Borsao Joven 2008

A 91 score for $13!? I'm going to have to try one and see for myself. Luckily, there are about a billion bottles of this left in the province.

BTW, Chef sent this to me as part of a twofer, but I'm going to post the other review separately.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Nose- Dried Herbs, Cloves, sage, spearmint and tobacco. An interesting smell of grape seeds. Lots of candy apples from the Frex.
Taste- Hot Chocolate and cherries. Some grenadine but good balance of acidity /tannins and sweetness. Very clean finish, a little short.
Overall- Certainly the better of the two Garnachas. I really enjoyed the Borsao. I will be adding a number of these to the cellar for the holidays.

Price: $13.29
Score: 91
Value: 5/5
Region: Spain, Campo de Borja
Alcohol: 13.5%
Grape: 70% Garnacha, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Tempranillo
UPC: 8412423120036

Perrin Vacqueyras Les Christins 2005

It turns out that we've reivewed this wine before - in fact, the second wine ever reviewed on this blog. Interesting to compare review - and the comments.

--- Iron Chef's review ---

Always been a personal favourite. One of those go to wines that never fail.
Nose- Cherries, Nutmeg and oak. Some meaty aromas and dries berries like Elderberries. Deep and roundly scented.
Taste- Grenadine, white pepper and a mocha latte with extra whipped cream. Some of the minced meat pie and fig flavours that I remember, but less. A bunch more fruit, highly extracted and … sweet. Thought of that drink, Shirley Temple. It was good, but not what I remember the 2004s as.
Overall- maybe it was the vintage or my mood, but I wasn't feelin it. I will continue to buy this wine, but I hope for better results in the future. BTW $19.95 at LCBO, 26% markup.

Price: $26.99
Score 86 (WS 91)
Value 3/5
Alcohol: 13.5%
Region: France- Southern Rhone
Grape: Grenache and Syrah
UPC: 631470000247

Domaine de Bila-Haut, Occulatum Lipidem 2005

Welcome to Peter, a new reviewer. After finding the site and contributing some comments, he's decided to take the plunge and contribute a review - you can too!

--- Peter's Review ---

Nose: Very rich and complex nose of earth, barnyard funk, red fruit compote, and baking spices.
Taste: Medium bodied, pleasant acidity, nice back bone of red fruit (I could not pick out which specific fruits), nice long finish. Well balanced wine. This wine pairs well with a variety of food, though it certainly can be lovely on it's own.

Some further notes: I have to admit a strong bias toward the wines of southern France. I crave the baking spices, garrigue, and balance they so often bring to the table. This one fit the bill. It may not for everyone, so be warned, if you want gobs of fruit or the creaminess of well-oaked wine, this one may not be for you. Wine Access magazine scored it 90 points. Gary Vaynerchuck of Wine Library TV scored it 88 points. I found it not dissimilar to Chateau Haut Bel Air from the same region, but a notch better. This one is far superior to the regular Domaine de Bila Haut red. I will be buying more. Would love to hear some opinions on this.

Price: $27.99
Score: 89-90points
Value: Fair price 4/5.
Producer: M. Chapoutier
Varietals: Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault
Region: Languedoc-Roussillion, France
UPC: 3391181390736

Caves des Papes Reserve de Fustiers Gigondas 2004

--- A Review from Iron Chef ---

I don't remember this being a 'Sale Wine', but it was on the Sale Table at Prospect today. It has been a long time since I had the Perrin Gigondas, but this really reminded me of a restrained Vinsobres, which I just noticed is sold out at ANBL- a WS 91 pts for about $25. And the Perrin Gigondas was from a hot 2003 vintage- a little different.

Nose- Hot Cherries mixed with Raspberries and some Port-ish aromas. Spicy wood tannins like turmeric or cumin. Lastly some Leather notes that I really liked.

Palate- Right off reminded me of a Cherry Blossom chocolate bar. A bit hot with some cinnamon/nutmeg spice. Sweet like milk chocolate but not candied or over the top. Somewhat restrained taste which was odd especially given the hot-ness of the alcohol. Some thinner notes at the mid-palate. A sour cherry taste, which I hate, dissipated as it decanted and was replaced with a more refined licorice.

Overall I found myself really wanting to like this wine, even though I was in a pisspoor mood. My notes on the Vinsobres suggest I would have probably given it a 91-94 pts so this should be less as it is thinner, less extracted, but not a lot less.

Price: $23.47
Score: 90
Value: 4/5
Region: Southern Rhone
Grape: Grenache blend
Alcohol 14.5%
UPC: 714320144008

d'Arenberg d'Arry's Original 2005

After Ted's recent d'Arenberg post, I decided it was time to try d'Arry's Original, which is a 50/50 blend of Grenache and Shiraz. I thought the Original was solid, but nothing special. The fruit is very bright without being candied and the same flavours follow through on the palate. It is a very soft wine - too soft for my taste.

Perhaps this wine will improve with age. Wine Spectator says to drink now through 2010, but the d'Arenberg website says this wine will cellar "for a considerable time." I'm not sure how long that is, but it sound like they mean longer than 2010. I wouldn't have thought it was a wine to cellar, as the tannins are not noticeable (to me), but d'Arenberg should know better than I do. Certainly there is enough fruit that it could fade quite a bit without doing much harm and if age added some complexity that would help.

For now, Kelly and I agreed that the Original deserves an 87. Wine Spectator gave it an 88.

Price: $24.48
Value: 3/5
Score: 87
Alcohol: 14.5%
Tasted: Oct 2008
ANBL UPC: 9311832337006

Marrenon Côtes du Ventoux Orca IV 2005

Côtes du Ventoux is a large region in the southern Rhone, just to the east of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, though without the lofty reputation (or prices) of that famous region. The main grape in this blend is said to be Grenache with a splash of Syrah (Shiraz). This wine is very French in style and was initially underwhelming - mineral with little fruit and a slightly harsh undertone. But after an hour it opened up nicely. The mineral structure was complemented with some interesting cedar / mint on the nose and a bit of licorice on the palate. But then I have to say it fizzled out a bit -- or maybe it was me fizzling out.

The changing character makes it difficult to judge - at its best I thought it was worth an 89, but it didn't seem to stay that way for long. In any event, if you're a new world afficiando, you won't like this, but if the old world appeals to you, this wine is definitely worth trying - but do give it some air before you make a judgment. At this price point you would normally expect to pop and pour, but in this case that would be a mistake.

Here are Kelly's notes: "Nose of anise, cedar, tar, raspberries follows through on palate. Initially, there was a persistent bitter undertaste on the palate, but it smoothed out after ½ hour or so. This wine developed very well in hour after opening. Very firm tannins. European in style. Score: 86"

Day 2: I've just had the rest of this wine, and it did very well overnight in the half bottle. Not a "wow" wine, but "hey, that's got some good stuff happening." And I love the style. I did have it at 87 and 3.5/5, but I'm going to bump it up a notch.

Price: $20.49
Value: 4/5
Score: 88
Alcohol: 14%
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 3256811113133

Perrin & Fils Les Christins 2005

No, I don't love every wine I drink. But since I'm starting this blog, I thought I might as well start with some wines I do like. Vacqueyras is a southern Rhone appellation, just to the north-east of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and this wine is a 75/25 blend of Grenache/Shiraz, two of the classic grapes of the region. It has good fruit (though not an Aussie fruit bomb), good complexity and excellent balance in the mid-note range. An old world wine with some new world character, I'd say. Kelly had this to say: "Reserved red fruit - raspberries, cranberries - evergreen and lavender on nose and palate. Long, ending with firm tannins." WineSpectator gave it a 91, and I'll go with that. Drinking well now.

Price: $25.29
Score: 91 [PS - but see comments. 89 is probably more accurate]
Value: 4/5
Tasted: January 2008
ANBL UPC: 631470000247