2005 Paso Creek Merlot Paso Robles, 13.8% alc., $14.99:

2003 Corte alla Flora Vino Nobile de Montepulciano Riserva, 13.5% alc., $23.99: Deep, dark color, with flavors and aromas of rich dried cherry and black cherry shaded with some animal and “sticksy” elements; zippy acidity and solid tannic structure. This opens so nicely with just a little air, and cries out for a fine cut of veal or lamb. Most impressive and enjoyable, and a solid value for the price.
Find this wine

Imported by Veritas Distributors, Warren, MI

2003 Juve y Camps Brut Nature Cava Reserva de le Familia, 40% Macabeo, 40% Parellada, 20% Xarel-lo, 12% alc., $13.99: Medium straw color; chalky, stony minerality dominates the character of this Cava, with some smoky, under-ripe apple being the only “fruit” component, and that’s a good thing in this case. Bone dry to the point of being austere, with good presence, zippy acidity and a wealth of tiny Don Ho-like bubbles in the mouth. An excellent Spanish sparkler that drinks even better than its price point might lead one to expect. Find this wine

Imported by Winebow, Inc., New York, NY

2006 Torres Vina Esmeralda Catalunya, 85% Moscato, 15% Gewurztraminer, 11.5% alc., $14.99: Medium straw color with a tinge of gold; dry, yet fruit forward with slightly chalky white peach and yellow apple shaded with some mineral and just a hint of litchi. Has a bit of the viscosity of good gewurz, with good presence, depth and acids; it’s fresh, refreshing, light (but not too light) and lively, and it not only makes a great match for seafood, but also serves admirably as a warm weather quaffer. Find this wine

Imported by Dreyfys Ashby & Co., New York, NY

2006 Almira Grenache/Syrah Los Dos Campo de Borja, 93% Grenache (35-50 year old vines), 7% Syrah, 14% alc., $7.99: We quite enjoyed the previous vintage of this QPR All Star, and the current model is just as good as the last. It sports an attractive ruby red robe, with rich berry, cherry and dark chocolate flavors and aromas underscored with a subtle earthiness. It shows good structure, depth and balance, and the fruit gives you everything it has without any oak influence whatsoever. The perfect choice for an inexpensive everyday red. Find this wine

Imported by Winebow, Inc., New York, NY

We’ve witnessed an interesting phenomenon this month with regard to online retail wine sales. Twice now, we’ve been inundated with orders because of wine reviews published by the Wall Street Journal. First, it was for the 2005 Michael-David Incognito Lodi Viognier, and to a lesser extent, the 2005 Bernardus Monterey Sauvignon Blanc, both of which were included (not to mention totally out of place) in a “best of the year” list among several seriously more expensive superstars (including the likes of 2001 Penfolds Grange, 2004 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac, 1995 Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac and 1995 Chateau Margaux, and were being ordered up by the case. Ironically, the Bernardus was all but gone, and there wasn’t much more left of the Incognito either. Some customers opted for the 2006 Incognito Viognier, and in the interest of science, we decided to see how they matched up.

2005 Michael-David Incognito Lodi Viognier, 15% alc., $15.62: Pale to medium straw in color, with bright flavors and aromas of apple, pear and honeysuckle; rich and intense, with good weight, zippy acids, a hint of bitterness on the finish (not unusual for Viognier) and a little more floral in character than the 2006. Kim finds it a “little too round and creamy,” but I like it for just those attributes; it might be different if the wine were fat and flabby, but this has the cut to keep it lively. While I wouldn’t give this anywhere near the exalted status that WSJ does, it’s a solid specimen in its own right. You still might even be able to find some in some out-of-the-way shops that don’t cater to that crowd. Find this wine

2006 Michael-David Incognito Lodi Viognier, 15.5% alc., $15.62: Pale straw in color; big and bright, with rich apple and pear shaded with hints of lime and honeysuckle, some mineral underneath and a little too much bitterness on the finish. A little more floral honeysuckle emerges with air, but the flaw here is some excessive alcohol heat which mars an otherwise decent Viognier. Find this wine

Our second encounter with a Wall Street Journal-induced feeding frenzy was a few weeks later, when they published the results of a QPR Bordeaux tasting, and suddenly we had to divvy out eight cases of a wine that had generally languished in Day-twah for a year. We could have sold twenty cases easily had they been available, but we did manage to score a bottle for ourselves to see what all the brouhaha was about.

2005 Chateau De Lugagnac Bordeaux Superieur Rouge, 13% alc., $13.75: It’s not hard to see why this deep, dark colored claret would have been chosen on top of a group of QPR Bordeaux; we’d been sampling some similarly priced models over the previous two days and this was easily the softest and most approachable of the bunch, offering smooth, dusty cocoa over black currant, with moderate tannins, good acidity and nice length. I’m not saying that this doesn’t have the structure to age and improve for at least a few years, but it IS a drink-me-now kind of wine. Nor am I saying that it is necessarily the best of what we tasted over those three days, but it certainly is the one that I’m most inclined to pull a cork from right now. Find this wine

Imported by A.H.D. Vintners Ltd., Warren, MI

Here are snapshot impressions of the other QPR Bordeaux we tried in that same three-day period.

2003 Chateau Puynormond Montagne Saint Emilion, 13.5% alc., $16.99: Good dark color, with chocolate and cassis on the nose; the like earthy flavors show a note of underbrush and a decided minerality, with good structure for several years worth of development.
Find this wine

Imported by J et R Selections, Mt. Pleasant, MI

2003 Chateau Pierredon Bordeaux Superieur, 13% alc., $9.99: Good dark color, with dark chocolate and cassis on the nose and flavors that echo with some added old wood. Drinks well now with some air, but the sturdy structure wants some time in the cellar, so patience will be rewarded. Kim liked this well enough to pick up a case. Find this wine

Imported by J & J Importers, Bloomfield Hills, MI

2004 Cave Bel-Air Bordeaux Superieur, $10.99: Good color, with flavors and aromas of cassis, black currant, old wood and a note of toasted bread. Well structured; all in all, a solid, straightforward everyday Bordeaux that's good now and will be better in a few years. Find this wine

Imported by Maison Sichel

2005 Chateau Lavison Bordeaux, 12.5% alc., $9.99: Rich dark color, with cassis and lead pencil on the nose, which echoes and expands on the palate with a decidedly dry, almost austere personality; perhaps surprisingly, a note of decaying vegetation doesn’t detract. Good structure and presence, with promise for development and improvement over the next five years and beyond; good value and a good food wine. Find this wine

Imported by Victoire Imports Company, Sonoma CA


Reporting from Day-twah,