Identity Crisis, White Syrah - $16.99

Babcock "Identity Crisis," 2010 White Syrah - Santa Barbara, CA



This is a bottle that will turn a wine drinker, into a wine enthusiast.


For every wine lover there's one wine that did something that no other wine could, it changed the way you think about wine. It made you excited about what you were tasting and it gave you the feeling that you discovered something. For a moment, you even perhaps got the feeling that you suddenly understood another language. For me, it was a 1994 pinot noir from Philo, in the Alexander Valley in Sonoma. The winery isn't there anymore, I've looked. I was just starting to learn about wine, and on a visit to the vineyard the winemaker took me through the tasting. There was no fancy tasting room, no money changed hands for tasting tokens, it was just us, a couple of glasses and a broken corkscrew standing on a gravel patch between her house, and the barn (the winery). She explained the grapes, the ground, the flavors of strawberries and cream, and right there and then, on the top of a hill looking at the vines sloping down into the valley, I was hooked.


I've had lots of wines over the years, some memorable for being great, some memorable for being not so great, and many not memorable at all. When I tried "Identity Crisis" white syrah from Babcock, I was taken back to my first great wine experience all those years ago. I felt like I had discovered something that nobody else in the world had ever tried, and instantly I started to fall in love with wine all over again.


The color: It's that of a peach, soft and pink'ish verging into orange, but when you tilt the glass the orange hugh takes control and soon orange is all you see. It's brilliant. The color is completely different; it isn't a trendy rose, and it isn't a white, but it isn't a red either although the bottle may suggest otherwise - it's quite simply put, something all of its own. 


On the nose: Strawberry hits you first, but then as your senses get used to the bouquet you start to pick up a note of guava; the guava leading into a green pepper herbaceous note and that in turn falls into lychee fruit. One still moment of sent lingers into the next in this lucid wave of discovery, like when you suddenly know all the answers to a crossword puzzle, one hint leading into the next in an unfolding rhythm so perfect that you don't want to breathe.  But then you do breathe. You swirl your glass and dip your nose in again, and again, and again.


The first sip: Berry washes over your palate, strawberry to be exact, but you quickly question - it could be any number of berries mulling around on the tip of your tongue, you think. But then as the wine warms to your mouth and rolls around you're quickly able to pull out a verse of mineral coming into it's own across the top of your palate. It doesn't dry so much as give a hint of its presence. The mineral gives way to a tropical sensation of guava, or it could even be papaya, but the magical moment happens when you start to wonder, is it guava or is it papaya and as you wonder, that's when the black pepper sprinkles into the mix.


While that first sip is washing its way through, you become aware of the mouthfeel. The juice has gone through total malolactic fermentation, leaving the wine feeling slippery and fatty; round and oily, wonderfully soft, supple and buttery, and just when you're really appreciating this mouthfeel, the tannins creep in - totally unexpected. You seem to completely forget that you're drinking a syrah until these soft tannins layer over the top of your palate, like someone unexpected who has crashed your party, fashionably late.


The Finish: There's a sense of bananas sauteed in butter, with hints of toast mixing in the dryness of the tannins, and it's all intermingling in the linger of mineral. And the greatest part is that the finish seems to glow warm, and then lazily fade into the colors of night over the stretch of several minutes.


What's amazing about "Identity Crisis" is that it hits all the little cues that illustrate the difference between a good wine, and a great wine. Everyone has different tastes in wine, some prefer sweet, some dry. Some people have experienced palates and are going to pick out a profile of flavors, while others are simply going to sip a glass and taste ... well, wine. You like what you like, and that's one of the most fun things about this, a person may think it's the best wine in the world, while another might find the same juice completely vile. However, regardless of personal taste, in order to objectively identify a great wine there are certain bench marks a bottle needs to jump over. Does it have varietal character? Does it have expression? Are the flavors and textures well integrated? Does it keep you guessing - does it have complexity? And most importantly, does it taste like it's connected to the earth where it was grown?  


In the case of "Identity Crisis," you're drinking 89% syrah, 6.5% pinot gris, and 4.5% chardonnay. If you're really keen, you can pick out the aromatic hints of each grape. The bouquet as a whole is an interwoven web of amazing bells and chimes, but these are three completely different grapes with different acidity levels, flavor profiles, and personalities. The balance is that of a mobile, with each grape hanging contently, moving freely and buoyantly in perfect synergy with one another and the result is a constantly changing nose, and ever developing body. What gets me most is the way it tastes like summer in central california. The juice manages to capture the brine in the air rolling off the pacific ocean, the green leaves, crisp riverbed minerals, and the soft, honey and pollen flavors of so many things that seem to be constantly in bloom. 

Damn, this is good stuff.


Pairing:
This is an all purpose, go-to bottle, with enough acidity, tannin and fruit to stand up to just about anything. I wouldn't try to match it to a big steak, however a fillet mignon with beurre blanc or even a bearnaise, I might not be able to resist. Call me crazy, but I also think with the soft acidity, fatty mouth feel, and delicacy of fruit and spice with a hint of mineral tang, "Identity Crisis" might just be a match for sushi. I haven't tried it, but I'm going to find out and let you all know. It's going to pair well with any cheese or fruit, and with the distant vegetal notes you might detect on its finish, this might be that perfect match for artichokes with a dip of butter or hollandaise.  On a slightly more healthy note, consider a salad of peppery arugula, fresh garden tomatoes, with tangerine wedges, olive oil, and a sprinkle of feta.  Coconut curry; grilled salmon with a relish of mango, avocado & cilantro; backyard grilled chicken with buttery rich potato salad.

DEXTER LAKE, BLEND - $15.99

Dexter Lake, 2009 Blend - Matthew Rorick Wines, Mendocino, CA.


It's pretty hard to miss the handlebar mustache that looks as if it was a doodle on the label drawn with a Sharpie. In fact, the first few times I saw it on the shelves, while I noticed it, I simply didn't pay it much mind; but a funny thing happened after my first tasting - obsession.


Dark, inky and opaque with a ruby hue, I took a moment to inspect the wine against a white sheet of paper in an effort to see the full spectrum of pink reflection to looming purple. Habitually swirling the glass and paying faint attention to the escaping fragrances, I found my attention pulled from color to nose, as if being beckoned by the unseen under nose curl of a cartoon finger.


On the nose: The first thing you pick up is the unmistakeable purple smell - violets floating high over the motion of the still spinning wine after you've given the glass a twirl. Along with that purple scent, you also get a slight herbaceous note like a blanket of eucalyptus lazily thrown over a bed of bing cherries. But after you've allowed the juice to settle and the aromas time to lift away from the surface - caught in the inward sloping of the glass - what you pick up is definitely a dark, dried fruit scent. Dates come to mind. And then high up top you start to pick up bits of pepper and spice.


The first sip: Sweet, soft and eluding, there's almost a blueberry note that's both refreshing and delicate, but the fresh sweet of the fruit is quickly pushed out of the way by the tannins. They creep in from the back at first, then the front, then the sides as the fruit becomes an essence quickly dissipating into a notes of clove, tobacco and allspice hovering over the tannic action - like watching fireworks from the viewpoint of the sky.


The finish:  A hot spice lingers in the back of the palate, quickly dissolving into an afterthought of that dried date smell detected on the nose as it lifts, riding the updraft of your breath like a plume of smoke climbing from a small fire.  And then there's the echo making you wonder what you just tasted and searching pictures in your mind for the right flavor descriptor, as the finish holds; holds; holds, then fades away leaving you wanting for another round of the same.


Here's what I can tell you about the blend (and this is my working it out, not a professional opinion, so it may be boring to read): Right off the bat you can pick up the petit verdot ( about 40%) - that's the source of the wonderful purple mist of violet scent, and soft spice that creeps in from the back of the palate. Then there's that deep spice of petite sirah (also about 40%), with it's smoky ripe, dark berry flavors. Both grapes are known for the inky powers of their skins, which is most likely the source of the enchantingly deep purple, opaque color. Now, the third grape in the blend is a bit of a mystery to me.  I asked a wholesale wine rep and he told me once that it was tinto fino, and then again later that it was touriga nacional, so I decided to do a little bit of my own homework. After some research I've discovered that a wine shop in chicago seems to think it's alvarelhao (otherwise known as brancellao, an aromatic grape sometimes used to make vino verde).  Since the mysterious third grape in this blend seems to have a softer acid, doesn't effect the color, adds fruit and notes of distant leather or tobacco, I'm inclined to put my money down that we're tasting young, tempranillo. (Otherwise known as: tinto fino.)


Pairing:
Dexter Lake is going to be best friends with pork chops thrown on the grill, maybe with a traditional dollop of apple sauce on the side. If bar-b-q sauce is in the mix, bring it. The weight of the meat, the sauces, the char, they're all going to blend perfectly. Don't shy away from grilled chicken either; or a steak - there are plenty of tannins to stand up to a nice cut of beef. On the lighter side, consider roasted beets with goat cheese, drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkle of fresh tarragon; or arugula with crumbles of gorgonzola and lemon zest. If you're considering a picnic, and looking for the right cheese, grab a baguette and pick up a triple cream brie, or a light blue cheese with a small jar of fig spread. Also consider cana de cabra (spanish goat cheese) or bucheron (french goat cheese). And for something to cut the creaminess, grab some tapenade - the salty texture will blend wonderfully with the pepper, spice and fruit of this amazing wine.

MARLBOROUGH SUN, SAUVIGNON BLANC - $10.99

Marlboro Sun, 2010 Sauvignon Blanc - Marlboro Valley Wines, New Zealand. 


Every time I wander into a new wine shop it's as if I'm starting over and I'm completely new to wine. I scan the bottles for something familiar, or something I've seen around but have yet to try, and then I go back and forth - should I try something new, or should I go with something I know I'll like?  I admit it, am automatically drawn to the labels that catch my eye, and I'm often skeptical when a wine's label is overly clever, or over the top. It's been my experience, all too many times, that the labels turn out to be the best part of those bottles.


While wandering blindly through a wine shop this past weekend, one bottle caught my eye - one thats label is both clever and simple, and in my mind, brilliant. A newspaper depicting crop circles shaped like a wine glass, and the headline: 2010 Sauvignon Blanc.  For $10.99, it was worth a try. I figured that if the wine isn't as creative as the label, then at least I've got a cool label to add to my collection.


The first thing I noticed about this sauvignon blanc was the color - or lack of, perhaps I should say. The wine is almost perfectly clear if not for a faint golden hue, as if light were reflecting from a yellow legal pad, across a white table, and onto a glass of water.


On the nose: A spin of the glass illuminates a light, alfalfa sprout toned blur, as little bits of grass and lime roll over one another, swirling in a kaleidoscopic jumble and falling over highlights of mint and pineapple.


The first sip: Tight and steely with a citric zing, the first sip is reminiscent of candied lemon peel, soft and tart, perking up your senses and tingling on the top of the palate. The juice is sweet and supple, giving off the illusion of young flowers that have yet to fully grow into their own fragrance. As the wine warms, the sensation is no different than the earth warming the ground. A grassiness sprouts in a vaporous spring like manner, slowly intensifying into summer until you realize the lemon-lime shades of grass are like seasons, and really no different than spring to summer, and summer to fall.  The mouth feel is so light and delicate that the wine seems almost weightless, and while you're lost in the season of changing flavors, you miss the moment altogether. Like summer, you find that before you know it, your sip has slipped away, and just when you were really beginning to enjoy yourself, too.


The finish: The tang of lime and grassiness give way to a crisp fume of pineapple and mineral, with the two flavors combining, as if to create a memory before it's totally gone. In the end, you're suddenly aware of an acidic echo of what once was, longing for lazy afternoons, and searching for the words to sum up what amounts to being the taste of summer vacation. 


Sauvignon blanc is one of those grapes that changes its expression from grassy and crisp, to sweet and tropical depending on the climate where it's being grown. Crisp, dry minerals when grown in the cool, damp air of Bordeaux; or hot tropical pineapple when bathing in the sun of New Zealand.


Paring:
Light, delicate seafood is the perfect match. A mild white fish, or lobster with risotto; steamed crab; oysters on the half shell; prawns drizzled in garlic butter; white clam chowder or fresh steamed muscles in saffron broth.  Also, consider this wine on the side of a salad of mixed greens with a light olive oil and sliced almonds, or with sliced red beets and goat cheese. Chilled asparagus with a drizzle lemon hollandaise; gazpacho, or caprese. For desert, consider rice pudding; bananas foster; green tea ice cream; lemon granita (ice); or, as strange as this might sound, a simple bit of chocolate.  

BARBAZUL, BLEND - $15.99

Barbazul, 2009 Blend - Huerta de Albala -Tierra De Cadiz, Spain.


If you can't judge a book by its cover, then it should stand to reason that one certainly can't judge a wine by it's label, either. The problem is that labels, like book covers, all seem to be trying to out clever one another and you almost need a guide to point out which ones are great works, and which are simply great graphics.


I've passed this bottle of Barbazul several times, never really giving it much thought. There are so many bottles sometimes that I admit, all too often, I end up picking by the label. There's no harm in it, I suppose. It's what's inside that counts, but more times than not you don't know exactly what's inside until you pony up some cash; thus the label is all you have to work with. The label, or a wine clerk - who might or might not have actually tasted the wine, and might or might not have any idea what he or she is talking about.


When I tried my sip of Barbazul at a chance tasting, I was instantly zoning in on the simple label, depicting what looks like a cave drawing of a horse in red lines against a white background, and I could feel my lips moving as I said silently to myself what is that? I snatched the last bottle off of the shelf and brought it straight home for closer inspection.


Deep and rich in color, this wine is a shade of mysterious purple that I believe is usually reserved for wizards. Opaque and solid looking, it's like the skin of a black plumb has been turned to jello that has yet to set.


On the nose: At first I was getting an odd mineral scent. Sure there's berry and something rich going on, but there was a definite mineral-like sulfuric scent too, mixed with a waft of something vegetative that I couldn't quite place. I had a feeling that it was going to fall away soon enough, and right I was. Let this wine sit for a few moments to relax and get adjusted to you and your glass. After getting to know one another give the wine a good swirl and sit back as it starts to release a bouquet that begins with a soft hint of boysenberry. The berry is quickly enveloped in a note that isn't unlike the scent of a Fig Newton, but then as the dried fruit is pushed down, the vaporous presence of eucalyptus rises to the top of your senses.


The first sip: A zing of wild strawberry with a ginger snap spice rolls across your palate, along with a touch of dried figs and cherries, yet it remains soft and supple like a mouth full of smoky preserves. Velvety and light in your cheeks, it rolls around warming from the heat of your mouth into a full vapor, like steam rising from a still pond on a cool morning as your mouth fills with a simple and delicate dew of flavors. Just when you think you've got it all figured out though, something new happens. It starts on the back of your palate - a gentle sizzling comes to life - fizzing and releasing a delightful cola taste as the tannins activate.


The finish: Hot and spicy - light and weightless - distant, but not long forgotten. The wine falls away leaving behind an easy, softly acidic, tannic dryness that lingers on and on, like the presence of somebody who has recently left a room long before you wanted them to go.


Each of the grapes used in Barbazul are readily present and waiting their turn to shine, a blend of 50% Tintilla de Rota, 35% Syrah, 10% Merlot & 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Tintilla de Rota - a grape that goes by several different names depending on where it's being grown - is primarily used to make fortified wines, and that's the source of the dried fruit taste. The rich preserved berry notes are obviously coming from the Syrah, just as the soft and velvety mouth feel is coming from the Merlot and the fizzy tannins from the Cabernet. All these grapes working in total harmony, masterfully blended and aged for five months in French oak - hence the fluttering of smoke.


Pairing:
Ribs are the first thing that come to mind. Bar-B-Q ribs and cool creamy, tangy coleslaw. For vegans, Bar-B-Q seitan will be nice too. It's the texture, and gamy yeastiness rolling around in that saucy spice that will be the key to the flavor match. Also, consider a flat pizza with olive oil, gorgonzola and fresh basil; pork chops on the grill with a dollop of apple sauce; teriyaki chicken; mu-shu pork with plumb sauce, or - and I know this is out there - baked noodle kugel with raisins. With dessert, as odd as it might sound - jelly doughnuts. Also, try chocolate cake with fresh raspberries and spoon of chocolate mousse; butter cookies; strawberry short cake - preferably with fresh berries and real whipped cream.    

GOUGUENHEIM, MERLOT - $11.99

Gouguenheim, 2009 Merlot - Valle Escondido - Mendoza, Argentina.  




The movie Sideways changed the world of wine in two ways: the first being the obvious serge in unquestioning, true-blue fans of Pinot Noir. The second was due to a line from the movie that wasn't in the book, but none-the-less when Paul Giamatti scathingly hissed: "I'm not drinking  any fucking Merlot!" the disgust was delivered so persuasively that Merlot became, for most, completely taboo. 


When I ask people what kind of wine they're looking for, eight out of ten times they'll say "a really good, cheap Pinot Noir." I usually explain that "good," and "cheap" (under $10) are two words that don't meld well together when it comes to the favored grape. Sure, there are plenty of drinkable Pinot Noirs around the ten dollar mark, but there are some rather impressive bottles for the same price that aren't Pinot Noir - like certain Merlots, for example. "Oh, I don't like Merlot," I'm often told. When I ask why, or what is it that makes Merlot unlikeable? The most common answer is: "I don't know - I just don't like them."


I agree, sometimes Merlot is truly undrinkable. But, I'll tell you this: an American Pinot Noir at around ten bucks, and an American Merlot for about the same price are like identical shadows of two completely different people. They're both one dimensional, soft and dull, with wishy-washy flavors that leave a funky taste in your mouth. However, if you try a producer from another country, sometimes the difference is staggering.


Gouguenheim Merlot, from Argentina, for $11.99 is one of those wines that will make you change everything you think about Merlot.


Color: A crystal clear ruby shade that veers towards garnet, lilting slightly to the purpler side of the gem, fills the inside of my glass with a distant hint of value; as if a jewel had been melted into a bottle, and then poured with the intension of having its carat weight gaged exclusively from its liquid form.


On the nose: Ripe, dark berries and hints of cola meld together in a swirl of floral scents, wandering like spirits with vaporous abilities to vanish, and then whisper at their presence with a tingle that eludes to the idea of earth and smoke. There's certainly a lot going on in the glass, and from the first moment you pull the bouquet through your senses, past your palate and deep into your lungs, you realize that this is no ordinary "fucking merlot."


The first sip: Your mouth is overwhelmed with the rich and sultry flavors of roasted black cherries, smoldering in a cloud of spicy smoke that crackles with black pepper and steamy distant vapors of black current tea. Dark chocolate hovers in the back and blooms into a cherry blossom note that sustains, as if to anticipate a surprise moment about to happen - and then it does. Creeping slowly across the top of your palate tannins start to sprout, like prickly desert brush growing from all that black pepper heat.  The tannins quickly thrive and begin to coat the roof of your mouth, but keep in mind that this tannin, much like the movie Sideways, is a light, bitter film whose gravely tackiness is only there to provide structure to the main character. Merlot is a soft grape at heart, and it holds its character by showing a range of depth and emotion, eventually letting its silky mouthfeel shine through.


The finish: Soft and vanishing, the wine doesn't so much finish as much as simply fade to black. As the credits roll you're reminded of all of the great scenes still lingering in your memory as you breathe, leaving you grinning at the unexpected, like the sensations of roasted cherries, and that bitter moment that the tannins came to life. Dark chocolate; cedar; coffee; smoke; scorched fruit, all wrapped in a wonderful film that you want again, and again.


Pairing:
There is just about nothing that this wine wont complement. From turkey with stuffing and cranberries, to peanut butter and jelly. Game meats, curries, or ripe soft cheeses; lentil soup, pasta with red sauce or a burger and fries. Chocolate cake, ice cream of any flavor, or simply fresh fruit or nuts.
Usually, I have some pretty specific ideas of what will pair best, but this Gouguenheim Merlot has the fruit, without it being "jammy." It has the acidity, without it being too astringent or bold. It has a big enough round mouth feel that it can stand up to powerful gamy or funky flavors and spice, but it's soft enough that it wont overpower something as delicate as grilled salmon.
Dare I say: Gouguenheim Merlot is one of the better examples of the proverbial little black dress of the wine world. No home should be without a bottle tucked away, just for the hell of it.

THE WOLFTRAP, BLEND - $10

The Wolftrap - 2010, Boekenhoutskloof Franschhoek, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa


People say different things about reading the "legs" of the wine when you swirl your glass. Some say that the definition of the legs will indicate the amount of alcohol, others say it'll offer a preview of the body of the wine. The most common feeling is that smell and taste are the only ways to judge a wine.  I think I'll have to agree with all three. When I swirled my ruby glass of The Wolftrap, what I saw was a sheeting, and then slowly, after a moment, extremely defined legs began to form indicating higher alcohol content (14.5%).  However, I wasn't swirling the wine so I could look at the legs, but rather I was trying to get a better look at the color - while the color density itself seems rather light, upon closer inspection it would almost appear as if there was a shadow looming at the core of the glass. Not an unfiltered cloud, mind you, just a sort of mysterious shadow that's there when you look at it, but then when you try to get a better look, it vanishes.


I suppose that's to be expected. I was looking for an affordable yet interesting bottle, and when I found this Syrah, Mourvedre, Viognier blend, I couldn't help but feel a little excited. Syrah and Mourvedre are commonly blended in Southern Rhone, as Syrah and Viognier are commonly blended in Northern Rhone, but seldom does one see the three blended together. This wine was either going to be a flop, or fantastic - which is always the case when you're on the hunt for something alluring and unusual, at a reasonable price.


On the nose: A gentle note of cascading flower petal aromas swirl like something there, but not there. It was as if the bouquet itself was making tight, invisible laps around the inside of my glass, similar to a dusty pack of horses rounding a track until finally one pulls ahead as the rest fall in behind in order of strength and voracity. At first you can pick up the black cherry, but then when you close your eyes and allow the bouquet to infiltrate your senses you begin to pick up notes of eucalyptus, butter, and spicy hints of cedar. Just when you think that's all there is to it, you'll be able to pick up glimmers of vanilla bean that glisten in short flashes like light dancing on windblown water.


The first sip: Soft and silky on the palate, the mouth feel of the wine is so light that it almost feels like drinking an idea of cassis. A lucid mist of currant rolls around your tongue with a heavy vapor that dissipates into a dryness that holds like a memory, the way a line in the sand is left when waves roll back from the shore. Speckles of black pepper come to life just before the finish and evolve into a tobacco flavor that reminds me of how the inside of a wooden cigar box smells.


The finish: Creamy and light; a lingering spice hangs like a distant neon sign glowing in the dark with a gentle heat that looks hotter than it is. A tobacco after breath hovers dryly as the tannins lightly coat your palate, offering the suggestion of a chocolate covered Bing cherry.


This medium bodied wine is the perfect weight for summer evenings and lighter, hot weather cuisine. The 65% portion of Syrah is ironed out by the 32% of Mourvedre, softening the round edges and buffing them until smooth. 3% of Viognier added is like the shammy that brings out the shine of a balloon filled with helium creating a wonderfully light and flavorful wine that has tannic structure and complex fruit, but yet remains low in acidity.


PAIRING: 
Buttery and creamy sauces are going to be a natural match, along with chilled lobster. But don't be afraid to put this wine beside grilled chicken, pork or lamb chops. Pasta salad with olive oil, ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and a dash of oregano; or even traditional caprese. For dessert, fresh fruit of any kind with a dollop of creme fraiche, or real whipped cream; black forrest cake; creme brulee.

YARD DOG, BLEND - $10.99

YARD DOG, 2009 - Red Heads Studio - South Australia.

I bought this bottle for $10.00 and was completely surprised by the blend.

The nose on this wine is purple. That's the best way I can explain it. It's violet and purple smelling - the way that lavender or grape soda smells - with a deep dark color that veers towards almost being brownish. I know, odd.

The first sip is soft and delicate with nice fruit that's strong in the currant and blackberry world; ripe black plum and dark chocolate tastes are in there too, but the real surprise is the mouth feel. It's silky and creamy, and then out of nowhere there's this amazing spice that lingers all over your tongue and inside your cheeks.

This elegant, spicy mouth feel is almost like eating Red Hots when you were a kid; and the hot of the distant cinnamon blends so well with the berries, and violet, and notes of dark-dark chocolate that you'll want to keep recreating this experience. Hold the wine in your mouth for a moment and really taste it and let your senses feel the spice; swallow, then take a deep breath and taste the way the chocolate clings to your exhale. It's a wine that's easy to understand and appreciate.

You don't often see a blending of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot that isn't a bordeaux (those being three of the five main blending grapes used to make a red bordeaux). What's interesting about this bottle is that it's 60% Petit Verdot, and that's where this delicate purple sensation is coming from, along with part of the delicacy of that amazing spice. The rest of the spice is coming from the generous 25% portion of Cabernet Sauvignon, which is also adding a bit of backbone. And the remaining 15% being Merlot, well, that's the softness - that silky, velvety feel holding it all together.

This is one amazing bottle of wine - especially for $10 bucks.  Since finishing my bottle I've been thinking about it more and more and considering my next meal.

PAIRING:

For this one: BBQ! Ribs, chicken or duck, something rich and flavorful with a sweetness.  Or pizza even. It has enough acid to stand up to tomato sauce without a problem, and any toppings, too. And if you're planning a night of cheese and a baguette, then try out some stronger cheeses, like an aged cheddar, or a washed rind brie.

BARISTA, PINOTAGE - $16.99

BARISTA, 2009 Pintoage - Val de Vie - West Cape, South Africa.

For all of you coffee lovers out there, this is a must try.  Notes of ripe berry, dark chocolate and, that's right, coffee. And not a little bit either. This isn't one of those distant flavors that make you think oh yeah, I get that, after someone points it out. You'll find it all by yourself.

Now, $16.99 is a little more than I like to spend on a bottle. I don't make a good living, but I enjoy wine immensely, thus I must budget. Time and time again I've been forced to offer my pickled soul to the mercy of Three-Buck-Chuck, but every once and a while even we poverty stricken peasants must allow ourselves to eat cake - and when we do, we might as well make it coffee cake.

Color: This is a rich dark one. A deep purple monster that coats the inside of your glass with a sheet of ink, as if filled with melted blackberries.

On the nose: at first you get mostly berry - current maybe - with faint mineral and hints of that coffee, but that's when you first crack this sucker open. Give it a while. As the wine opens, breathes and relaxes, the fruit notes start to fall away into a supporting roll, and the true hero shows up.

The first sip: The current shines through, in my opinion. Along with soft, ripe berries and some dark cherry is there too. As the tannins start to do their thing you begin to taste a bitter sweet chocolate dryness, but hold the wine there for a moment or two and pull some air over it. By pulling the air over the wine while it's in your mouth you're going to get a preview of the full expression this grape has to offer.  When you're done aerating you'll taste that coffee in the murky, moist breath hovering over the pool of wine in your mouth, and lingering in your sinus.

The finish: A soft and silky mouth feel ends in a creamy coating as this wine goes down, releasing bits of chocolate and coffee onto your breath, along with the memory of the jam you might have been expecting, but never fully met.

Keep in mind that these tasting notes are all from when you first open this bottle. Take your time with this one, don't rush a wonderful thing and savor this wine. Talk about it. Forget about it. Drink it and enjoy, but give it that time it needs to get use to you.

Mid bottle: Like any shy thing, it needs to let its guard down. When it does, what you'll have is a nose that is every bit a shot of espresso with steamed milk and a spoon full of raw sugar; and you'll taste an espresso bean coated in dark chocolate then drizzled with blackberry syrup.

Pinotage is a South African grape that naturally has mild acid, coffee, chocolate and fruit notes. Not quite like this bottle, but their there if you really try to find them. The pronounced coffee in BARISTA (which is 100% pinotage) comes from a special yeast used in the fermentation process that enhances the coffee notes, so don't expect all pinotages to taste quite like this. This is a truly unique and wonderful wine.

PAIRING:

This wine is going to go great with something as simple as a burger. However, if you're looking for some ideas slightly more specific, try either a pork tenderloin or filet mignon wrapped with bacon, sauteed mushrooms and / or fried leeks. Or, try orange duck, or even better: Peking Duck.  Soft cheeses will be nice as well. And for dessert: lemon sorbet sprinkled with zest. Dark chocolate; fresh mango; even a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream will go nicely. For me, personally, I'm reaching for Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby.

CHARLES & CHARLES, Cab. / Syrah blend - $10.99

CHARLES & CHARLES, 2009 - Charles Smith Wines - Walla Walla, Washington.

Let's face it, not many people go out to buy a bottle of wine so they can store it away in a cellar and let it age. If you're anything like me, you buy a bottle of wine with the intention of drinking it inside of a few days. Actually, a bottle usually doesn't last that long with me. I'll have the cork wrestled out, or the cap wrenched off, within a few hours of leaving the store - but that's me.

Personally, I believe that  a good wine doesn't have to be expensive to be good.  In my opinion, a good wine is the wine you like; and while there's usually a huge difference between a $4 bottle and a $10 bottle, there often isn't as much difference as you might think between a $10 bottle and a $20 bottle - if you choose the right one, that is. And Charles & Charles ($9.99) is one of the right ones. This is a big red - deep and bold - one that lets you sit back and think about it.

Color: Rich and dark, deep, deep purple with a thick and dense quality that, when considering the legs, could be called syrupy.

On the nose: You'll quickly be able to pick out dark cherry, current and black pepper. Really get in there and let that jammy vapor linger inside your senses. Depending on the person, somewhere between 75 and 90 percent of what we taste is actually coming from our sense of smell. Don't try to smell it the way you would smell milk to see if it's sour, imagine the bouquet is its own thing and you're trying to see something completely invisible, until you close your eyes. Get your nose in there and draw the bouquet gently and slowly - don't be greedy - it's as if you're trying to coax something otherwise shy into revealing its true self. Then, and only then, will you be able to pick up these amazing subtle notes of brown sugar, and dark chocolate, mild tobacco and baking spices.

The first sip: Take a big one and don't be delicate here, because the moment the wine enters your mouth you'll be overwhelmed with blackberry preserves, ripe black plum, and you'll have to fight the urge to chew and really sink your teeth in. Hold the wine for a moment and feel it surrounding your tongue and layering the inside of your mouth.

This wine is 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Syrah. All that jammy, ripe fruit is coming from the Syrah, but those darker flavors are coming from the Cabernet. Right in the middle of your tongue you're going to start tasting the Cabernet pushing its way through. It'll show its self in the form of a dusty, earthy faint mushroom quality that will quickly be enhanced by a hint of coffee. You'll start to feel the tannic acid coming in as it coats the inside of your cheeks with a wonderful, bitter tackiness that will wash itself away when you swallow.

The Finish: On the back of your tongue as you swallow the wine you'll pick up the flavor of dark chocolate, along with that soft sting that's always anticipated after eating a dark piece of chocolate, but it doesn't really go away. The sensation lingers with the delicate simmer of a mild chili pepper as the wine goes down. Instantly, you exhale a plume of ripe cherry and chocolate that will drive you towards a moment of silence, and then another obsessive sip.

PAIRING:

Barbecued anything for this wine. Also, think about a rich burger. This is a wine that's made for ground beef and a fun, casual setting. Roasted chicken, grilled pork tenderloin, or even ... pizza. (Any wine that goes with pizza is okay by me.)  While this is an easy-going wine, I wouldn't try to pair it to anything mild, so fish would be out, unless you're talking something like blackened salmon. As for CHEESE: Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor goat cheese would be a natural match. Also, a mild blue cheese topped with a fruit preserve.

TRES OJOS, Old Vine Granacha, $8.95

Tres Ojos, 2007 Old Vine Garnacha - Bodega San Gregorio - Calatayud, Spain.

The other day I walked into a wine store, one that I have walked past several times but never entered. From the outside it looks pretentious and intimidating; the sort of place where snobs gather for expensive tasting classes to learn how to discuss the abstract details of one of those bottles of  Chateau du Blah-Blah.

I wandered the bottles until the clerk eventually offered me a recommendation, prompting me to explain that I was only looking. I had already spent my weekly wine allowance on a rather uninspiring bottle of bordeaux, for which I had had high hopes.

Finding a great bottle - a hidden gem - for under $10 (including tax) is sometimes like panning for gold, especially in a small independent wine shop that isn't going to get great deals because buying in huge quantities isn't always possible. Sometimes you need a prospector who knows the lay of the land to aim you in the right direction, so I asked the clerk what he would buy if he only had a ten dollar bill in his pocket, and he took me right to the Tres Ojos old vine garnacha, for $8.95

Now, an old vine anything for under $20 in my book is usually a waste of time and money, but he told me that while he himself hadn't tried it, the owner of the store instructed him to take anyone on a budget to this bottle, saying that it was the best bottle he had ever had for the buck.

No truer words have ever been spoken.

Color: A rich, dark garnet color coats the inside of the glass, allowing through little glints of distant light refracting up the glasses stem, releasing a mysterious glimmer, the way a gem only hints at its own sparkle.

A quick swirl to release the bouquet leaves a high tide mark where the syrupy juice holds for a moment before forming into tightly defined, sticky drips.  As the legs very slowly make their decent, they offer an idea as to the wine's concentration, the same way that a simple wink allows another person to infer an unsaid truth.

On the nose: I think of milk chocolate cherry cordials, the kind that dribble into an anticipated sticky mess the moment you bite.  The cherry notes are only muted by the spice - nutmeg I think - and bringing up the rear is a soft layer of mineral.  This is a big, jammy nose, with lots to find if you're so incline to keep the glass to your face like an oxygen mask.

The first sip: Red, hard candy, like the flavor of a cherry Jolly Rancher, but without the sugary sweet.  As the wine falls across your palate and warms, it releases all of these flavors - layering one after the next - from cassis to clove, to tobacco, then cinnamon and pepper.

The spices come alive as the tannins kick in. A walnut bitter coats your tongue like an electric blanket and warms all your senses. The mouth feel of the juice itself is quite silky, and as you're realizing this your cheeks become coated with the bitter tackiness of the tannins - and then your gums.

Don't be afraid of this creeping tannic sensation. For a moment you think it's going to be a bit too much, but like dripping candle wax onto your hand, you quickly begin to enjoy defying the sting.

The finish: As the wine reaches the back of your throat and starts to fall, there's the feeling of a cartoon fuse sizzling towards a skyrocket. Just out of sight the fuse catches up with the wine and there's an explosion of heat that falls with a warming sensation down the back of your throat, complete with the sting of  juicy firework flares cascading into darkness.

The lingering tannins cling to your gums and your cheeks, and make your tongue feel like sandpaper, but it all licks away clean and you instantly want another sip of the bold, jammy beast.

Tres Ojos is 100% Garnacha from 40 - 50 year old non-irrigated vines.

The older the vine, the less fruit it produces, but the fruit it does produce is more concentrated. Another factor in the concentration of the juice is lack of water. When the vine has to work to nourish the fruit, you taste more of the surrounding soil and less of the water.

Pairing:

You might think I'm crazy: eggs. An egg salad sandwich for lunch with a glass of Tres Ojos would be decadent. I'll also suggest the obvious: a rich, hearty beef stew; mushroom risotto; a grilled steak burrito with lots of guacamole and salsa. For something lighter, consider a salad with tomatoes, feta and mandarin orange slices dressed with olive oil and sea salt.  Cheeses: Maytag blue cheese - an Iowa blue that you can probably find at any Whole Foods. Dessert: Black forrest cake; freshly sliced mango; butter pecan ice cream.