I was fortunate enough to find a Magnum of this 10 year old South African beauty at Uncorked in the UK for only 40£.   Magnums are always fun, and especially so since wine tends to age better in larger formats. This stunning South African bordeaux style blend almost tastes like it came from Napa Valley.  Dark rich color and smooth tannins of sweet raisins.  Chocolate fudge aromas on the nose.  Very serious indeed.   This particular vintage of Meerlust Rubicon is 70% Cabernet, 20% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc.   It is not overpowering either, at an avg 13.5% alchohol which works well.   While you will probably struggle to find the 2000 vintage of this wine, Meerlust Rubicon is widely avaiilable for about 30$ a bottle in the US and 20£ per bottle in the UK.  (available in the UK at www.uncorked.co.uk and www.slurp.co.uk)   It is well worth buying if you see it.  They also make an outstanding Chardonnay which is reminiscent of White Burgundy and worth seeking out.  Review to follow,   stay tuned……..

2000 Meerlust Rubicon, My rating 92 pts

http://www.meerlust.com/index.php/meerlust-rubicon-2000.html

For a nice change to mass produced Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio, you should give Albarino a try. I have always been a huge fan of the Albarino grape along with Pinot Blanc and Viognier as interesting alternative white wines.  This lovely Albarino (pictured above) from Rias Biaxas in Northwest Spain is a real joy to taste. Apple, honey and  pear are ever present as the full luscious texture flows out of the bottle into your glass.  Gold sunshine in color and yummy. Highly recommended, and available for about 14£ a bottle at Uncorked in the UK and in the US for about $20 a bottle.   They also make a reserve wine called Albarnio Seleccion de Anada, but retails for much more.  This is serious value, and I have to agree with Jay Miller from Wine Advocate on this one:

 My Rating: 90 pts, ..recommended pairing: serve with Grilled Jerk Salmon and Fried Plantains.

Link to website: http://www.pazodesenorans.com/eng/vino1.htm

I had big expectations for this wine, and was saving it for a special occasion so I decided to open it when my mom was visiting us in London.  For a wine with such a prestigious reputation,(Classified 3rd Growth) I was thoroughly disappointed.  Now I’m not saying the wine was bad, but it is simply not worth the 30+£ I paid for it.  I thought maybe it was just because it needed more time to air out, so I decanted it.  There was still no improvement, and even the next day, the wine still lacked fruit and the spark I was expecting.  There are better wines in Margaux to go for if you want to spend the money.  Boyd Cantenac, Lascombes, Malescot St-Exupery are just a couple I would turn to before Cantenac Brown.  It could be that this wine is just had its best days already.  Available in the UK for 35-40£  a btl and in the US for $50-60.  Just because a wine costs more, doesn’t mean its good.  I don’t agree with Mr. Parkers 88 score either:  

My rating 79 pts

From another stalwart Chateauneuf du Pape producer, comes this elegant, silky Cotes du Rhone from Domaine La Milliere which is serious value for money. Made mostly of Grenache from 100-year-old vines?! Are you kidding me….Awesome stuff.  Ruby red color, with hints of apricot and spice.  The Chateauneuf must be amazing.  I will have to try some at some point, but I’m sure it retails for much more.  You can find this Cotes du Rhone at Uncorked Wines in the UK for about 10£ a bottle if you buy a case.  Available at Zachys in NY on sale now for $15.00 a bottle.  An absolute steal….If you like big, smooth red wines, you will not be disappointed.  This will obviously pair well with rich meaty dishes, but a pleasure to drink on its own.

Robert Parker give is 87 pts, but I think it deserves higher, my rating 90pts.

link to website here: http://la-milliere.fr/en/cotes-du-rhone-rouge.html

This smooth, easy drinking bordeaux blend from Chateau Faugeres’ stable is a beauty.  It bounces of the glass in more of a new world style.  Full bodied,  rich blueberries and spice on the palate. This has nice length, and velvety tannins.  It will be drinking well for at least another 5 years, but is extremely hard to resist now.   Chateau Faugeres makes 4 wines with Peby Faugeres, Chateau Faugeres, and Haut Faugeres all falling in the St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe.   These 3 wines retail for much more due to their St. Emilion classification and slightly different terroir.  Cap de Faugeres is made in the same way as the other wines from Faugeres from vineyards which are adjacent but just over the border into Cotes de Castillon (the St. Emilion/Cotes de Castillon border bisects the property).   This wine is an absolute steal at 11£ per bottle.   Buy it by the case load.  The infamous Robert Parker also gives it a thumbs up:

2007 Cap de Faugeres, A Bordeaux Blend Dry Red Table wine

Available at Daft Investments,  www.daftinvestments.com.  In London, contact Donald Howes, the main UK importer of their wines (O) +44 (0) 207 252 5249   (M) +44 (0) 7931 973 287     Here is the price list:

 UK Price List 2010 05 18

Available in the U.S. at Zachys and Sherry Lehmann in New York  for 16-20$ a btl.

Link to Chateau Faugeres website: http://www.chateau-faugeres.com/index_uk.html

My rating: 90 pts

I visited this vineyard in July on an extremely hot summers day, and was truly impressed by the care and passion with which the wine is made.  When I stepped in the cantina where the barrels were stored, (see photo below) I cannot forget how cool and refreshing it was after being outside in the 95 degree Italian heat. 

The panoramic picture on my home page was also taken at this estate, and if you go to my photos tab, and you will be able to see more of the property.  They make a wide range of wines but the classic Piemonte varietals are where they excel:  Dolcetto, Barbera, and Nebbiolo.   They  actually make two Dolcettos of which both are delicious, but this “Superiore” wine is made from their best grapes.  When you pour this you can’t help but notice the inky purple color as it flows into the glass.   There are some Dolcettos which are made  too light in style, but this is not one of them.  Moderate smooth tannins with subtle hints of espresso in the nose.  Blackberries and blueberries also come to mind.  This is absolutely delicious now but I wouldn’t be surprised if this got even more complex in another 3 to 5 years.  Highly recommended.    The owner, Beppe Accomo, suggests serving this with a plate of hot ravioli.   Spaghetti Bolognese would also do just fine.   Available in the UK at Lea & Sandman for just under £14 per bottle.

My rating  92 pts

After trying the wonderful white Roero Arneis, made by this producer (see my review on Aug 18), I decided to give one of their signature reds a whirl.  This is a decent drinkable red from Piedmont, but is no where near as complex as the white.  There is not enough fruit in my opinion and it is too light.  Maybe I just missed its best drinking window.  It would be good to try a more recent vintage to confirm this review.   If you are going to buy any Malvira, stick to the whites.

2) I have to upgrade my review slightly after having some more of this after the bottle was open for a day.  The wine tastes much better, and the fruit has come to life.  If you do buy this, make sure you open it a couple hours before, and maybe even decant it…..Their whites are still the real deal though……available at Waitrose, 11£ btl

my original rating : 82 pts 

my new rating: 85pts

Had some of this yesterday with friends and was quite impressed.  It was perfect with grilled aged ribeyes and asparagus. Supertuscan style blend of predominantly Sangiovese with some Merlot and Cabernet.  I’ve always been of fan of this wine, but haven’t had any in a long time.   I need to rectify that problem, and get some in the eurocave.  Super rich fruit, with an elegant amost silky taste.  Almost like a baby Tignanello….Owner Giampaolo Motta has really outdone himself here with this Bordeaux imagined blend. This also was #31 on Wine Spectator’s top 100 wines of 2008, 93pts.  Wine Advocate gives it 90pts.  Widely available in US for about $25 a bottle.   In the UK try Decorum Vintners, www. decvin.com for about £15 a bottle.

my rating 91 pts

Have you always wondered what wine to serve with pizza? Well this simple red made from the Montepulciano grape in the Abruzzo region of east-central Italy is a perfect match.  Silky, rich tastes of fruit, cocoa and spice.  I would call this a Brunello jr. but the nice thing is it sells for a fraction of the price of a Brunello.  Drink now for sure…no point waiting for this, it is yummy early.   Antonio Galloni from WA also gives it a thumps up:

 Available at Uncorked (www.uncorked.co.uk)  in the UK for 10£ a btl, and in the US also for about 15$. Amazing value. 

My rating,  88 pts

Cheap and cheerful white wine from the south of France.  Green apple aroma, light and thirst quenching. Viognier is used a lot in blends, but is very nice on its own.  And at a mere 7£ a bottle it punches well above its weight .  Grill some shrimp on the barbie, invite some friends over and open at least 2 bottles of this. Definitely drink now. Val Colombe is meant to be drunk in its youth.  Can be found at Jeroboams in London      wwww.jeroboams.co.uk

My rating 85pts