What I’m Drinking: Kunin 2010 Pape Star

While this wine does push the limits of my self-imposed bottle budget, I appreciate the fact that it is consistently delicious from vintage to vintage, always a crowd-pleaser at parties and get-togethers, and topped with a convenient screw cap!  Always a Rhone-style blend, the 2010 vintage consists of 46% Grenache, 27% Mourvedre, and 27% Syrah, and is a brilliant and clear ruby hue in the glass.  At 14.4% abv, there are some faint legs, but the alcohol is not overpowering.

The clean, youthful nose bursts with fruit aromas - cherry, strawberry, and red plum - but also maintains more complex undertones of cola, oak, mineral, and wet earth.  Likewise, juicy, fresh raspberry and black cherry lead on the palate, but are complemented at the finish with black pepper spice and a notable minerality.

This wine is dry and well-balanced, with a healthy acidity and light to medium tannin levels to off-set the fruit and alcohol.  The result is a medium-bodied red with a lengthy finish that drinks well alone, and pairs well with a variety of dishes.  A bottle of this is worth snapping up for a weekend occasion!

Wine of the Week: Domaine Massamier La Mignarde 2008 Cuvée des Oliviers Rosé

I just wouldn't be doing this season justice if I didn't review a rosé (or several). Always looking for something a little bit different, I've been absolutely obsessed with the stuff this summer. Most of the rosés available in better wine shops these days are classified as dry, not sweet, and are far from the dreaded white zinfandel. But the real question is - are they any good? Since my last run-in with a pink wine also involved a coffee mug and my college roommates, I decided to take the time to get to know some real rosés and decide for myself.

Admittedly, this rosé is not my favorite among those I've tried, but it's my latest taste...and I have to start somewhere. Also, while I didn't love the flavor, I found this wine to be interestingly full bodied compared to other rosés I've had. While most rosés more closely resemble whites in substance, this one seems to be about as close to the middle ground between a red and a white as it gets.

A blend of 80% Cinsault, 10% Syrah, and 10% Grenache, the Cuvée des Oliviers Rosé is a bright pink shade with an orange-ish hue, and is almost coral in color. The aromas are of tart berries - the bottle mentioned red currants and strawberries, but I also picked up a distinct raspberry aroma, along with floral undertones and, frankly, some earthiness. The taste is bold - sour strawberry with a spicy hot, lemon-zesty component. And, of course, the wine is substantial. It has a hefty weight on the mid-palate, and a very long finish. And, of course, it's dry.

At about $12 a bottle, this wine is another one to try if you're looking for something very different. Stayed tuned for more rosés!

Wine of the Week: 2007 Bodegas Luzon Luzon, Jumilla, Spain

By now, the 2007 Bodegas Luzon is well-known in the wine world for being a wine of exceptional value, and for good reason. Favorably reviewed by all the big names, this $9 red blend from Spain is a fantastic deal. In the words of Wine Enthusiast, it "Overdelivers by a lot!".

The Luzon is an inky ruby- and violet-hued Monastrell-Syrah blend from the Jumilla DO in the Mediterranean Coast region of Spain. It is surprisingly complex on both the nose and the palate, delivering both fruit and "non-fruit" aromas and flavors. I found the initial scent to be dominated by purple stone fruit, such as dark cherries and plums, but also followed by leather and mineral/earth notes.

A solidly medium-bodied wine with a smooth, velvety mouthful, the Luzon is well-balanced. Flavors are fruity, spicy, and savory. Black cherry dominated the fruit portion for me, but a smoky, even "gamey" flavor was also prominent. Herbal notes have also been associated with this wine. Though I didn't pick those up during my first tasting, I'd like to open another bottle and try. At $9 each, it would be well within the budget to repeat this wine!

Wine of the Week: Chateau Montus 2003 Madiran

This wine departs from my usual picks because it is not as widely available, and because it is only under twenty dollars if you buy a half bottle! Still, when I sampled it at a wine tasting about a month and a half ago, I knew that I would have to write a post about it. First, the specifics: I purchased this wine through the hosts of the tasting for about seventeen dollars for the half bottle (375 ml). It is a relatively high alcohol blend of 80% Tannat and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and is from the Madiran appellation in Southwest France.

The wine is extremely dark purple in color, even inky. The aromas are of currant, blackberry, tobacco, and leather, but the taste is really what makes this wine interesting to me. At first, almost no fruit comes through, and the wine is really all about the tannins, and woody, smoky, non-fruit flavors. It is only after it has been given some time to breathe that any fruit comes through, cassis and blackberry most notably, on the mid-palate. In the meantime, the wine is full-bodied with a long, coarse finish. Tannins are prominent, but not astringent, lending it a smooth, "chewy" texture. The balance is only threatened slightly by the high alcohol. Once this wine has had some time to open up, the fruit, the tannins, the acid, and the alcohol all play nicely. Before that? It is an interesting change to have a wine that is not so juicy. Definitely worth a try if you come across a bottle.

Wine of the Week: Sacred Stone Master's Red Blend ~ Cask #004

This week's Wine of the Week was another recommendation from my favorite "old-neighborhood" wine shop. Sacred Stone is an affordable label from the Pietra Santa Winery in California's Central Coast, and this Proprietor's Red Blend is a great $10 pick! The blend includes Merlot, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, and Dolcetto grapes, which have been oaked for 24 months in both French and American Oak. This wine is not shy! Upon opening the bottle, I was immediately hit with chocolately, musky, earthy, minty aromas, followed by rich plum. The color is a deep, deep purple. Interestingly, the flavor was not what I expected, given the nose. It is earthy, with stone fruit, but also carries some cherry flavors and spice. It is lighter-bodied than I expected as well, but with good balance and lingering flavors on the finish. The tannins give it a soft, velvety mouth-feel. This wine is wonderfully drinkable, particularly at this price point! Have it on a weeknight with a good meal.

Wine of the Week: Paul Jaboulet Aine Cotes du Rhone Parellele 45 2006

I drank quite a bit of this wine while in Bora Bora a few months ago, so when I saw it offered at Trader Joe's for $11.99, I couldn't resist buying a bottle to see if I would like it just as much when it is not accompanied by the view of a startlingly aqua ocean. It turns out that it is still good - even while I sit in Michigan with a view of...snow. This Cotes du Rhone is a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, which is not surprising for the Rhone Valley region. The wine is a deep ruby in color and has a fruity "plumy" scent, with a bit of spice and perhaps a hint of floral notes. The taste is dry, but also fruity and wonderfully balanced. The alcohol, acid, and tannins do not overwhelm the fruit, but rather harmonize with it to create a very drinkable wine. The finish is medium and a bit tart. Overall, I have to give this wine high marks for value. At well under $15, I will definitely buy it again.

Wine of the Week: 2006 X Winery Red X

I chose this bottle because I really enjoyed an X Winery Cabernet Sauvignon that I had in a flight a few months ago. Also, frankly, it has an eye-catching label. It was about $12.99 at my local wine shop, which feels like a deal, since it is listed at $14.99 on X Winery’s website (www.xwinery.com). If you’ve never heard of X, it bills itself as “The winery [that] utilizes new technologies along with traditional winemaking to produce wines that have the texture and traditional flavor profile of wines that normally cost two to three times the price,” with a goal “to create wines that [have] an outstanding value proposition for wine consumers.” Red X is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Syrah, 12% Zinfandel, and 6% Petite Sirah. It has a ruby to purple hue, and the dominant scent is probably a red fruit, like cherries, with a slight mineral note. In terms of taste, this wine is relatively full bodied with moderate tannins and a slightly spicy black cherry flavor. I find it to be well-structured with a medium finish. X Winery describes it as “Dark purple, blue red color with aromas of ripe cherries, blackberries, plum with just a hint of mocha and anise. Well integrated tannins lead to a smooth texture. Fully extracted with wonderful balance; this unique blend is quite versatile.” At this price point, I’d say this is a good everyday wine – well worth keeping on hand to drink with Tuesday (or even Friday) night dinner.