2008 Vina Borgia

2008 Vina Borgia - Campo de Borja, Spain $8. The first wine to make two appearances on The Report. And there is common reason why, I can consistently looking for good value, and estate wines (which this is). For the money this wine is excellent, it is 100% Grenacha from the Bodegas Borsao, a bodega that consistently comes through with solid grenache, tempranillo, and blends. This is the 4th vintage I've had of this wine. It is one dimensional on the nose, on the palate the wine is somewhere in between medium and full bodied. It is a dry wine with a little bit of tannins on the finish, which I like, often in wines of this price range they are too soft and bland, not this one. It is a basic wine but what it does it does well. It would go well with dark meats. It is also no surprise that this is a Jorge Ordonez selection, I go to J. O. selection wines often especially when I'm on a budget (or broke however you like to call it). I recommend this wine as an everyday solid wine, you can sip it on its own or enjoy it with dinner.

2006 Barco Negro

2006 Barco Negro - Duoro, Portugal $11 This is a wine that breaks the mold, tastes good and is very reasonably priced. The Barco Negro hails from the Duoro region in Portugal, an area that until recently was most known for the production of Port wine. Within the last few years an increasing number of table wines have begun to emerge from the area, a trend that will continue and increase. It makes sense, the Duoro has been growing grapes for hundreds of years and the area has plenty of expertise and resources to make good wine thanks to the Port industry. The 2006 Barco Negro is comprised of 30% Tinta Roriz ( in Spain it's called Tempranillo), 30% Touriga Franca, and 40% Touriga Nacional, grapes that are typically found in Port wine. It is a deep dark wine with a pleasant nose, and a dark full taste. There is a bit of complexity to this wine that is not usually found in wine for $11. I definitely like this wine and recommend it, but only for red wine drinkers. White wine drinkers would find it a bit to big and heavy, but I recommend at least tasting everything that you can. I got this particular wine at World Market.

2005 Trentadue Old Patch Red

2005 Trentadue Old Patch Red -$13 Sonoma, CA
Greetings from Cali. This is the first wine I've bought since moving here so it had to be from Cali. Sonoma is close enough, I would've preferred starting with a Napa wine but there isn't any good Napa wine for $13 but Sonoma is coming through in the clutch. This wine is an interesting blend from Trentadue, evidently it is very popular, this is the first time I've had it, but I agree it is very good. The blend is based on zinfandel with some petite sirah, carignane, and a bit of syrah. The blend changes slightly every vintage but the basic idea is mostly zinfandel, then petite sirah and carignane. They call this a bistro wine, I'm not exactly sure what that means so I guess I like bistro wine or at least this one. This wine is distinctly Californian, you won't find a blend like this from anywhere but Cali. It is a rich, smooth, fairly big wine. It starts off juicy, then peppery, with a dry finish that lasts. And it's got a screwtop, which is a very good thing. People out here in California are crazy, they like to pay a lot of money for California wine. The pride in the local wine is understandable because it is generally very good but the prices are ridiculous, it's hard to find a wine this good for this price. I highly recommend this wine. If you can get the '05 good, but they make this every year and it seems like the vintages are pretty consistent so if you find a different vintage I would still try it.

Etoile Rose NV

Etoile Rose - NV from Domaine Chandon, Sonoma and Napa Counties $40. This is a fairly decent sparkling rose. The wine has some age to it. The wine was bottle in 2001 and Domaine Chandon ages the wine in the bottle for 5 years before releasing it, so this particular bottle has been out since '06. The length of time spent aging is probably the biggest reason that American sparkling wine costs so much. The longer a winery ages their wine, the more it cost the winery, so they in turn have to recoup this money. I did like this wine, it needs to be served well chilled, when the wine warms a bit it becomes too tart. It's a nice rose but nothing special. I thought it was much better than the Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rose ( a comparable American sparkler). This wine is definitely unique. For the closure there is not the traditional cork, but a cap that is best described as a beer top ( I opened the wine with the beer opener on my key chain), this might be a turnoff to many sparkling wine buyers. The benefit of such a top is that there is no cork failure or cork taint, but there is not they traditional pop, it's definitely different. If you like sparkling rose you should check out this wine.

www.chandon.com

2005 Santa Ema Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

2005 Santa Ema Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Maipo Valley, Chile $12. The nose smells of plum and dark grapes, kind of grapey smells coming through, along with some wood aromas. Not to be worried this wine is balanced, the oak complements but does not overpower. At first the wine is acceptable but a bit on the harsh side. This wine is a definite candidate for decanting, it needs some serious time to breathe, approximately 45 minutes to show it's true colors. This cabernet is straight forward, it's not going to tell you a story but what it covers the basics very well. The tannins are very smooth and soft. For the price this is a real solid value. The wine is not complex but what is does, it does well. I recommend it.

2005 Clancy's Red

2005 Peter Lehmann's Clancy's Red - Barossa, Australia $15. This is an interesting full bodied wine from one of the top producers in Australia, it is a blend of mostly Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Merlot. This is the entry level bottling from Peter Lehmann wines all of which come from grapes grown in the Barossa valley, considered the most prime growing region in Australia. The nose of the wine is a bit tart as well as the initial taste of the wine. At first the wine comes across as too tart. But the key to this wine is to let it breathe. This wine definitely takes time to open up, 30 minutes at the very least. I didn't start enjoying this wine until I dropped it into a decanter. Once in the decanter the wine definitely soften. The Clancy's Red is a rich and full bodied wine that once it has opened is soft and just a touch on the tart side. This wine is good but not great, it is worth a shot though but only if you have the patience to let this wine come around and soften up, once it softens it is quite enjoyable. This wine is easily found in grocery stores, and wine shops.


www.peterlehmannwines.com.au

2006 Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon

2006 Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon - Apalta vineyard, Colchagua Valley, Chile $20. This is the best Montes wine that I've had yet. It is a smooth rich cabernet, it is very well made. There are very few cabernets from California at this price point that pack the quality of this Chilean Cabernet. I definitely recommend this wine, it should be relatively easy to find, at wine shops, and grocery stores with better wine sections. Check it out


www.monteswines.com