Fortcoming Trip

We are off this week-end for a week in Spain, with a Transatlantic cruise back home attached. I shall report on what we discover en route.

Spasso Pinot Grigio 2011

This is a prime example of what gives Veneto Pinot Grigios a bad name: it's fairly dull, with no really pronounced flavors, and totally immemorable. $7.99, available for a dollar less most places, and hardly worth that.

Veramonte Chardonnay Reserve 2009

If you like a fruit forward, oaked Chardonnay this Chilean might be your thing. It tastes of apple, peach and sweet melon. The reduced price of $7.99 reflects the fact that it's already slightly over the hill, although still drinkable.

Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc 2012

So maybe it's cognitive dissonance, but the '12 strikes me as a purer exemplar of the type, and at %9.99 it's about as well as you'll be able to do for a really good New Zealand Marlborough Vallet white.

Anna de Cordoniu Brut

It may be flying in the face of tradition, but we decided to open our Thanksgiving festivities with a Cava from Spain's Penedes region. Although designated a Brut, this non vintage bubbly is by no means brutally dry, having just enough of a floral bouquet along with red apple elements to make it go down very pleasingly. A nice holiday quaff for a reasonable $7.99.

#Martin Codax Albarino 2010

Made by a cooperative in Spain's Rias Baixas, this white tastes of apple and citrus, with perhaps more than just a hint of pineapple. Nancy liked it quite a lot, I thought it was a tad too assertive for our veal cutlets. A reasonable buy at the special sale price of $9.49.

Septima Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Still another red from Argentina, this Mendoza, produced by a huge combine, is a nice blend of plum, red cherry and vanilla elements and a slightly spicy finish. Fairly high in alcohol content. At the sale price, with the available three dollar mail-in coupon, it's a good buy at $6.99.

#Da Vinci Pinot Grigio 2011

In spite of its pretentious name this Italian Pinot Grigio from the Veneto is a fairly straightforward exemplar of its type, being very dry, with apple and citrus elements. The sale price of $8.49 makes it a very nice buy though.

Las Rocas Spanish Red Blend 2009

Perhaps not quite on the same plans as that Calatayud winery's Garnacha, this is nevertheless a nice enough table wine.$8.99, which is a little bit of a stretch.

*Domaine La Lorantine Lirac 2005

What this red blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre is, essentially, is a Chateauneuf du Pape which, because the vineyard is just across the Rhone, can't call itself that. It has many of the qualities of the better known varietal, although it's perhaps a little lighter in body. A very smooth drinking wine, and a good buy at the on-line price of $11.99.

#Mirassou Chardonnay

Heavily oaked, and on the verge of being sweet, this CA star is not precisely to my taste, but will no doubt appeal to the majority of distaff Chardonnay lovers. At least, at the special price of $6.49, they don't have to feel that they're being taken advantage of.

#New Sale

Our friendly PSLCB has come up with a new gimmick: A number of selected wines from which, if you buy six bottles, you get a $15 rebate. A bit of higher math will tell you that this reduces the price by $2.50 per bottle, making at least some of these reasonably attractive in price. I took a flier on three different whites which I will eventually review, marked with an #.

Torres Infinite 2010

A blend of 85% Tempranillo and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, this Catalan red from the region's most celebrated producer is a nice mix of red berry and plum, with a reasonably acidic finish. A good value at $6.99.

Mas Carlot Cuvee Tradition 2011

While this red Costieres de Nimes, in the far south of the Rhone region, is not quite up to the level of that vineyard's "Enfants Terribles", it is nevertheless a very nice, smooth drinking wine with plum and dark berry elements and a nicely acidic finish; and it doesn't cost nearly as much, $6.99, which establishes it as a bargain. A couple of marginal notes: at least at my usual outlet, this rang up at no less than six dollars more, so. as is always the case with PSLB, you have to keep track of your charges. And, (I suppose this was inevitable), when I googled "Mas Carlot" on the internet, I was directed to various used car lots.

Alta Max Malbec 2011

Those of you who follow me will be aware that I have a predilection for Argentinian Malbecs. This one is up to par, with dark berry and plum flavors and the typical chocolate finish. Nicely priced at $7.99.