Happy New Year and welcome to 2010. The premier release of the year is the annual “Great Wine Great Value”.  This basically translates as ‘you spent too much money in the last couple of months, so the board is going to be kinder and gentler on the pocket book.’  There certainly are several wines that offer a great drinking experience and are priced below fifteen bucks. All you need to do is read on to find them.

Ontario

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155705 EASTDELL ESTATES CABERNET/MERLOT 2007, Niagara Peninsula, $12.95
This starts out with nice ripe aromas of dark fruit, cherry and plum with a touch of dusty cedar and mineral. Very pleasant fruit on the palate, a note of chocolate and a steely mineral edge mingles with the fruit on the finish. Find this wine

591313 MALIVOIRE GAMAY 2008, Niagara Peninsula $17.95
Malivoire’s Gamay’s new image label is designed to attract a younger demographic to their wines. What is behind the label won’t disappoint. Although nothing like the beefier style of Gamay from the 2007 vintage, it is nonetheless a ripe wine carrying aromas of red fruit gum, raspberry, black cherry with a twist of cinnamon and anise. The palate is vibrantly full of sweet cherry and spice. Find this wine

California

161190 GROVE STREET CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Sonoma County 2006 $17.95
Lots of sweet and spicy berry notes, crushed dark fruit and a little dark chocolate. The palate is lighter than the nose suggests it should be, the acidity level is pleasing and there is a touch of mocha and plum on the finish. Find this wine

Mexico

983742 L.A. CETTO PETITE SIRAH 2007, Guadalupe Valley, $11.95
A wine for the carnivore at least judging from the heady aromas of caramelized meat, black pepper, smoke and leather. There is fruit, an abundance in fact, led by stewed plum, damson and black raspberry. Dusty and chalky on the palate, a bit clumsy, then again so am I at times, but no doubt, it is a good value. Find this wine

Argentina

058396 BUDINI MALBEC 2008, Mendoza $ 11.95
Sweet aromas of one dimensional sticky blueberry fruit that leads to a palate with considerable similarities to the nose. Find this wine

093781 SANTA JULIA RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Mendoza 2008 $13.95
A well priced wine, medium bodied, has clean fruit, a touch of earthiness and a smoky backdrop. Find this wine

Australia

138560 ALKOOMI SHIRAZ, Frankland River, Western Australia, 2007 $14.95
A well balanced wine that boasts plenty of nice ripe dark fruit, a pinch of Middle Eastern spice and just a hint of oak. The palate is clean and simple carrying perfectly balanced acidity and a tasty finish. Find this wine

743989 CHAPEL HILL SHIRAZ, McLaren Vale 2007 $22.95
Serious stuff showing layers of dark fruit, black raspberry, liquorish and dry dusty mineral. A full palate, well balanced full of lively fruit. There are dusty tannins, but they do not stop the wine from showing its potential to age and only get better. Find this wine

606236 D’ARENBERG THE STUMP JUMP GRENACHE/SHIRAZ/MOURVÈDRE, McLaren Vale 2008 $14.95
Hard to find fault here, aromas of punchy blackcurrant, blackberry and black raspberry leap from the stem. It has a back up section of spice, aniseed and caramel. It will age a year or two, but seriously, why wait? It is very tasty right now. Find this wine

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043224 MITOLO JESTER CABERNET SAUVIGNON, McLaren Vale 2008 $19.95
If one enjoys pure essence of cassis then this is a wine to buy. It has a creamy elegant, almost sweetened aroma of blackcurrant with a touch of cardamom and sweet oak. Find this wine

South Africa

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744375 SIMONSIG LABYRINTH CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Stellenbosch 2006 $15.95
Shut ones eyes, inhale the wine and classic Napa, in particular, Silverado trail nuances come to mind. It is dusty, full of blackcurrant, dried herb, blackberry and earthy mineral. The palate has a touch of the South African soil it was produced in, but it still screams Napa Valley fruit showing a richness not usually found at this price. The fruit laden finish is enhanced by a touch of mocha and black liquorish. Find this wine

France

043331 ALBERT BICHOT VIEILLES VIGNES PINOT NOIR BOURGOGNE 2007 $16.95
Sure it’s Pinot, it’s well priced, and it’s well, just okay. Yes there are some sweet red berry tones with a touch of straw and wet stone, but the palate is high acid and the finish is limp. Find this wine

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154617 CHÂTEAU DE VAUGELAS LE PRIEURÉ CORBIÈRES 2007 $12.95
Slate and wet stone meet with layers of pure black and red fruit and get along harmoniously. The palate has heaps of sweet toasty fruit, Asian spice and dusty cocoa. Good wine plus good price equals good value. Find this wine

149658 DOMAINE COMBEBELLE SAINT-CHINIAN 2007 $11.95
A clean and simple wine, well balanced showing raspberry and plum on the palate. Find this wine

147983 GÉRARD BERTRAND GRAND TERROIR 2007, Coteaux de Languedoc $17.95
Rhubarb, blueberry and sweet spice take centre stage while aromas of tarragon and grapefruit peel lurk in the background. There is a strange bitter note on the palate; being a Campari lover, it appeals to me, but to others it did not. Find this wine

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998716 ORTAS TRADITION RASTEAU, Cotes du Rhone Village 2008 $15.00
A very good example of the Rhone Valley showing classic aromas of green peppercorn, straw, lavender, pure dark fruit and leather. The palate is plumy and fleshy; it has superb acidity and gentile tannins. Find this wine

155283 QUEEN OF SYRAH COOL CLIMATE SYRAH 2007 $11.95
A wine from the AOC of Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes, that is rarely in this part of the world and for good reason. It is peppery, with a nose of pine needles and dried leaf. The palate is thin and has tomato and plum flavours. Find this wine

147967 LA FÉE VIOLINE MALBEC CAHORS 2005 $12.95
A Malbec based wine with a lovely nose showing a wisp of barnyard with solid aromas of blueberry, plum, vanilla and smoke. This is money well spent, it is full bodied, ripe, creamy and rich. The chewy chocolate tannins are present and will lessen in a year or two. Find this wine

Italy

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994616 TERRA D’ALIGI TATONE MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO 2006 $15.95
Not as sensational as the previous vintage, but still a “must grab me some” classification of wine. It exudes aromas of milk chocolate, caramel, pure black fruit and Moroccan spice. It is tasty now, but will improve. Find this wine

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134619 PODERI DAL NESPOLI PRUGNETO SANGIOVESE DI ROMAGNA, 2007 $13.95
A Sangiovese from Emilia Romagna that is dark, full of spice, blackcurrant and a hint of smoked meat. It shows satisfyingly lush fruit, great acidity. It screams “drink me.” Find this wine

106591 SORI’ PAITIN BARBARESCO 2005 $39.95
A hard wine to judge as the tannins had opened and suppressed much of the fruit by the time I got to it. However, lavender, star anise, mineral and dark fruit lurk beneath the surface and promise much potential. The palate is astringent, but the black fruit rides the tannin wave and battles bravely on to the finish. There is clearly much promise in this wine. Just don’t buy it to drink in the near future. Give it ten years and it should be a classic. Find this wine

134627 DOPPIO PASSO PRIMITIVO, Puglia 2007 $13.95
Sweet, liken to tobacco leaves infused in blackberry jello. Palate is similar, light to medium bodied showing sweet blueberry and underbrush. Find this wine

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072421 GIORDANO VESPERO, Tuscany 2005 $16.95
A highly perfumed wine of fresh flowers, white chocolate and soap that turns on the palate to show a meaty smoky wine with plenty of ripe red fruit and sandalwood. Find this wine

Portugal

147934 WINE VISION BATUSSI, Alentejo 2007 $11.95
Smoked meat, bacon, lavender, mineral and red berry combine well. The palate has solid flavours of red cherry and strawberry with nice earthy and mineral notes that carry through to the finish. Find this wine

Cheers
CZ

Related posts:

1. Alan Kerr’s Vintage’s October 24th Release – Tasting Notes
2. Alan Kerr’s Vintage’s December 5th, 2009 Release – Tasting Notes
3. Alan’s October 10th, 2009 Vintages Release Tasting Notes
4. Alan’s September 26th, 2009 Vintages Release Tasting Notes
5. Alan Kerr

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