Jim Neal 2006 Chariot Gypsy California

SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND?—QUICK WINE PICKS THAT WON'T LET YOU DOWN

I found this  gem sitting on the shelves at Trader Joes, at only $4.99 it represents quite outstanding value. There's nothing on the lovely label that alludes to what it is comprised of other than Red wine. Some considerable Google research later suggests it is a blend of Sangiovese, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon. With a scant dark nose, mostly cherry and toffee with alcohol somewhat present (14.5%) it's a welcoming  surprise to experience the beguiling mix of black and red fruit and white pepper that wash across your palate. Very sophisticated and unbelievably complex—for a $5 wine—it's smooth with soft tannins and superb acidity. 89 Points, this one is no Pikey in fact it's my first  PONCE TOP PICK! Get it while you can.

http://www.chariotwines.com/

Tower Brook 2007 Pinot Noir San Luis Obispo

SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND?—QUICK WINE PICKS THAT WON'T LET YOU DOWN

It's oft hard to find good reasonably priced Pinot Noir thanks to the exposure the movie Sideways afforded the varietal and hence it's increased popularity. Well search over, BevMo has this sterling Pinot Noir on sale for a rather reasonable $17.99, nice! Towers second attempt with this varietal is a real winner, its all there... blackberry and raspberry, warm spice and a subtle toasted oak. A graceful wine with a long finish, it's so very fruit-filled, happy and bright—drink it right now. 89 Points.

Bonny Doon 2003 Le Cigare Volant Red Wine California

SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND?—QUICK WINE PICKS THAT WON'T LET YOU DOWN

2003 was a great year for Le Cigare Volant, wine-weird Randall Grahms flagship—or should that be flag-Zeppelin—wine. An exceedingly accomplished California take on a Châteaunuf-de-Pape. Costing $29.99 at BevMo it's a tad expensive but worth every cent. Stylisitcally a slight departure from previous years, bolder. Very refined and smooth, full of plump red fruit, cassis and cherry. Simply delicious, a real treat... go on you know you deserve it. 91 points.

http://www.bonnydoonwinery.com/

Francis Coppola 2007 Alicante Bouschet California

You'd be blind not to see this subtle little number sitting gregariously on the shelf. The shocking pink magenta label screams choose me, choose me! From Frances Coppola's Diamond Collection this one is a real head turner and thankfully a real pleasure.

The little known Alicante Bouschet varietal is one of few grapes that actually has red flesh, invented in 1866 by a Frenchman Henri Bouchet. With it's think skin and high yields it became immensely popular here in the US during Prohibition due to it's stout nature when being subjected to the overland journey from sunny California to the East Coast. Outside being used in blends for color, fruit and body it seldom is fermented to a single varietal because it supposedly lacks character, complexity and is somewhat coarse. Now someone needs to tell Mr Coppola as he seems to have been happily oblivious to this fact and crafted, that understood, an error... a glorious, mouth-watering moreish error!

According to the Coppola winery Mr. Coppola tasked his winemaker with finding the vines (Lodi) and producing this as it was the grape of choice for Grandfather Agostino Coppola's home made wine concoctions.

Pour this into the glass and it is SO red... flaming purple red, vivid and deep an inviting beauty. No surprise It smells of red fruit and lots of it, leather, chocolate and spice too. It's almost like you've been transported to the hustle and bustle of an immigrant Italian family kitchen during the early twentieth century. What a taste, although silky and medium bodied it is so rich and luscious. A jammy explosion of red fruit, cassis, plum, raspberry and cranberry, the leather remains intact on the palette and yes it's texture is somewhat coarse but in a good way, no... in a great way.

I love big, fruit-forward jammy Zinfandel's and like those this is hard not to drink at a rapid pace as it so incredibly enjoyable. Don't drink it in a wine glass, pour it in to a chipped thick glass tumbler paired with a hearty tomato pasta, salami, olives and a great big hunk of ciabatta bread, throw some Dean Martin on and crank up the cross-table family banter... go on be outrageous.

Run don't walk to Cost Plus World Market ($14.99) as they only produced 3000 cases for this maiden production, 91 points.

http://www.rossobianco.com

Boony Doon 2004 Vin Gris De Cigare California

Most men given the choice between a fat juicy gourmet Bratwurst covered in a hearty German mustard in a ridiculously lush, crusty roll OR an ecomentalist Tofu sausage with an anaemic chai-soy aioli in a gluten-free flat bread with the consistency of cardboard will quite naturally plump for the comfortably sane German sausage.

Much the same I tend to keep my sideboard cellar stocked to the gunnels with Red wine, so breaking out a bottle of Vin Gris, Rosé nay Pink wine may come as a bit of a surprise. What's more I view ecomentalists with a rather large dose of healthy cynicism so this choice is even more of an oddity as this wine comes to us by way of Bonny Doon Vineyards biodynamic Rhone ranger, Californian wine guru and oddball ecomentalist Randall Grahm. Yes that's Grahm not Graham. Affect an English accent worthy of the most painful, inbred horse-faced British aristocrat and say pinky aloft and with a sneer "Graam".... perfect, you get the picture.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover this treat at Bel Air for an acutely reasonable $12 earlier this year and bought it on a whim because it was from top wine-wierd Randall Grahm and unusually for his plonk not ludicrous expensive. Vin Gris "Gray Wine" is a Rosé or Pink wine but made without maceration. In the Rhoné style, Vin Gris De Cigare comprises 47% Grenache, 27% Cinsaut, 14% Syrah, 7% Grenache Blanc and 5% Roussanne.

Anyway popping the screw cap—well you don't exactly pop it do you—this beautiful light copper, salmon colored Vin Gris sits very elegantly in the glass. It exudes, inhaling at first a most marvelous slightly-spicy citrus tea. Strawberries, watermelon, thyme and a faint musky quality. Now at this juncture I'd waffle lyrically about it being reminiscent of the beguiling bouquet of wild flowers in a early summer alpine meadow but my Wife said that would be remarkably akin to a C grade student trying too hard...  so I won't. The nose is confirmed by the palette, juicy fresh fruit, red berries and citrus, lemon and a touch of mandarin orange. A well-balanced velvety, fresh, light wine that's almost but not totally bone-dry. Very crisp and refreshing, it feels strangely enough... rather cleansing.

This wine pair's perfectly with Summer. One of those idle stolen moments on a glorious August afternoon when you really should be at work but have no intention of doing so. A riverside picnic, propped up under a weeping willow tree with a good book, dozing comfortably in the gentle warm breeze bathed in the dancing sunshine afforded by the shadow of the lithe branches.

If you've yet to take a dip into the welcoming waters that is Rosé wine you'd be hard pressed to find a better example. The celebrated Randall Grahm may well indeed be a bit of a mental but this wine is a noteworthy gorgeous mouthful of sheer genius, 90 points.

http://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com/

Robert Hall 2005 Rhone de Robles Central Coast

This one has been sitting in my sideboard for awhile. A New World take on an Old World style the Robert Hall 2005 Rhone de Robles is a wonderful concoction of 46% Grenache, 45% Syrah, 6% Cinsaut and 3%Counoise. At only $14.99 (Bel Air or Rayley's) it is quite the safe and affordable bet for an enjoyable wine that more than adequately alludes to the Cotes Du Rhône style.

Pouring a splash into my glass a beautifully deep red/purple hue presents itself and swirling it releases a wondrously fragrant smell of very ripe black fruit, mostly cherries and blackberries with a peppery, almost clove like spice. Hiding in the background is a very slight vanilla smell which owes it's presence no doubt to the French Oak this tipple spends 14 months languishing lazily in.

This one tastes fantastic... a perfect mouthful, I could merrily drink this on it's own without food, in fact I could drink all of it but then again that would be less than responsible wouldn't it? 

Whilst the smell is black the taste is mostly fresh ripe red fruit, chocolate too and anytime someone can take grape juice, yeast, patience and talent then transform it into a liquid that is reminiscent of the forbidden love child of strawberries and the cocoa bean their efforts should be lauded on-high and they them-self considered for beatification. 

The tannins are present, not too excessive but they seem a tad off-wack... unsettled, a few years in the cellar and that should mellow-out nicely, the 13.9% ABV isn't apparent. This is a very exciting wine, like a dozen sugar-crazed 6 year olds mixing it up in a bouncy castle, full-bodied and oddly balanced, a delicious slice of fruity goodness.

This would pair really nicely with a grilled marinated lamb tenderloin smothered in an insane amount of rosemary served au jus, caramelized carrots and some garlic smashed potatoes. Now I don't have any of that to hand so I tried it with some Raclette and a Saint André cheese, after all the Americans may have increasingly figured-out how to produce "like totally awesome wine dude" BUT when it comes to cheese Monsieur Frenchie Frenchman still has the last and definitive word. Yes yes I know cheese is overly flattering to wine but nothing says good times like a fine bottle of red and a healthy dose of coagulated bovine lactation.

A sound 90, someone call the Pope there's a fella' in Paso Robles that needs a feast day calendared.

http://www.roberthallwinery.com/

Château Beauchêne 2006 Premier Terroir Cotes Du Rhône

Ironically my first post to The Wine Ponce is an Old World French wine review... zut alors! 

This bottle of 2006 Premier Terrior Cotes Du Rhône came to me via my local BevMo, I noticed it on the shelf in the French Rhône section. I browse this section on every visit but seldom purchase anything, finding a good French Rhône wine under $20 is an oft disappointing occupation of ones time... and increasingly scarce disposable income.

What drew me to this was the price ($17.99) and the complete absence of any shelf information or rating, oddly it lacked the typical mediaeval script old world label design usually associated with wines from this region. Instead falling back on the old French favorite, a picture of the Chateau graces the front along with a custom bottle with a raised glass crest. All-in-all a fairly boring, ugly bottle of French plonk at first glance.

Pouring a touch into my trusty stubby O-Riedel it presents a opaque dark ruby hue, rich and full of potential. It smells old, I know that sounds odd but it doesn't have that lively New World smell, it's somewhat reminiscent of pulling an old leather bound tome about traction engines from the shelf of some long forgotten provincial library, blowing the dust off smelling the leather... aged and reassuring. 

Now, at his point I must confess to the lack of a trained palette, so please excuse my odd references and associations.  

Taking a deep lasting smell, beyond the odd old smell it reminds you of bilberries, dark round fruit with a faint whiff of alchohol. Very rich I could sit and smell this for hours but that would be a criminal waste wouldn't it.

It feels thin in the mouth, with a faint taste of licorice, some fruit, blackcurrant and a nondescript herb I can't figure out. It is rather dry with very pronounced tannins. Although only 13.5% ABV the alcohol is present. It leaves a cloying dryness in the mouth, my tongue probably would do a good job of sanding a walnut occasional table.

To be honest this was a disappointment, further research tells me old BevMo wine guru Wilf Wong gives it a 90 but it could well be BevMo landed a huge bunch on the cheap and Willy was told in no uncertain terms to push the cheap dry French tat sitting en masse at  the docks.

Much like an old leather bound tome on traction engines this wine is out-of-place, old and feels somewhat irrelevant to me. Being totally fair and setting my disappointment aside it's an accomplished wine and I imagine some cellaring will greatly improve things, I give it an 86... it may be classy and rich but not something I'd want to consume young, In 5 years it'll probably be outstanding.

It would pair well with a hearty Pasta dish or cheese, and lots of it. That or a block of rough oak.

http://www.chateaubeauchene.fr/