Dr Vino's wine blog

Nypmh whites (young and flowery)

Viognier de Campuget, Cuvée Prestige, vin de
pays d’oc, 2003. $9.99 Find
this wine

Viognier is a peripatetic grape that has landed in the Andes and
California recently. This excellent value example has traveled only
a few dozen miles from the grape’s ancestral home of Condrieu. Hand
harvested from low-yielding vines grown in the Costieres de Nimes
region but bottled as a vin de pays, this 100% Viognier has
excellent aromatics of flowers and white peach. Crisp acidity makes
it very food friendly. Impress your friends with this cuvee prestige
as the weather warms up and dining starts to be al fresco. Winery
and vineyard photos;
Robert Kacher Selections, importer.

Cusumano, Insolia, IGT white, 2003. $8.50 Find this wine From under the Sicilian sun, this youthful white will brighten even a midwinter day. Not a brand, Insolia is actually the name of the local white grape used in this wine. This family-owned winery with 140 acres of vines produces some excellent value vino (including a great red Nero D’Avola) as this distinctive white from 10 year old vines shows. Golden in color with fresh, floral notes similar to a Viognier, this food friendly wine is even robust enough to accompany the flavors of a channa masala.

Dry rosé

Castano, Monastrell rose (rosado), D.O. Yecla,
2003 $7 Find
this wine
I have praised the red wines from Bodegas Castaño before, but this
rosé (aka “Rosado”) wine deserves attention as well. A dry rosé
pressed from the Monastrell (Mourvedre), this clean, not cloying,
pink wine is a great way to get in a summer state of mind. Even
if the thermometer is not yet hitting summer highs, this rose is
a refreshing and versatile food wine-it paired well with an aromatic
and gently spicy curry. Eric Solomon, importer.

Big reds

Etim, Falset Marça, Montsant, 2001. $13 Find
this wine
Wow, why do the good bottles go so quickly? This wine, Grenache
from 60 year old vines with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon blended in, hails
from a cooperative in Catalonia’s Montsant region (a lower rent
terroir near the famed Priorat). Silky smooth, with hints of minerality,
blueberry, supple leather, oak influence and faint spice, the greatest
question a consumer of this wine will have is why the bottle is
empty so soon after popping the cork. Yes, this Etim comes in over
the $10 grade but it would be a great accompaniment to an Easter
meal or weekend occasion. Langdon Shiverick importer.

Fairview, Pinotage, (Paarl) 2002. $10 Find
this wine
Charles Back is known for his goats. The owner of the Fairview “wine
farm” in Paarl, South Africa, not only has goats on the property
to make wonderful cheeses, but goats adorn the labels of many of
his wines. (The best known is the light-hearted Goats do Roam, the
largest South African wine brand exported to the United States.)
This wine under the Fairview label is made from the native Pinotage
grape. Forget food friendly; at its worst, Pinotage is not even
friendly! But this Pinotage made in a New World style and has smoldering
dark fruits as well as smoky, leathery aromas that make it compelling
in its distinctiveness. Stump your wine geek friends with this one
in a blind tasting! Importer: Vineyard Brands.

Bodegas Palacio, Cosme Palacio y Hermanos,
red, Rioja, 2001 $10.49 Find
this wine
Hijos de Antonio Barcelo have assembled an attractive portfolio
of value vino producers that includes Viña Mayor and Peñascal. This,
their winery in the Rioja, is new world in its business orientation:
it has no vineyards and purchases all its grapes. Surprisingly,
despite being aged for 10 months in new French oak, the 100% Tempranillo
is not overly oaky (the way many Riojas can be) but has some good
acid as well as the more customary dark fruits, leather and smooth
tannins. The excellent finish really pushes this wine over the edge
to excellent value vino!

Lyeth, Meritage, Sonoma, 2002, $11 Find this wine Remember when Sonoma wines used to be good and affordable? This wine from Sonoma’s Lyeth (rhymes with “teeth”; now a part of the expanding empire of Jean-Claude Boisset) harkens back to that bygone era. A “meritage,” or Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with a dash of Cab Franc, this ruby red wine has wonderful aromatics of dark fruits as well as supple tannins and a smooth mouthfeel. Handsome in a sleek, label-less bottle, it would make an excellent gift.

Light, fruity reds

Imus, Montsant, 2002. $6. Find
this wine

This is one Imus to enjoy in the evening. Of course this wine has
nothing to do with the radio shock jock known for the radio program
“Imus in the morning.” The wine hails from the Falset-Marça cooperative
in the Spanish region of Montsant where the locals undoubtedly pronounce
it EEE-mousse. With the light sweetness that is typical of Grenache,
the wine punches above its low price point with good balance and
concentration. A great pizza wine, also try substituting this for
a beaujolais. Importer: Langdon Shiverick.

Las Rocas de San Alejandro, old vines Grenache, 2003, $8.50 The 2003 Las Rocas remains a compelling value vino. However, this vintage of the old-vine Grenache from the viticulturally obscure region of Calatayud, is the reverse of the 2002: unlike last year’s (Parker 91 pts), which I suggested needed 30 minutes of decanting, this vintage is best right after the (synthetic) cork is popped (although after 24 hours uncorked on the counter, it had few signs of deterioration, an honor generally reserved for wines at much higher price points). The light and clear red color gives way to complex aromas of cherry, leather and some spice with an impressive finish for a wine of this price point. After 30 minutes of open air, by contrast, this vintage gained astringency and tartness. So best to drink up quickly! Las Rocas rocks. Importer: Eric Solomon. Find this wine

Domaine de Perrieres, Costieres de Nimes, 2001. $9.99 Find
this wine
Marc Kerydenweiss of Alsace and Burgundy bought a small vineyard
in the Southern French region of Costieres de Nimes in 1999. He
has farmed it using biodynamics, sort of an enhanced organic method
that throws in some astrology. The resulting wines are “concentrated,
rich in minerals and energizing” he claims on his web
site. I did not find myself particularly energized by this wine,
nor was it overly concentrated; instead, there was a distinct minerality,
acidity, and a faint barnyard finish. This blend of Syrah, Carignan
and Grenache would be a wine endorsed by the movie Mondovino
since it is so terroir-driven. A good pick for Earth
Day. NOTE: lovers of “hedonistic fruit bombs” should avoid this
wine. Importer: Wilson
Daniels.

Beyond the grade (but worth it):
Pierre Jourdan NV Cuvee Rose. (pink sparkler, Paarl) $17. Find
this wine
Bianchi Particular, Merlot 2003. (Mendoza) $30 Find
this wine
Bodegas Tikal, Corazon, 2001. (Mendoza) $29 Find
this wine
Dehlinger, Cabernet Franc, 1995. (Russian River) $?? Find
this wine

Guiseppe Quintarelli, Secco Ca’del Merlo, 2003. (Veneto) $35 Find
this wine