Les Trois Couronnes Cotes du Rhone, 2010

Only about a decade ago, I could find at least half a dozen Cotes du Rhone wines, all selling for under $10 and all very much to my liking. Now many of these wines are selling for $14 to $15, and some are aged in new oak barriques that detract from their traditional charm. In some stores today, this is the only under-$10 CDR, and it's all too easy to dismiss it as a "cheap" wine. In  fact, it's very good.

Berries, black pepper, spice, tobacco--old fashioned Cotes du Rhone but with considerable elegance. Nice acid structure, well balanced and finely focused. Bright and lively with a long finish.This 2010 is perfect for drinking right now, although the Les Trois Couronnes on the shelves right now is the 2012.

Domaine Sainte Anne Cotes du Rhone, 2001

This wine evolved quite a bit over 24 hours--all for the better. On first popping the cork, I smelled the classic Sainte-Anne traits: blueberries, flowers, slightly tonic uplift. Flavors were very fruit oriented, slightly tannic on the mid-palate with a ripe finish. An hour later, transformations were already taking place: strawberries rather than blueberries with some spicy tones. Deeper scents and flavors. On the second night, the transformation was complete: fresh and dried strawberries, deep and compact. The youthful exuberance has been replaced by a mature austerity. More like the 2004 than the 2005. I'm beginning to think of Cairanne or even Chateauneuf du Pape.

Chateau d'Epire Savennieres, 1982

What a wonderful surprise. The last bottle of this wine that I opened in September, 2008 seemed hopelessly over the hill, and I assumed the last three or four bottles in the cellar were doomed for dumping down the sink. I finally got the nerve to open another and voila! Beautiful; everything a mature Savenniere should be.

The color is remarkable for a 32-year-old white table wine: brilliant, clear, medium deep gold. (The 2008 bottle was much, much deeper and murkier.) There is a bit of funk around the edges of the bouquet but nothing to get distressed about. Rich, powerful Chenin Blanc fruit scents. Red Haven peaches with lots of red fruit acidity, minerals, flowers. The more you smell, the more you discover. And on the palate, it's even more exciting. Silky smooth. Expands on the mid-palate and just keeps growing. Length and breadth galore. Long finish with flavors that dance all the way down. This is what mature Savennieres is all about. I love it.

Domaine Sainte Anne Cotes du Rhone Villages Saint Gervais, 2000

This old favorite from Domaine Sainte Anne is much more than an every day wine. It cost me only $12.99 a bottle; the current vintage sells for about $20 and worth every penny.

Beautiful medium deep crimson color. Brilliant and clear. This is what mature Mourvedre is about--rhubarb, red berries and Provencal herbs. Smells lovely, tastes even better. If there are tannins, they come from the fruit and are ripe and friendly. Steps lightly but has lots of power underneath. A hint of black pepper on the finish.

St. Hallett Barossa Faith Shiraz, 2010

You can't accuse this wine of not making a good first impression. The color is an impressive bluish purple, and aromas of black currants and berries come at you immediately from the glass. I find more of the same on the palate, but, unfortunately, the flavors are a bit too ripe--more like black plums and raisins rather than berries.  Lacks acid. Eventually, the wood tannins and alcohol take over and dominate. Unfortunately, this wine seems to represent all of the negative stereotypes of Barossa Shiraz--sweet, oaky and alcoholic. To be fair, it represents the third level of  St. Hallett's Shiraz. St. Hallett winemaker Stuart Blackwell uses his best grapes, from carefully selected vineyards, for his Old Block and Blackwell Shiraz. This Faith Shiraz is a more generic Barossa Shiraz, apparently intended for every day use. It's a pleasant wine, but at $14.99, I consider it a bit pricey.

El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa Navarra Old Vines Garnacha, 2010

As you have probably discovered, I am a sucker for Old Vines and traditionally made wines. And this wine has the right story: vines averaging 60 years of age, some more than 100 years from an area that is being threatened by new vineyards devoted to more profitable commercial wines. A young New York city chef loves the wine so much she has a glass every day while planning her menus. When she goes to Spain, she meets the winemaker and they form a mother-daughter type bond, cooking together and sharing ideas about food and wine. I fell in love with this wine, and its story, before I bought it. Now, I'm thinking, the story is only half true.

The color is very deep and bluish for Grenache. Looks like a product of barriques (small French oak barrels). At first, I get the funkiness of old vines but this blows away quickly. Blue plums, spice box, black pepper. But again not like the traditionally made Grenache wines of the Southern Rhone that I love so much. Thick and rich on the palate--almost like a Vintage Character Port but without the sweetness. Hmmmm.

A Google search reveals that, yes, the wine has been aged in French oak barriques and left five months on its lees--a process more commonly used for white than for red wines. Other red wines with this leesy quality are Monserrans Garnacha and St. Hallett's Barossa Valley Gamekeeper's Red. That's what produces the thick, raisiny palate feel. Although it's made from old vines, this wine comes with a few new tricks.

Vietti Tre Vigne Barbera d'Asti, 2010

As a top-notch Barbera d'Asti, this is a good wine to try beside the Franco Serra Barbaresco (below). Barbera has a similar profile to Nebbiolo--cherries, flowers and a hint of licorice. Both Barbera and Nebbiolo are high acid, but Barbera has very little tannin and the fruit is right up front from the beginning.

Even darker in color compared to the Barbaresco. And the smells and flavors are even more striking, although not as complex. Not a simple wine, though. Reminds me a lot of a Pinot Noir from the foggy North Coast of California. The dryness that became apparent with the Barbaresco late in the meal never appears with this Barbera. But the flavors never approach the complexity of that wine.

The Tre Vigne sells for $10 a glass at Zazio's, $14.99 a bottle at Bacchus. It too is an excellent value.