and length, and lots of fairly soft tannic structure.

Score: 88.

Cellar or drink? Drink over the next 2 years.

Price/store: I can't find my receipt, but I think this was about $21 at Spec's on Smith.



* The notion of reds being served at "room temperature" comes from a loose translation of the French word "chambre." But serving red wine "chambre" in the old days (when this truism was formed) referred to the temperature of a room in a typical French stone house, which were usually a lot cooler than modern American houses tend to be. So "room temperature" (chambre), as used in this rule, actually refers to temperatures between about 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Vacation wines -- Day 2

2006 Ferrando Erbaluce di Caluso "La Torrazza" -- This was a very refreshing, dry white. Stylistically like a good Sancerre or Chablis, this wine had great minerality and refreshing dry fruit.

2005 Tenuta San Leone Bardolino Superiore "Montesalionze" -- This wine, which I previously raved about, is still drinking wonderfully, and has lots of life left. An amazing Veronese wine.

2004 Edmunds St. John "Rocks and Gravel" -- This was a really French-styled Rhone blend from California. The label doesn't give info about the varietal(s), but from the spicy blackberry, olive, iodine, and gravelly-earthy scents and flavors, I'm guessing that this has lots of Grenache and a bit of Mourvedre and maybe some Carignane in it. Very elegant.

2005 Guigal Cotes du Rhone -- To see just how French the previous wine actually was, we opened this one next. Though tight upon opening opening, it developed a rich, spicy cassis fruitiness, with earthy, iodine, and herbal undertones. It was really good, and, if anything, it was even more Californian in style than the previous (California) wine.

Dinner: Pollo in potacchio Marchegiana

2004 Bogle "Phantom" (California)

This blend of 54% Petite Sirah, 43% Zinfandel, and 3% Mourvedre was fairly deep and nicely-balanced.

Eye: Dark garnet with ruby highlights.

Nose: Sweet-smelling, with high-toned, lemon juice-inflected cherries, gingerbread spice, and chalk dust.

Mouth: Very nice fruit and concentration -- black cherry, balsa wood, and smoky ashes. Fair amount of soft tannin still perceptible. Nice balance and length.

Cellar or drink?: Drink. While there's substantial tannin, the fruit is so mellow (as opposed to vibrant or youthful) that I think leaving this wine to allow the tannins to settle out will be at the expense of the nice fruit present now.

Score: 87.

Price/Store: $18.79 at Richard's on Richmond.

2005 Rosenblum Cellars "Chateau La Paws" Red (California)

This is a moderately priced blend of Rhone varietals. It had a nice nose, but was kind of hollow on the palate.

Dark black ruby color. Nose tight and astringent at first, but with air time it opens up to reveal ripe, plummy-cranberry fruit with a little gingerbread spice. Full bodied, but with a sense of hollowness in the mouth. Quite a bit of blackberry fruit and iodine flavors, as well as some scorched earthiness, but it's simply not nearly as fleshy and concentrated as the nose would lead you to believe. Decent length and balance, though. Was $12.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire. 83.

2005 Cline "CASHMERE" (Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache) (California)

Beautiful, dark ruby color with a hint of purple. Very forward fruity nose -- lots of black raspberry jam (replete with the tart pectin) with a hint of rock dust underneath. Lots of clean, peppery blackberry fruit in the mouth -- not complex, but fairly gutsy. Soft texture. Full-bodied, with some iodine-y notes in the finish. I think, however, it may have been a little over-enthusiastically sulfured, as my wife had her familiar flushed cheeks reaction to wines that have lots of sulfites. On taste, I'd give it an 85, but with the caveat about the possibly high level of sulfites. Was $13.99 at World Marketplace on Richmond.

2004 Curtis "HERITAGE CUVEE" (50% Grenache, 19% Syrah, 18% Mourvedre, 13% Cinsault (Santa Barbara County, Cal.)

I knew nothing about this winery, but it looked interesting, so I tried a bottle. What a nice surprise!

Compare this to a big, ripe Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Medium dark ruby color with magenta highlights. Big, galumphy nose of spicy raspberries, black olives, and smoky balsa wood. Intense, earthy "garrigue" and black raspberry flavors, with lots of body and a soft, rich texture. Long, dark fruit and iodine-laced finish. Not elegant, but lots of character. 88. Was about $14 at Spec's on Smith.

2003 Alexander Valley Vineyards "TWO BARREL" (50% Syrah, 50% Merlot)

I've seen this around for a while and have had it on my mind to try. Not bad, but not a repeat purchase.

Dark ruby color. Nose promises more than the flavors deliver. Sweet scents of blackberries and graphite, with a lemony component that's nice on the nose but hints at the excess acidity that mars the palate. In the mouth, the acidity pinches the flavors and shortens the finish. I'm pretty sure it was added by the winemaking crew, since the alcohol is listed at 14%, and it doesn't seem likely that that much acidity was present in grapes that had enough sugar to reach that level of alcohol. 83. Was about $14 or $15 at Spec's on Smith.

2004 Cline "Ancient Vines" MOURVÈDRE (Contra Costa County, Cal.)

This wine is pretty consistently an excellent value. Back in the late 80s and early 90s, I think that Cline used to call this wine the "Oakley Cuvée." Sometime in the 1990s, they started calling it by its current name. I still remember the 1990 Oakley Cuvée, which I bought at a wine shop for about $8 while visiting San Francisco in November 1993. In the last several years, I've had the 2000 (excellent), the 2001 (very good), the 2002 (eh), and the 2003 (chunky but simple). The 2004 is back to excellent!

Dark black ruby. Rich nose of blackberry/blueberry juice, high-toned fragrant wood smoke, and steely minerals. A broad, voluptuous mouthfeel with deep flavors of salty, mulled red fruit, peaty earth, and sandstone. Long finish. Balanced, deep, and lots of fun to drink. An excellent value at $12.71 at Spec's on Smith. 89.

2004 Beckmen Vineyards CUVEE LE BEC (Santa Ynez Valley, California)

This wine started out big and intense, but on the lean and austere side. After it was opened for about 2 hours, its nose became more fruity and accessible, and the palate rounded out nicely.

Dense saturated black ruby color. At first, the most prevalent aromas were those of scorched earth, iodine, and balsa wood. With substantial air time, big aromas of blackberry liqueur came out. Concentrated sweet blackberry and scorched earth flavors. This wine needs full flavored food to really shine. Long finish, with substantial but ripe tanin. Will definitely improve over the next 2-3 years. 88+ . Was $13.60 at Spec's on Smith.

2002 Zaca Mesa "Z CUVEE" (Santa Ynez Valley, CA)

Zaca Mesa has for years been one of the most underrated wineries in California. I've never had a wine I didn't like from these folks, and they're usually not that expensive. This blend of 45% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 16% Syrah, and 9% Cinsault (all Rhone varietals), was very good and a pretty good value. Dark, bright ruby. Gorgeous, complex nose of cigar box, crushed rocks, baker's chocolate, earthy plums and blueberries. Intense, yet relatively austere flavors of iodine, dry blackberry extract, scorched earth, and salt. Long, dry, spicy & salty finish, with excellent length. A little heat and tannin on the tail. Drink now. 88. Would go very nicely with braised beef or lamb dishes. Was about $15 at Spec's on Smith, I think, a few months ago (I lost the receipt).

Wines from a big family dinner

Well, we're in New England on a family visit. We had a huge Casagrande family diner at my brother's house in West Hartford, CT, on Sunday. Mom's home-made ravioli and lasagna, Susan's spicy portuguese shrimp, grilled steaks with fresh home-grown herb chimichurri. Lots of good wines, which, due to the festivities, I didn't have an opportunity to critically evaluate. But here are my impressions:

2005 A to Z Pinot Noir Rose (Oregon) -- Bright pink. Gorgeous nose of ripe cherries with earthy undertones. Big flavors.

My brother also uncorked several nice Spanish Albarinos -- a new favorite white of his:

2004 Bodegas del Palacios de Fefinanes ALBARINO d FEFINANES Rias Baixas -- Flinty, minerally, herbal, with gooseberry fruit on the nose. Crisp, minerally flavors -- almost Sancerre-like.

2005 D. Pedro de Soutemaior ALBARINO Rias Baixas -- Another, even more herbal, but still Sancerre-like Albarino. Citrusy and minerally.

2003 Vergadanes Rias Baixas ALBARINO -- An oak-aged Albarino. Like a minor new world chardonnay. I like the non-oak-aged style better.

And then some reds:

2000 Ridge "COAST RANGE" (California) -- A bare-majority Zinfandel blend, this wine was displaying how a well-made Zinfandel can age. Now, I like the young ones better, but this was very nice. Great fragrance -- almost like a Barbaresco. Complex, soft, and with nice balance.

Sean Thackrey PLEIADES XI "Old Vines" (California) -- A blend of about a dozen different grape varietals, all from small patches of old vines. Earthy and funky at first, this wine showed more fruit and less earth as it aired out. Large-boned, fleshy, and complex. Really good.

2004 Fess Parker Santa Barbara County PINOT NOIR -- Very good. Previously reviewed here.

And then a dessert wine:

R.H. Bueller "FINE MUSCAT" (Victoria, Australia) -- Figs and maple syrup. Nice balance. A very rich, if not particularly complex, wine.

2001 Quivira "Dry Creek Cuvée" (red)

Very nice Rhone style red from Sonoma County. A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Zinfandel. Slightly evolved color -- dark ruby with some brick at the edges. Nose of sweet earthy, foresty, "garrigue" scents, with spicy plum juice and sweet creamy pastries. Rich flavors of earthy-licorice and inky blackberry essence, with a piney component in the background. Soft mouthfeel and long finish. Very nice and at its peak. 88. I've had this for quite a while. I vaguely remember getting it at Spec's on Westheimer a couple of years ago for about $13.

2003 Beckmen Vineyards "Cuvee Le Bec" (Santa Ynez Valley, California)

A superb wine! A blend of 4 Rhone varietals (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Counoise), this wine has a deep ruby color. Sweet ripe red fruits and spice on the nose; ripe, deep, and supple in the mouthy, with a teensy bit of earthiness in the background for a little complexity. Absolutely gorgeous balance, texture, and ripeness. $12 and change at Spec's (Westheimer, and at the Smith St. warehouse). 90.