Notes from a tasting of "Over 90 point/Under $30" wines - Saturday, March 15, 2008, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Twenty wines were poured for a tasting fee of $21.

Overall impressions: always a good idea for a tasting, the Wine Exchange puts on this event once or twice a year to showcase wines with a good Quality-to-Price Ratio (QPR). Everything poured had to garner at least 90 points from either the Wine Advocate or the Wine Spectator. As usual, the wines run the gamut from whites to reds, and from sparklers to dessert wines. At most of these tastings, the wines will normally get better and better as you progress through the lineup. However, one of the benefits of having all of the wines of roughly the same calibre (score-wise), is that you don't start out the beginning with diminished expectations.

As for the wines, while there really wasn't a stray dog in the pack - nothing really rocked my world either. I can highly recommend the first two on my list of favorites below. They make for outrageous QPR. The Cellars Can Blau was an amazing wine for $14, and the Bodegas Ramon de Ayala at $15 is a nice Tempranillo at any price. The lone Bordeaux in the pack seemed somehow out of place, yet it too was delicious and ought to be considered for anyone's "buy" list for the 2005 vintage. Also, the "Favorites In order of Preference" means just that. The wines are broken out by score: in this case 1st tier = A-, 2nd tier = B+, etc. So, while the Tikal and the Villa Russiz received the same score, I liked the Tikal much better. In fact, I don't understand why the Villa Russiz is priced so high - at least compared to the Kim Crawford.

One disappointing thing -- out of 20 wines, only 3 were domestic. Personally, I think it's a sad state of affairs that the U.S. doesn't compete better at this level. And, it looks like the verdict from the wine critics is in agreement.

NV Heidsieck "Blue Top" Monopole - Champagne. $28.99. Light gold color. Nice nose of yeasty toasty lemon-lime fruit. Off-sweet mouthfeel, plush and smooth in the mouth, with a lightly sweet medium-long finish. (a Wine Spectator 91 -- about 89 in my book.)
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: A- Overall score: B+

2006 Villa Russiz Pinot Grigio - Collio, Italy. $25.99. Nearly clear in color. Slightly sweet lemon-lime zest in the nose. Almost meaty on the palate, clean somewhat sweet mouthfeel, very long finish. (a Wine Advocate 90 -- about 89 in my book.)
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2007 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc - Marlborough, NZ. $12.99. Nearly clear in color. Nice nose of clover and alfalfa - quite pungent, but not overly aggressive. Very similar in mouthfeel, but less so, nice flavors and overall balance, but with a somewhat short finish. (a Wine Spectator 91 -- about 89 in my book.)
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2005 Byron Chardonnay - Santa Maria Valley, CA. $16.99. Light medium gold color. Nose apple, light oak, and lots of butter, with a very nice toasted wheat quality in the background. Quite full on the palate, with a chewy consistency, very good balance, and nice long finish. I liked this wine a lot - probably more than my score shows. Nicely made, but, alas, a little goes a long way. (a Wine Spectator 93 -- about 89 in my book.)
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2006 Fritz Haag Riesling Spatlese Braunebeger Juffer Sonnehuhr. $29.99. Faint gold color. Nose of lightly sweet apple and pear, with a touch of golden raisin. Lots of golden raisin and some melon on the palate, excellent balance, long slightly sweet finish. This was a nice wine to include, but the Spatlese sweetness (correctly served last in the white flight) made it extremely difficult on the next wine - a red. (a Wine Spectator 93 -- about 90 in my book.)
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: A- Overall score: B+

2003 Paneretta Chianti Classico Riserva "Vigneto Torre a Destra" - Italy. $21.99. Medium dusty garnet color. Toasty dried cherry scent, with a bit of sappiness. Very drying tannins on the palate, with good coverage of fruit, nice balance and medium-long finish. A nice enough wine, but 90 points? (a Wine Spectator 90 -- about 87 in my book.)
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

2004 Allegrini Veronese La Grola - Italy. $19.99. Dark ruby color. Nose of deep dusty cassis. Young and slightly harsh initially, but smooths out nicely. Very nice fruit and balance, and very long finish. (a Wine Advocate 90 -- about 89 in my book.)
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2006 Cellars Can Blau Monsant - Spain. $13.99. Medium dark ruby color. Nose of black cherry, cassis, and grilled meat. This Rhone blend of Carignan, Syrah, and Grenache is very tasty, has excellent fruit and balance, and long delicious finish. Very nice, and at $14 - a definite bargain! A blend of Manzuelo (Carignan) , Syrah, and Garnacha. (a Wine Advocate 92 -- and I agree.)
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

2005 Castaño Solanera Yecla Viñas Viejas - Spain. $13.99. Very dark ruby color. Dusty scents or cassis and black cherry, and some espresso. Good mouthfeel, not particularly chewy, but intersting sappy flavors, good coverage and balance and very long finish. (a Wine Advocate 91 -- about 88 in my book.)
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2004 Bodegas Ramon de Ayala Deobriga Rioja Selección Familiar - Spain. $14.99. Very dark ruby garnet color. 90% Tempranillo, 10% Graziano. Interesting "lifted" scent - almost like it had been co-fermented with something more floral. Sweet dark sappy fruit, tasty and chewy mouthfeel, very good balance and long finish. (a Wine Advocate 90 -- about 91 in my book.)
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

2004 Bodegas Torrederos Ribera del Duero Crianza - Spain. $17.99. Medium dark ruby color. Meaty dark fruit in the nose. Very tasty in mouthfeel, which seems packed with chocolate-infused fruit,, some nice complex notes, and clinging tannins through and after the very long finish. (a Wine Advocate 91 -- about 89 in my book.)
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

2005 Felix Callejo Ribera del Duero Crianza - Spain. $27.99. Very dark ruby color. Bigger and deeper in the nose than the Torrederos, with a bit more chocolate. Thicker and less sweet in mouthfeel, too. Nice balance, smooth across the palate, with a slight fall-off of fruit toward the back end. (a Wine Advocate 91 -- about 90 in my book.)
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: A-

2006 Domaine du Fondreche Persia - Cotes du Ventoux. $21.99. Purple ruby color. Young, macerated, fruit-filled nose of blackberry and blueberry. Chewy in mouthfeel, off-sweet flavors, very long finish. An interesting wine, that seemed much less ripe than the other Syrah-based wines in the flight. 90% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre. (a Wine Advocate 92 -- about 89 in my book.)
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2004 Domaine de L'Edre L'Aibre - Cotes du Roussillon Villages. $27.99. Very dark ruby garnet color. Nose of dark berry, with a slight toasted herb, hint of licorice and meat in the background. Very tasty, with sweet ripe fruit throughout, nice core at midpalate, very balanced and nice long finish. 1/3 each Syrah, Grenache, Carignan. (a Wine Advocate 92 -- about 91 in my book.)
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

2005 Chateau de Pressac - Saint Emilion. $29.99. Medium dark garnet ruby color. Pretty, slightly sweet/ripe plush nose of plums and cassis. Slightly sweet mouthfeel, big and chewy body, lovely long finish and aftertaste. 72% Merlot, with a balance of Cab Franc, Cab Sauv and Carmenere. (a Wine Spectator 92 -- about 91 in my book.)
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

2005 Desert Wind Red Ruah - Columbia Valley, WA. $12.99. Medium dark ruby garnet color. Elegant, meaty and taost in the nose. Slightly sweet mouthfeel, nice attack and initial mouthfeel, but gets a bit soft about 2/3 in, and the finish and flavors fall off during the last third. Mostly Merlot, with lesser amounts of Cab Franc and Cab Sauv. (a Wine Spectator 90 -- about 88 in my book.)
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B+

2004 Altocedro Malbec Reserva - Mendoza. $19.99. Dark purple ruby color. Nose of sweet ripe dark berry with a sweet toastiness - almost black/blueberry pie. Similar flavors in mouthfeel, though almost a bit too much pie-like, with good balance and medium-long finish. Nice enought, but I have to admit I was looking for some bittersweet chocolate. About 10% Tempranillo. (a Wine Spectator 91 -- about 89 in my book.)
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2006 Tikal Malbec Amorio - Altos de Mendoza. $25.99. Dark ruby color. Very nice, seemingly complex nose of berry, toast, and layered lots of nice background notes. Very tasty mouthfeel, with good coverage and balance, though the finish seems to drop off ever so slightly. (a Wine Advocate 92, Wine Spectator 91-- about 89 in my book.)
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2005 R Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Big R - Barossa Valley. $26.99. Dark garnet ruby color. The sweet nose says it's ripe and ready to go. Ripe in mouthfeel, tasty fruit, good balance and finish. Nice enough, but not particularly complex. I would suppose some secondary characteristics will develop with time, but right now this is pretty much a very nice quaffer. (a Wine Advocate 92 -- about 89 in my book.)
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

NV Chambers Muscadelle Rosewood Vnyds - Rutherglen. $11.99. Dark tawny caramel color. Nose of sandlewood, brandy, and pecan pie. Lots of golden raisin on the palate, rich and delicious flavors, smooth throughout, nice lingering aftertaste. (a Wine Advocate 91 -- about 90 in my book.)
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-