2005 Les Abeilles Cotes du Rhone Rouge

A nice value for $10.
From ancient terraced vineyards in the area of Cairanne and Gigondas in the southern Rhône Valley.
50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Mourvedre from 25 year-old vines.

Intense purple color. Aromas of small red fruits, leather and spices.
A complex wine with licorice, spicy flavors and silky tannins. This red wine is a wonderful expression of the Cotes du Rhone appellation.

Wine Spectator rates it 88 pts. and a best value.

2003 Jean-Luc Colombo Les Forots Cotes du Rhone

A different Syrah, a different Cotes du Rhone.
We really enjoyed this wine.

Barb finds typical French "barnyard" aroma a bit of a turn off. This wine doesn't exhibit the farm nose or Barb's term of French "dirty socks". Aromas of violets, ripe fruit and liquorice.

A bolder, fruitier Cotes du Rhone. Flavors of dark ripe berry fruits and notes of liquorice and spices on the finish.
This wine is 100% Syrah from 60-year-old vines vineyards in the northern Rhone Valley.
The wine is harmonious with an elegant structure. Very dry, it pairs well with savory food but is enjoyable on its own.
Decant this wine and give it some time.
Wine Spectator 88 pts.

2005 Andrew Murray Roasted Slope Syrah

We love Andrew Murray wines, one of the local Santa Barbara wine makers. Barb is a member of their wine club.
This is the tenth release of this Syrah from a singular, 14 year old Syrah vineyard which has 5% Viognier interplanted amongst the Syrah vines. Thus the wine is a blend of Syrah and Viognier that were picked and fermented together.
The 2005 Syrah Roasted Slope is dark and brooding in color, with complex aromas of black cherry, spices, and white pepper, toasty oak and candied violets (from the Viognier).
"Roasted Slope" is the direct translation of "Cote Rotie", one of the most famous vineyards in all of France, where Syrah and Viognier are allowed/encouraged to grow together in the same vineyards.
Robert Parker has consistently rated this wine at 90 points or higher since its first release!

2006 Bodegas Zabrin Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines

You can find this Grenache from Calatayud, Spain for $7-$10 available at Cost Plus. Steve Tanzer rates this vintage 89 pts. and it's a perennial favorite of Robert Parker. A fantastic value, from a 60 to 80 year-old hillside vines.

"Bright red. Smoky cherry and dark berry aromas are complemented by candied licorice, dark chocolate and zesty minerality. At once silky and lively, with impressively complex cherry and dark berry flavors joined by an exotic floral pastille quality on the finish. This boasts remarkable focus and persistence for the price."
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
89 Points

2004 Kangarilla Road Cabernet Sauvignon

Recommended to us by the staff at The Wine Cask, around $20.The color is a deep purple. The bouquet has ripe dark berry fruit and blackcurrant as well as classic Cabernet aromas. The palate has plenty of berry fruit, vanillia/oak and fine tannins. An intense and structured wine with rich fruit and a long finish.
I really enjoyed this and look forward to trying Kangarilla Road's Shiraz.
Steve Tanzer and Robert Parker rate it 90 & 91 pts.