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This release begins with a special release of wines from Chile, the source of many high-quality, value-priced wines. They’re well worth looking at. It’s followed by the main release, country by country.

Vic was in France when these wines were tasted, so Rod did the work.

Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2006
Casablanca Valley $13.95 (602649)
This is a softer style of Sauvignon Blanc, so don’t expect the pungency and high-acidity that’s common in wines from this variety. The dominant flavours are in the tropical fruit zone, with hints of floral and grassiness. The soft acidity is clean and contributes a light crispness to the texture. Pair it with grilled white fish. (RP)


Santa Rita ‘Medalla Real’ Chardonnay Reserva Especial 2005
Casablanca Valley $18.95 (303628)
This is a delicious Chardonnay that’s characterized by lovely fruit purity. It’s predominantly peach and tropical fruit, with an attractive dose of grapefruit and lemon acidity. The texture is plush and smooth and this makes a wonderful partner to richer chicken and white fish dishes. (RP)

Baron Philippe de Rothschild Reserva Carmenère 2005
Rapel Valley $14.95 (37945)
Gotta love these Carmenères! Chile’s signature grape variety generally produces full-flavoured, fruit-forward, bold reds, but there’s a satisfying range of styles to keep us from getting bored. This one has all the dark fruit and berry flavours you expect, with substantial notes of spice and chocolate. Plush and smooth, it’s a natural for richly-seasoned barbecued red meats. (RP)


In Situ ‘Winemaker’s Selection’ Carmenère 2004
Aconcagua Valley $13.95 (37952)
There’s an interesting floral note to the ripe berries and dark fruit in the aromatics of this wine. It gives way to full-flavoured, ripe dark fruit and berries on the palate, all wrapped in a soft, smooth texture. Medium-full bodied and dry, this one’s ready to go as soon as you lift the well-seasoned steak from the grill. (RP)


Santa Carolina ‘Reserva de Familia’ Carmenère 2005
Rapel Valley $19.95 (34942)
Carmenère is a very late-ripening variety, and once it was isolated from Merlot in Chile, the hunt was on for sites where it would reach full ripeness. One successful site is the Rapel Valley, the source of the grapes in this fine Carmenère. It delivers, at a very attractive price, a totally delicious mouthful of rich, ripe, dark fruit and berries, with classic varietal spiciness and a hint of sweet vanilla. Dry, full bodied and smooth textured, it demands a thick steak, grilled no more than medium-rare. (RP)


Santa Carolina 'Reserva de Familia' Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Maipo Valley $19.95 (684597)
(Previously reviewed in Winecurrent) This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is an unadulterated pleasure, so share it with your spouse or partner. The flavours deliver remarkable complexity, from the varied black fruit and berries and the notes of dried fruit to the accents of coffee beans, chocolate and vanilla. It's full bodied with a soft texture and some grip from the long, sweet tannins. It finishes long and strong. It's an excellent wine at an excellent price, and you can drink it now with rich red meat dishes or hold it another four or five years. (RP)


Anakena Merlot Reserva 2005
Rapel Valley $13.95 (37960)
This is a fairly straightforward Merlot. It doesn’t have a great deal of complexity, but it’s well made and will please a broad spectrum of palates at your next barbecue. Look for classic New World Merlot in style: up-front fruit (black plum to the fore), a hint of spiciness, plush texture and easy-going tannins. It goes well with steak, burgers and sausages straight off the grill. (RP)


Cono Sur ‘Visión’ Merlot 2006
Colchagua Valley $17.95 (928291)
Cono Sur is Chile's biggest producer of Pinot Noir, and this is one of their premium lines. What you get is a delicious and classy New World Pinot, full of plush dark cherry flavour with notes of smoke and oak. Thanks to a good seam of acidity, it has a refreshing texture that makes it an excellent partner for a rack of lamb. (RP)

Konzelmann Riesling Reserve Late Harvest 2005
VQA Niagara Peninsula $13.95 (200527)
If you think of Late Harvest wines as quite intensely sweet and quite viscous, think again. This Late Harvest Riesling has the flavours you associate with the sweeter wines (apricot, peach, tropical, mango) but here they’re presented in a much less intense style. The wine is light-medium bodied with good acidity, and it goes well with chicken breast and peach salsa. (RP)


Reif Estate Gewürztraminer 2005
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (127985)
Smooth-textured and quite mouth-filling, this has a good range of the flavours you associate with Gewürztraminer: musky peach, orange blossom, sweet citrus and light spiciness. It’s medium bodied and pairs well with lightly-spiced Asian dishes. (RP)

Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2005
Napa Valley $41.95 (707224)
This is an attractive style of Sauvignon Blanc, with restrained acidity, a fairly full and soft texture, and good fruit intensity and complexity. The flavours are predominantly in the tropical fruit range, and this makes a good partner for well-seasoned seafood dishes. (RP)


Gallo Family ‘Laguna Vineyard’ Chardonnay 2004
Russian River Valley $29.95 (544981)
This is a rich, bold Chardonnay with full-on flavours dominated by ripe peach and tropical fruit. They’re nicely complex, with some sweet floral and nutty notes, and they’re well balanced with fresh acidity. Open a bottle of this with well-seasoned chicken breast or pork tenderloin. (RP)


Trinchero Family Chardonnay 2005
Santa Barbara County $17.95 (550541)
The intensity of the fruit in this wine (luscious peach and tropical fruit to the fore) is well balanced by the acidity, giving the wine a very attractive edginess underlying a texture that’s smooth, verging on creamy. There’s a light hint of oak at mid-palate, and overall it’s quite delicious. Drink it with grilled chicken or pork chops. (RP)

Bonny Doon ‘Le Pousseur’ Syrah 2004
Central Coast $22.95 (732511)
The label comes with the usual Boony Doon puns—a bit more forced than usual, even somewhat overdoon. The wine more than compensates, with its complex aromas and flavours of rich dark berries and cherry and a scattering of peppery spiciness. It’s medium bodied, very well balanced, and makes and excellent partner for food. Try it with grilled chicken or a veal chop. (RP)

Trivento Reserve Malbec 2005
Mendoza $12.95 (974469)
This is excellent value. You get rich and concentrated flavours of dark fruit and berries, with good spiciness. It’s dry with a mouth-filling and smooth texture, and it has light tannins. Here’s a red that will pair with a wide range of dishes, from pizza and burgers to grilled lamb and beef. (RP)

Chapel Hill Unwooded Chardonnay 2006
South Australia $14.95 (34397)
(Previously reviewed in Winecurrent) Made from grapes selected from four regions in South Australia, this Chardonnay shows excellent flavour and texture. Look for delightful floral and tropical aromas, followed by pure fruit flavours of white peach, pear and tropical fruit. It's medium bodied and has food-friendly balance, and it pairs well with grilled chicken salad or lightly-spiced chicken and seafood. (RP)


Rochford Chardonnay 2004
Macedon Ranges $21.95 (32383)
A big-bodied and fruity Chardonnay with good structure and a very effective acid spine, this has dominant flavours of peach, some tropical fruit, and a range of citrus fruit from lime to red grapefruit. It’s a very good choice if you’re serving grilled white fish with a squeeze of lemon. (RP)

Six Foot Six Shiraz/Viognier 2004
Geelong $17.95 (41244)
This is a big (appropriately) and bold Shiraz in the Australian style. It’s not quite Shiraz on steroids, because the touch of Viognier adds a lighter note to the aromas and texture. I’m not sure it’s as “masculine” as the Vintages catalog suggests (I really detest the gendering of wines) unless masculine includes a dab of perfume. Maybe it does. In any case, you’ll enjoy the bold weight and rich dark berry and fruit flavours here, especially if you match it with well-seasoned lamb. (RP)

Te Kairanga Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Martinborough $21.95 (32805)
Martinborough is best known for Pinot Noir, but this successful Sauvignon Blanc shows its versatility. What you have here is an aromatic and well-flavoured white that shows lovely layers of gooseberry and passion fruit with a hint of grass. The lemon-lime acidity is bright and clean and this makes and excellent partner for freshly-shucked oysters or any white fish served with lemon. (RP)

Mulderbosch Chardonnay 2003
WO Stellenbosch $21.95 (717090)
This is a lovely Chardonnay with rich, edgy aromatics of peach and tropical fruit. They flow through to the palate, where they’re enhanced with soft citrus notes that echo the crisp and balancing acidity. Well structured, with solid flavours from front to back, this makes a fine wine to pair with richer chicken and pork dishes. (RP)

John Daly ‘The Lion’s’ Shiraz 2005
WO Western Cape $16.95 (37390)
Named for the golfer, John Daly, this Shiraz plays smoothly all the way and finishes confidently. The flavours are rich and concentrated, with berry and plum to the fore, accompanied, caddy-like, by notes of smoke and tar. You can’t go wrong putting a glass of this next to a piece of well-seasoned grilled red meat. (RP)

Joseph Drouhin St. Véran Blanc 2005
AOC St. Véran, Burgundy $21.95 (959551)
I had two glasses of this with grilled sea bass the night before writing this note, and the match was extremely good. The wine is quite elegant, with some delicacy, but the fruit is solid and well structured. Look for apple and peach with some floral notes and excellent balance. (RP)


Laurent Miquel ‘Nord Sud’ Viognier 2006
Vin de Pays d’Oc $18.95 (673236)
This is a Viognier that delivers the range of flavours you expect (in the white peach-apricot pit range, with a little musky spiciness) with enough acidity to provide a clean texture that goes well with food. It’s well structured, smooth textured, and pairs nicely with spicy seafood. (RP)


Château des Nages ‘Cuvée Joseph Torrès’ Blanc 2003
AOC Costières de Nîmes $21.95 (912386)
Made by the iconoclastic Michel Gassier, this 100% Roussanne is a real treat. It delivers lovely crisp raciness with substantial fruit. Look for core flavours of peach and tropical fruit with a veneer of honey and floral notes. It’s medium bodied and goes well with slightly spicy or fruit-based fish and seafood dishes. (RP)

Château de la Rivière 2003
AOC Fronsac, Bordeaux $32.95 (653147)
Bordeaux continues to offer value at reasonable prices, as this one shows. The aromas are rich, spicy cherry with some attractive oaky notes, and the fruit intensifies through the palate. The texture is generous and smooth and the tannins are fine, long and still gripping. It’s ready to drink now (with medium-rare lamb chops) and over the next five years. (RP)


Château Grossombre Rouge 2003
AOC Bordeaux $17.95 (943712)
While all the critical attention is on a handful of Bordeaux’s smaller appellations, the generic Bordeaux appellation offers some excellent values. This is one of them. It’s extremely well made and well structured, with quite concentrated fruit—dark fruit and berries, spice—that deliver perfume on the nose and sweetness at the core of the palate. The texture is quite plush and the tannins have enough grip to hold it another four or five years. Serve it now or later with a grilled rack of lamb. (RP)


Doudet Naudin’Vicomte’ Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2005
AOC Bourgogne $19.95 (673038)
The 2005 vintage, which I tasted extensively while in Burgundy six months ago, is exceptional, and this well-priced red is an example of what to expect. The attractive aromas deliver red cherry and berry, with spice and earthy notes, and they replay on the palate. There, you’ll find that the light colour of the wine belies the complexity and intensity of its flavours. The texture is clean and refreshing, making this an excellent choice for lighter meats such as pork and veal. (RP)


Domaine La Haute Marone ‘Le Coeur du Mistral’ Gigondas 2004
AOC Gigondas $26.95 (33845)
This is one beautiful and delicious Gigondas that fell short of five stars by a hair’s-breadth. You might well think it deserves the extra half-star when you taste it. The aromas and flavours are rich, dense, layered and complex, with dark berry and cherry dominant and lovely notes of spices and southern herbs. The texture is generous and tangy and the finish is long. It needs food that’s full of flavour. Try it with grilled game or well-seasoned red meats. (RP)


Les Deux Anges Sablet 2006
AOC Côtes du Rhône-Villages $17.95 (674069)
Here you have a very well-priced blend of Grenache and Syrah that delivers a well-balanced combination of fruit, complexity and weight. The dominant flavours are spicy dark berries and plum, and they’re quite intense and ripe. It’s medium bodied, with clean acidity, and it pairs well with Cornish game hen and grilled vegetables. (RP)

Bollini ‘Barricato 40’ Chardonnay 2006
DOC Trentino $15.95 (987503)
This is an attractive Chardonnay that delivers a good balance of fruit and acidity to make a white that’s friendly and versatile. Look for light peach, ripe apple and pear and citrus flavours, along with some gentle spiciness, and serve it with roast chicken or grilled white fish. (RP)

Nera ‘Sassella’ Riserva Valtellina Superiore 2001
DOCG Valtellina Superiore $27.55 (707208)
Mostly Nebbiolo, with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon, this delivers quite rich and complex flavours of red fruit (cherry, plum, berries) with notes of spice and dried herbs. It’s medium bodied and dry with a good seam of acidity, and goes well with well-seasoned grilled veal. (RP)


Nuova Cappelletta ‘Minola’ Barbera del Monferrato 2004
DOC Barbera del Monferrato $21.95 (701946)
This is very complex, with notes of smoke, spice and meat jostling for attention with the dominant flavours of red and dark cherries. It’s dry, tangy (rustic in the positive sense), and has a good line of acidity, and it goes well with red meat stewed in a tomato-based sauce. (RP)


Guado al Tasso ‘Il Bruciato’ 2005
DOC Bolghieri $26.95 (674135)
Look for quite dense flavours of sweet black berries and cherry here, along with some gentle spiciness. The tannins are sweet and present, but quite manageable, and the texture is smooth and dry. This is a solid and versatile red that you can serve with a wide range of dishes featuring red meats. (RP)


Mazzei Belguardo ‘Serrata’ 2004
IGT Maremma Toscana $31.95 (594887)
This is a medium-bodied blend of Sangiovese (65%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%) and Merlot (5%) that delivers intense flavours of crushed berries, dark plum and cherry and spice, all nicely set off with a tangy texture. The tannins are firm, but drinking now, and it makes a great partner for any well-seasoned red meat dish. (RP)


Sa’Solin Ripasso della Valpolicella 2004
DOC Ripasso della Valpolicella $16.95 (650713)
If you haven’t tried an Italian red recently, this will show you the way back. It has lovely sweet fruit (cherry, berries) with moderate complexity that’s forward but complex. It’s very well balanced, medium bodied, and lightly tannic, and it goes nicely with anything from pizza to burgers, from veal to lamb. (RP)

Cheers!

Rod and Vic

We use the following symbols when rating wines:

	Wines achieving nirvana
	Wines of excellence
	Wines well worth trying
	Wines below average, but drinkable
	Wines better avoided, unless desperate
	Represents a half star
	We both agree —a brilliant wine!
	Drink now and over the next 2 years
	Drink now and over the next 5 years
	Place in cellar