2009 La Vielle Ferme Ventoux (France) – blend of Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsault grapes (1.5 Liters)
The grapes for this wine – typically 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 15% Cinsault and 15% Carignan – were grown on its flanks at up to 300 m above sea level. The wine is fermented in cement and aged in large old oak barrels until bottling in July. This is a friendly, exuberant, fruity wine made to be enjoyed over the next 12 months, with casual meals. I could very easily imagine it with sausages and mash. jancisrobinson.com
2003 Fattoria La Lecciaia Brunello di Montalcino (Italy) – Sangiovese grape (1.5 Liters)
The cask-aged 2003 Brunello di Montalcino is dense and sweet, with superb intensity in its dark cherry fruit that is buffered by elegant tannins. Its open, accessible personality makes it a great choice for near-term drinking. This is yet another example where the regular bottling offers greater balance and harmony than the top-of-the line selection. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2016. Rated 91 The Wine Advocate
2009 Vina Borgia Campo de Borja (Spain) – Garnacha grape (1.5 Liters)
A steal for six bucks; the nose is floral and black, but under control. Meanwhile, the palate is bouncy, round and balanced, with juicy black plum and wild berry flavors. Rated 87 Wine Enthusiast A plump texture carries pretty blackberry, vanilla and licorice flavors in this fresh, straightforward red. A fruit-forward, modern style. Drink now through 2012. Rated 86 Wine Spectator The 2009 Vina Borgia is 100% Garnacha fermented and aged in stainless steel. Purple-colored with a fragrant, fruity nose of fresh-picked cherries, on the palate it is ripe and savory with no hard edges in the finish. Drink it over the next 2 years. Rated 86 Wine Advocate
2009 Rocca Normanna Le Sciare Primitivo Salento (Italy) – Primitivo grape (1.5 Liters)
Sometimes you’ll hear a wine described as having “good juice“ and not be quite sure what that means. Cantine Due Palme’s “Le Sciare” provides an answer. Primitivo is so named not due to any feral, rough qualities but because the Benedictines who cultivated it noticed it as the first, or primo,a grape to be harvested, usually by the third week of September. This version is direct and uncomplicated, but not in any way a listless all-flavor-no-character wine. Scents of currants, dark cherries and blackberries with spicy highlights follow through on a concentrated texture of mouthfilling, jammy fruitiness that has loads of good juice – a balancing acidity and soft tannins. “Le Sciare” is the bottle you open for those who still are uncertain of Italian wines, a modern expression that never loses sight of its territorio. wineclass.net Rich, spicy & warming red with lots of that classic sunbaked southern Italian fruit. Yum! Uvawines.com