Wine By Nine

Red Wine by Alto Moncayo from Spain. Dark purple. The nose offers surreal, room-filling perfume of ripe raspberry, blackberry, incense, vanilla and dried flowers. Shockingly understated on the palate, with vibrant red berry, smoked meat and baking spice flavors, silky tannins and crisp mineral bite. There's no excess fat or sweetness here. Finishes with palate-staining intensity and superb focus. I'd love to see this lined up with some mega-bucks Napa cult wines costing twice the price of this admittedly luxe-priced bottle. If you play in this sandbox, you'll flip. -International Wine Cellar The 2005 Aquilon has a splendid perfume of slate, violets, and cherry compote. There is beautiful integration of oak, tannin, and acidity, a smooth texture, layers of flavor, and exceptional length. There is enough structure to support 6-8 years of cellaring and it will provide pleasure through 2030. -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Alto Moncayo from Spain. The 2005 Alto Moncayo is a selection of older Garnacha vineyards. Purple colored, it is more expressive aromatically with enticing aromas of pain grille, spice box, floral notes, black cherry and black raspberry. Richer, more layered, and intense, this superb effort has a 60+ second finish. Give it 2-3 years to unfurl and drink it through 2020. -Wine Advocate Opaque ruby. Ripe raspberry and cherry aromas are complicated by fresh rose, vanilla and mocha. Deeply concentrated and slow to open, offering deep, liqueur-like red and dark fruit character. Supple tannins add structure to this exotic, youthful fruit bomb, which finishes bright and clingy. Needs a couple years of bottle aging. -International Wine Cellar

Red Wine by Alto Moncayo from Spain. The estate's mid-level effort is the fairly priced Alto Moncayo. This wine is spectacular, and represents the perfect foil for grilled steak. Even richer, fuller, and more muscular than the 2003, with riveting intensity and palate staining extract, the 2004 Alto Moncayo is inky/purple, full-bodied, and rich. This pedal-to-the-metal offering should age handsomely for a decade. -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Alto Moncayo from Spain. Inky purple. A heady bouquet evokes ripe red berries, anise, mocha and pungent fresh flowers. Supple and sweet on entry, then more structured in the middle, offering deep, mineral-accented dried strawberry and cherry liqueur flavors. Takes a spicy turn on the long, sappy finish, which echoes the pure red berry qualities. The oak (all new) is almost shockingly understated, perhaps thanks to the reported four-year aging of the staves. -International Wine Cellar The 2005 Alto Moncayo Veraton is 100% Garnacha aged in new French and American oak for 17 months. Dark ruby-colored, it exhibits an alluring nose of toasty new oak, mineral, spice box, black cherry, and black raspberry. This leads to a wine bordering on opulence, with layers of fruit, some structure, and a long, pure finish. Drink it over the next 8-10 years. -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Las Rocas de San Alejandro from Spain. The 2005 Las Rocas Vinyas Viejas comes from high altitude, low yielding, 100+-year-old Grenache vines and is aged in French and American oak. More aromatic than its sibling, it has a splendid perfume of spice box, lavender, kirsch, and blueberry. It is also a bit richer and longer in the finish. While it may evolve for 1-2 years, who could resist it now? - Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Borsao from Spain. Robert Parker, Jr. has referred to this 100% old-vine Garnacha in past vintages as cherry pie in a glass with deep ruby color, aromas and flavors of kirsch liquer, licorice, garrigue, and plums. The grapes for this wine were harvested from vineyards that cling to rugged terrain on the slopes of the famous Moncayo Mountain with low yields of less than 2 tons per acre.

Red Wine by Granrojo from Spain. The 2005 Rojo Garnacha has the color of blackberry with blue tones, almost opaque. Intense and pleasant aromas of licorice and wild red and black berries fill the nose, with mineral undertones. Well-rounded and balanced on the palate, it is elegant and fresh. Red fruit, minerals and a hint of fresh thyme linger on the finish. It's surprisingly silky and full-bodied, with a rich varietal expression. This wine is ideally served at room temperature with a large variety of foods, especially with red meats and all types of cheeses.

Red Wine by Artazu from Spain. 100% up to 80 year old vine Garnacha. The Artazu project was created by the legendary winegrower Juan Carlos Lopez de la Calle of Rioja's famous Artadi estate. The goal was to take the same quest for varietal purity that Juan seeks in Tempranillo to the Garnacha varietal. The small village of Artazu in the northernmost zone of Navarra was chosen for its extraordinary old vines of Garnacha producing wines of dark, peppery fruit with amazing balance and soft tannins.

Red Wine by Las Rocas de San Alejandro from Spain. Number 59 on the Wine.com 100 of 2007! The unoaked 2005 Las Rocas Garnacha is sourced from low yielding vineyards ranging in age from 70-100 years. It gives up attractive aromas of kirsch, raspberries, pepper, and damp earth. This is followed by a broad, full-flavored wine with a supple texture and no hard edges. Drink this pleasure-packed wine over the next 2-3 years. -Wine Advocate One of our most popular value wines. This Garnacha is a special project of importer Eric Solomon, who discovered these ancient high altitude Grenache vineyards (70-100 years old), and brand named the wine Las Rocas.

Red Wine by Marco Real from Spain. The winemaking tends to favor younger, more easily accessible styles of red wine, with good levels of extraction, but with nice balance for earlier consumption. There is a measured use of wood, but only to add a little complexity, often for only a part of the final assemblage. The wines do not pass through a long elevage and are released early, often in the spring after harvest.

Red Wine by Borsao from Spain. Blend: 80% Garnacha, 20% Tempranillo from Campo de Borja Refined nose of red fruit with a hint of blueberry. Spicy with vibrant acidity. Has a sense of both elegance and verve. Great food wine.

Red Wine by Borsao from Spain. Refined nose of red fruit with a hint of blueberry. Spicy with vibrant acidity.  Has a sense of both elegance and verve. Great food wine. Slightly more intense than the Vina Borgia (and priced $2 higher) is the 2005 Borsao, a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Tempranillo. This stainless steel-fermented, deep ruby-hued effort displays plenty of sweet black cherry, strawberry, and raspberry fruit, a hint of black currants, medium body, silky tannin, and wonderful ripeness. The word is “BUY!” Drink it over the next year. Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate