Osborne, Solaz, Spain 2003 ($7) – A blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Ruby color, bright black cherry nose with forward cherry flavors. Fairly decent value and good house wine. Score: 7.5/10

Mas Donis, Montsant, Spain 2002 ($10) – A blend of Garnacha (a.k.a. Grenache) and Syrah. Light ruby color, bright black cherry nose, simple fresh berry flavors with a dry finish. Nicely done and a good value. Score: 8/10

Beringer, Alluvium, Knight’s Valley, 1999 ($30) - Five classic red Bordeaux varietals are used to create this blend: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Ruby with nice variation of color, strong berry nose and a bit of oak, very nice blackberry and bell pepper flavor spectrum with smooth, drying tannins. Delicious now but has another 3-5 years of cellar time left. Score: 9/10

Acacia, Pinot Noir, Estate Vineyard, Napa Valley, 2001 ($40) - Dark ruby, raspberry and spice nose, silky blueberry fruit flavors with a kiss of oak and spices. Long, satisfying finish. Delicious, but has a few years ahead of it. Score: 9.5/10

Here’s an interesting article about the new film, “Mondovino”. I’m looking forward to seeing this documentary and will probably review it on a future Winecast.

Ravenswood, Zinfandel, Lodi 2002 ($17) - Ruby color, dusty berry nose, rich bramble and blackberry flavors with moderate tannins, nice balance for a 14.5% wine; Very good. Score: 8/10

Kempton Clark, “Mad Zin”, Zinfandel, California 2001 ($11) – Garnet with purple edges, strong currant and blackberry aromas with a touch of oak, plum and blackberry flavors with firm tannins. A bit hot and raisony on the finish. Good now, but will reward a couple years in the cellar. A bit disappointing after tasting the Petite Sirah earlier. Score 7.5/10

Just down from the slopes here at Steamboat Springs and thought I would let Winecast listeners know I appeared once again on Anne Bramley’s EatFeed podcast paring wine with food. This time it was roast lamb for Easter dinner. Check it out!

Back to wine blogging tomorrow and podcasting later in the week…

Today’s show is about a wine from Chile made from the Carmenere grape and I’ll share some final thoughts on the basic wine tasting series.

Wines tasted:

- Andean Ridge, Carmenere “Reserve”, Colchagua Valley, Chile 2003 ($8)
- Santa Rita, Carmenere “120″, Rapel Valley, Chile 2003 ($8)
- Concha y Toro, Carmenere “Casillero del Diablo”, Rapel Valley, Chile 2004 ($9)

Direct mp3 Download

I will be producing another special edition of Winecast in honor of Wine Blogging Wednesday this time focused on the wines of Sicily. The date is April 13th. I will look for wines made from more conventional grapes this time