A Bolder Style Garnacha Rose

I opened a bottle of Gran Feudo 2007 Rose Friday night and I'm just getting around to post an entry.

This is a widely distributed Rose from the Navarra region of Spain. If you've tried some Rose and it's not quite big enought to your tastes, you might try the Gran Feudo. It is 100 percent Garnacha and has a bit more of punch to the flavor.

It has a big fruity nose but you can immediately tell its not a light Rose. I thought it had some vanilla hints. Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator gave this wine an 85 - a good solid choice but not spectacular.

But if you are experimenting with Rose, this is one you should try. It's definitely got a bigger flavor.

Like mose Rose wine it's very affordable at $8.99-$12.98. I picked this one up from Jill Ditmire at Mass Ave Wine shop.

I have had Rose from several varieties now and still like the Spanish Garnacha-based wine the best. But that's just motivation to keep up the research!
Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Go Find Some Castano - Here is Where You'll Find It

Though I know I do have some blog followers outside the Hoosier state, this entry is a quick reminder to mostly those folks. If you're outside of Indiana, try to find this wine.

Back on May 3 I wrote about Castano Monastrell.I called it the best bottle of wine I've ever had for under $10.

I picked up a case at Cork & Cracker in Indy but since then I've seen it at Village Bottle Shop in Lafayette and at Goose the Market on Delaware St. in Indianapolis.

Cork and Cracker sold something like 40 cases of this wine. Both of the other two outlets had a good amount of the wine when I was in their stores recently. The wine sells for an incredible $6.99 a bottle and got a 90-point rating from the Wine Advocate.

It's not huge but remarkably balanced and spicy at this price point. And the $6.99 most people are selling it for is a bargain. I've seen it up to $11 - which is still a bargain for this wine.

This is the first time I've re-visited a wine in this blog. If you can find some Castano Monastrell buy it and make a comment here on what you think about it!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

This Wine is Why I Do What I Do!

I think one of the most exciting things about drinking and enjoying wine is to find incredible wine at reasonable prices.

Tonight I found one of the very best I've enjoyed in a long time. I don't buy a lot of French wine, out of ignorance, but I opened a bottle of Les Verrieres Clos des Soutyeres 2006 blend of 70 percent Syrah, 20 percent Grenache and 10 percent Carignan.

This wine had tons of wow factor even before I did my online research. I discovered that Wine Spectator gave it the No. 80 spot on its list of Top 100 Wines of 2008. It rated the wine at 92 points on its 100-point scale.

There were only 1,000 cases made of this wine and how a few bottles landed in a Terre Haute supermarket I'll never know. I bought this at the recommendation of Reggie McConnell at Beaslers in Terre Haute. Even more amazing, I paid $13.99 for this fabulous bottle of grape juice - considerably lower than I found it online.

It's a deep purple, intense, big - big glass of wine. It has strong tannins and is intense from front of the palate to the back. The tasting notes suggested drinking from 2009 through 2014. I didn't decant the wine and should have done so. I read on another review a recommendation to decant it for up to three hours. While that seems long there is no doubt it improves the longer the wine is open.

I grilled a beef tenderloin, some nice asparagus, and Vidalia onion. The steak was rubbed with cracked black pepper, salt, and a smoke cherry rub. It was a perfect match. This was a big mouthful of flavor with a strong finish.

Simply put, incredible wine for $14.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

A Bit Bolder Dry Rose from Spain

I am playing catch up tonight and posting a very brief entry about a Rose I opened a couple nights ago.

I had a Calderona 2007 Rose' from Spain. I picked it up at Cork & Cracker for $11.99 and it was dynamite Rose.

It definitely has a stronger flavor than many Rose wines but it's an interesting blend of 70 percent Tempranillo, 20 percent Garache (how they spelled it on the bottle) and 10 percent Verdejo.

I had the wine with some grilled lamb chops on Saturday night and it was a wonderful pairing. It was well balanced with a bigger-than-you'd expect flavor. I didn't make notes, but when Ashley recommends trying a wine I often pick one up!

I love the Spanish Garnacha (how you'll often see it spelled) but found this Rose with mostly Tempranillo a great glass of juice!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com