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Looking for Pepper and Butter? Try This Red and White: Las Rocas Calatayud Garnacha 2005 and Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay 2006

Pepper and butter seem to be the two most requested flavor influences among red and white wine shoppers. When it comes to butter, I think the American Chardonnay section of a retail store could be arranged on the basis of a butter scale. When it comes to pepper, most people think Zinfandel, but sometimes that elusive spice shows up in Grenache (Garnacha) or Mourvedre (Monastrell).

Here are a couple of bargains that remind me of more expensive wines, and they deliver a fresh grind of black pepper and a nice pat of butter. As you can imagine, they make great accessories to savory dishes.

Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha 2005
Pass by the Zinfandel and turn over this rock for pepper. This is the entry level Las Rocas Garnacha, made in the unoaked style. Still, it reminds me of a Chateauneuf Du Pape, albeit on a more accessible level, and at 1/5 the price. Here you will find pepper a plenty, not to mention cherry liqueur, a savory characteristic not unlike roast meat, plus a certain gravelly earthy sensibility. Made for food, capable of carrying a slow cooked roasted dish, you might also find it to be a superb match for a well made pepperoni pizza.

Fruit for Las Rocas is sourced from 70-100 year-old vines located in Calatayud, between Madrid and Barcelona. The modern day Spanish importer/legend Eric Solomon is responsible for bringing Las Rocas to market. Wine Advocate gave Las Rocas 2005 90 points, and they say it's time to drink up. The 2006 is on the market, but there is still some 2005 to be bought in and around Nashville.

Price (Nashville): $11. Closure: Plastic cork. Alcohol content: 14.5%.

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay 2006
Columbia Crest gives a lot for a little, like this wonderful example of a Columbia Valley Chardonnay. Here you are getting something that delivers the elegance of a mildly oaked Burgundy at a bargain price. If it's what's in the bottle that counts, you might just want to pass by the top shelf Chardonnay and grab this one.

Expect lemon drops, lovely pear, light smoke, ginger, plus a moderate pat of that much in demand buttery character. This is a creamy white that would do very well with grilled chicken, roast chicken, or even a rich fish dish along the lines of Pompano en Papillote.

The creamy buttery character is developed through secondary fermentation, and the light smoke and spice owes itself to judicious oak aging (about 9 months in a variety of new and old barrels).

Price: $11 (Nashville). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Château Lagarosse Premières Côtes De Bordeaux 2005

The 1980's were a good time to be discovering wine. Napa was just beginning to focus on the classic worldly varietals and turn out competitive product. (And there were no traffic jams or limousines to interfere with your quest.)  Washington State was in the hands of Mom and Pops, just a curiosity. No one had heard of Merlot. Riesling was important. And the old world was where the sophistication was. Back then, for the average American, wine was just beginning to transition from Mateus, Lancer's and Boone's Farm, to Bordeaux, Spätlese, Mondavi, and Lytton Springs. Robert Parker struck a chord with his book about Bordeaux, touting the 1982 vintage and whetting everyone's appetite. You could actually buy a label that said Pauillac, Margaux, Graves, St-Julien or St-Estèphe, starting at less than $20. Once upon a time, I bought this respectable Pauillac, Château Batailley 1982, for under $16.

Now, when someone who is the age I was in 1985, comes into the store looking to buy a Bordeaux, curious, wanting to know the differences between the left and right banks, they usually go away empty handed. For $20, you just can't buy a label from a well known appellation. You have to pony up $50 and up, or look to the suburbs of Bordeaux, so to speak. Neither is all that satisfying an alternative. Your research begs you to compare a Pauillac to a Pomerol, to see the what difference the soil, the grape and the proximity to the river makes, but you question if that knowledge is worth a couple of hundred dollars.

Still there are bargains to be had, if you can look past the old world to the new, and Château Lagarosse is on that list. "A group of American investors", called Adams French Vineyards, purchased and have been renovating a group of Château to create a solid portfolio of approachable Bordeaux. The well-known and already well-exposed Michel Rolland is part of the management team of this endeavor, and he is putting his stamp on each bottle.

Château Lagarosse is located in Premières Côtes De Bordeaux, which is south of the high end appellations, but not too far from Saint-Èmilion. Château Lagarosse is chiefly Merlot, as you might expect. The exact blend is listed as 80% Merlot, with 10% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. This is Merlot with a French twist, a decidedly bigger personality than the typical California Merlot. At the finish line, this is Merlot that engenders respect for Merlot.

Expect a very aromatic nose, big on berries and almost candy-like, with flavors that run deeper, more towards cassis, black cherry and lots of rocks. Bordeaux wines run the gamut of styles, and some are really over my head. This one is nicely heady, makes you think, but stays accessible. There is plenty of tannic structure there. Robert Parker has assessed the 2005 vintage in Bordeaux with an overall 95 rating, one of the best in recent times. This wine is a testament to the quality of the vintage. You could probably even cellar it a while, but don't forget about it!

Price: $16 (Nashville). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Now and Then: Scott Harvey Amador County Zinfandel 2004 and Folie à Deux Ménage à Trois Red 2006

Scott Harvey is an overnight success in the wine business. If you believe that I've got a bridge to sell you. After 20+ years in the business, after achieving partnership in Folie à Deux, he championed the brand known as Ménage à Trois, which was since purchased by Sutter Home parent Trinchero. That fateful launch was some 10 +/- years ago, and now Scott, along with Jana (his wife, an industry "veteran" as well), have their own labels.

I didn't know this history of Scott Harvey Zinfandel until after I opened a few bottles of Amador Mountain Selection 2004. Actually it was a comment on a Winewaves post about Wingnut Amador Zin that revealed the connection to Ménage à Trois. But every label has a story, don't it? You think you're just drinking something you've never heard of, but that's almost never the reality once you awaken to the truth.

Scott Harvey is a pioneer in Amador, having traveled back and forth between the gold hills of California and Rhineland Pfalz in Germany in the mid-1970's. Over the course of three decades he has gilded his relationships with top Amador growers, and some people even credit Scott Harvey with putting the region on the map. He cut his teeth at Montevina and achieved early general manager status at Santino Winery (now Renwood).

Buying a bottle of Zinfandel you don't know, just because it's from Amador County, and expressly because you don't know it, and then having it turn out to be a real find - that's the thrill of the hunt. Especially if your find turns out to be made at a small local "liquor store" in your own neighborhood.

Scott Harvey Amador Mountain Selection Zinfandel 2004 has a nice piercing nose (I didn't say nose piercing!). It's plummy, raspby, lightly cedary, and there's a bit of forest floor earthiness to it, like a walk through Yosemite. The flavor is jammy but the character is deeper than jam, in fact it's deeper than you expect for about $15-20. You get a little of that all-spicy character joining the ample fruit on the tongue, and the finish is dusty, sturdy and yet ready for action right now. (The 2005 is the current vintage in release.)

Once we got around to pairing it with food, the wine was spot on for a natural pork loin chop with an heirloom tomato, sage, and vidalia onion reduction sauce and summer vegetable sauté. The rich natural sweet tart balance of the home grown tomatoes combined seamlessly with the wine.

Price: $15 (Nashville). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 14.5%.

We've come to know Ménage à Trois as a best seller at retail over the years, especially the red. Without apologies, it is now positioned as a red wine for people who normally don't drink much red wine. I must admit it seems to have become a little "watered down" over the past decade. Like many brands that come out of the gate and establish themselves behind a strong marketing premise and an over delivering execution, this one appears to have transitioned to resting squarely on its laurels. Yes, it's quite pleasant, but not as fit as it must have been in years past. The people want soft, and that's what they get. The blend of three, as it were, is dominated by Zinfandel (a la Scott Harvey's invisible hand), plus Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. There is a sweet jam character, plus herbal undertones. The body and backbone are rather light, a good wine to make the transition into drinking dry reds. It has its place in the market to be sure, but there are red blends on much firmer footing for the same price.

Price: $9 (Nashville). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

3 Rings 2006 Barossa Valley Shiraz

If you're wondering if everybody here at Wine Waves has a fetish for Grateful Palate imported wines, wonder no more. We do, and so should you. They find talented people (mostly in Australia) making excellent wines at reasonable prices and then they put them on a plane or boat (or dirigible, the method of transport isn't clear) and bring them to your neck of the woods (if you're lucky).

That's the long way of saying I'm reviewing another Grateful Palate imported wine - this week the 2006 Barossa Valley from 3 Rings. Having had many positive experiences with  Grateful Palate imported wine, I was well prepared to enjoy 3 Rings Shiraz.

But I didn't.

There are several reasons, primarily the odd, funky finish. I let it air for a while and after 2-3 hours the dark plummy fruit came out more but really didn't sell me either. To be completely honest I won't buy another bottle of 3 Rings. There are better Shiraz out there - R Wines Boarding Pass for example, is $3 more expensive but far more interesting and drinkable. I will say that 3 Rings avoids most all the dirty dishwater flavors of other inexpensive Shiraz, and at $15 it's not a bad glass of wine, but there are so many better it's hard to justify buying or drinking.

Price: $15 (Costco - Out West). Closure: Screw top. Alcohol content: 15.0%.

California Field Blends: Ten Mile Red 2005, Laurel Glen Lodi REDS 2006, Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot 46

In California, before prohibition, wine growers planted their vineyards with mixed varieties, like quilt work. When it came time to harvest, they usually picked them all at the same time, even if all the grapes didn't have the same level of ripeness. And they co-fermented the crush, everything in the vat together. It was easier, and some people continue to say better, to get a blend to come together and reach a more seamless accord.

These "field blends" were Zinfandel dominated, because that was the star grape of the era in California. Other varieties typically found in these blends included Carignane, Petite Sirah (aka Durif), Alicante Bouschet, Peloursin, Syrah, and Barbera. There remain old vineyards, usually with head pruned vines, dotted around California, from Napa and Sonoma to Lodi. Once thought of as Zinfandel plantings, DNA testing has revealed many old Zinfandel vineyards include a supporting cast of other varieties. Each wine farmer planted their own proprietary combination, to produce a more harmonious and rounded end product in the barrel and bottle.

Alicante Bouschet was popular during prohibition because growers believed its thick skin made it a superior grape for transporting by rail to auction rooms in the east.

As an interesting side note, we can thank the White Zinfandel craze that began in the 1970's for preventing many old field blend vineyards from being ripped out in favor of the burgeoning Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay trade.

Now that we can determine what's in a vineyard, co-fermentation is not all that common. Most wines, even those that mimic old fashioned field blends, are picked and fermented in separate lots, then blended just before bottling. That gives the wine maker more degrees of freedom, leaves less up to chance, and it's just the modern way.

Just like Bordeaux blends have stood the test of time, so have these truly American Zinfandel blends. These blends also offer real bang for the buck, giving authentic personality to a casual everyday red wine. These are certainly amazing "spaghetti wines", and also do great justice to a seriously good pizza, anything mesquite grilled, or anything with a southwestern slant to it. And of course, they stand alone equally well.

Let's take a look at three that go beyond making the grade. All 3 of these blends share the same deep purple ruby color, almost opaque. They aren't drastically different in terms of aromas or flavors, either. They're all recommended.

Nine North Wine Co. Ten Mile Red 2005

Nine North Wine Company gives the 2004 vintage composition as 64% Petite Sirah, 18% Zinfandel, 8% Barbera, 8% Malbec and 2% Carignane.

This is the plummiest of the three, with lots of fresh cherry in the nose also. The undertones are spicy, in the direction of a Moroccan spice blend. The fruit is plummy and red on the tongue. You get that dusty structure, and a sense of licorice as the wine finishes.

Price: $15 (Nashville). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Laurel Glen Lodi REDS 2006
Laurel Glen says Reds is comprised of 60% 70-year-old Zinfandel, 30% 116-year-old Carignane and the balance Petite Sirah.

Reds displays a bright raspberry nose from the get-go. You also get some roasted undertones akin to chocolate or mocha, and a hint of ground pepper. The fruit is lush, with more cocoa and pepper evolving on your tongue. The nice dusty (but not overwhelming) structure asserts itself as the wine finishes.

Price: $10 (Nashville). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 14.5%.

Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot 46
Marietta doesn't give out its proprietary blend. Like one's age, sometimes it's best to keep it a secret. They do say the blend is primarily comprised of Zinfandel, with Petite Sirah and Carignane and smaller amounts of Cabernet and Syrah and "various other Italian varietals" rounding out the blend. Is this the most authentic "field blend" of the three?

Old Vine Red is the meatier, that is to say smokier, of the three. It's not overwhelming in the smoke department by any means, but there's more there. There is plenty of fruit in the nose and on the tongue, definitely a Zinfandel-like fusion of raspberry and dark cherry. The flavors are well integrated and it's the "jammiest" of the three. This is the fullest bodied of the 3 wines, with very smooth dusty tannins, and finishing with a touch of vanilla.

Price: $13 (Nashville). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

If I had to rank the 3 wines, it would have to be put in context. None is a clear winner without a frame of reference. They're all recommended. But the Ten Mile Red would be my favorite with spicy food, along the lines of something with Moroccan spice, a curry, or cumin. Reds is my value priced favorite, if I'm on a tight budget, and it's my favorite to drink by itself  or with a piece of dark chocolate or similar dessert. Old Vine Red would be my hands down favorite for spaghetti, pizza, burgers, or most casual cuisine. No wonder every lot of Old Vine Red has been completely allocated since 1978.

If you're thinking about testing these wines with some spaghetti, here's a sauce that's also recommended. Dave's Gourmet Red Heirloom spaghetti sauce is worth looking for. You can buy it online, or discover it as I did, at Marshall's off-price department store. Our heirloom tomatoes aren't ripe yet, so this sauce caught my eye. I like any jar variety spaghetti sauce whose first ingredient is "tomatoes", not "tomato puree". I also like to see a low sugar content (4 grams per serving here), and I like the fat to be olive oil (extra virgin here). You might like it meatless, but we added lean and naturally raised ground beef and some sauteed onions and garlic (to season the meat). Serve it over thin whole wheat spaghetti.

Mozares Rueda Verdejo 2006 (Just for the Halibut)

Drink this one by the glass, by itself, or drink it for the halibut. Mozares Rueda Verdejo 2006 is an ideal accompaniment to a wild halibut taco and broccoli slaw.

Verdejo is the predominate grape variety in Rueda, a trendy white wine region located northwest of Madrid. The Rueda wine industry dates back 1000 or more years, but has seen a resurgence since the end of Franco's rule (1975). White wines from Rueda are required to be at least 50% Verdejo, with Sauvignon Blanc typically blended in.

Mozares Verdejo is bright, pale lemon gold in the glass. You get aromas of green apple and quince, plus herbal undertones of fennel or dill, plus a flinty minerality. The taste is tart, crisp, and refreshing, without a hint of manipulation or wood anywhere to be found. Those herbal tendencies are just perfect for cold water mild fish, which for me means halibut - when I can find and afford high quality wild caught from the northwest. The fish is the star, and the Mozares Verdejo makes it sparkle plenty.

Price: $10 (Nashville). Closure" Plastic cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Besides wine, Spain is also known for its sunflowers. The bright sunny quality of Mozares inspired me to capture this photo in my Tennessee garden today. The sunflowers are all mixed in with the heirloom tomato plants this year, a result of feeding the birds this past winter. We resisted the temptation to "weed" them out and they make great companions to the tomatoes, as they help hold up the tomato vines and attract bees and butterflies.

"The butterfly is a flying flower, the flower a tethered butterfly." - Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun

Yard Dog Proprietary White Blend 2006 and One Fierce Shrimp Quesadilla

Being a health and fitness nut is not incompatible with a love for eating. Summer is the season for fresh produce, so this evening I went out and picked some tomatoes, peppers and herbs. My plan: to do some simple culinary blending that will illustrate the beauty of Yard Dog White 2006, a creative blend that's selling very well here in Nashville.

The garden is just starting to provide a yield. But I was able to pick a bunch of sweet banana peppers, and a "Holy Mole" pepper, as well as several small heirloom tomatoes, called Lime Green Salad and Black Cherry. I also gathered up a bunch of onion chives, flat leaf parsley, and sweet basil. Now, it's time to make a Shrimp Quesadilla.

I google shrimp quesadilla and find a number of similar approaches. Now I'm ready to improvise. Nobody mentioned garden fresh peppers, but I'm going to incorporate them. To make one fierce shrimp quesadilla, here's what I put together:

Shrimp: 1/2 pound thawed, USA wild caught, 30 per pound, de-veined. I look for USA wild caught, because they are not on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's list of seafood to "Avoid", unlike imported farm raised and wild caught shrimp, which are. These shrimp, I marinate 20 minutes in Stirrings Margarita Mix, plus copious chopped chives and parsley, as well as a shake or two of Mrs. Dash Garlic and Old Bay seasoning. I set these aside in the refrigerator.

I chop:

• 1/4 to 1/2 sweet Vidalia onion, depending on size
• 1/2 good sized fresh "Holy Mole" pepper, seeds and membranes removed
• 1 sweet banana pepper, seeds removed
• 1/5 sweet red pepper, seeds removed
• These peppers and onions are sweated in olive oil for 5-10 minutes on low-medium heat.

Meanwhile, I begin heating and browning 2 whole wheat soft tortillas.

Once the onions and peppers are transparent, I add the shrimp and marinade and reduce the mixture as the shrimp poach. This only takes 5 or 6 minutes. Now, it's assembly time.

Leave one browning tortilla in its non-stick pan, and put a little handful of "Mexican Cheese" (I used 2% milk variety) on the bottom tortilla. Now add half the peppers and onions. Next add all the shrimp (except the ones you ate already). Add the other half of the peppers and onions. Add another small handful of "Mexican Cheese". Finally, add the top tortilla. The skillet is on medium heat. Once the whole quesadilla has melted together, turn it and brown it on the other side.

Serve with a side of chopped heirloom salad tomatoes (I used the Lime Green and Black Cherry ones from the garden), mixed with fresh sweet basil. You might also serve with some rice, seasoned how you like. Finally, drizzle the quesadilla with a sour cream concoction that is thinned out with the Stirrings Margarita Mix that I mentioned earlier. Lastly, top with chopped flat leaf parsley and onion chives.

Yard Dog proprietary white blend is a summer wine, ideal for creative fusion dishes, because it's a perfect blend of white wine flavors and textures. A little of this and a little of that comes together resulting in a very successful bottle of wine that will disappear quickly as it keeps you guessing what all is in it.

What's in it is Chardonnay (55%), Sauvignon Blanc (15%), Riesling (15%), Semillon (10%) and Viognier (5%). The color is bright lemon straw. It's not sweet! It's crisp and dry, yet refreshing. On the nose you will pick up a citrus medley, plus some cold blossoms and a slightly peachy keen-ness. On the tongue the citrus dominates, playing out as lemon, lime and grapefruit, plus you might get some nectarine and green apple. The whole thing stays together, creating a flavor that's charismatic. And it's sure to be the perfect thing to wash down a shrimp quesadilla, or even potato salad on the way to a hot dog off the grill.

Red Head Wine Studios, out of the McLaren Vale area in Australia, did a great job with keeping the price down on this fun white. Their Yard Dog proprietary red blend is equally impressive. 5,500 cases of the 2006 white blend were produced. Both of these wines are selling extremely well in Nashville this year.

Price: $9 (Nashville). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 13.7%.

Yard Dog is imported by Vine Street Imports out of Philadelphia. Winewaves has reviewed several of their wines recently. We are in no way affiliated with Vine Street. They are obviously on a hot streak right now, which is why we have featured several of their wines.

Klinker Brick 2005 Old Vine Lodi Zinfandel

Let's face it, there is a lot of bad Zinfandel out there. And then there's that white Zinfandel stigma. So, buying Zinfandel can be a bit of a minefield. Here's a word of advice - if the name is a pun on the word 'zin' it's probably worth passing by. Any wine called Zin-cinatti or Zin-ammon. Is really trying too hard. Avoid it.

Based on the above, I haven't been a big buyer of Zinfandel. However, while browsing the wine section of my local gourmet market I ran into the big, gay proprietor of a (different) local wine shop and we got to talking about the selection. He pointed out that the two best things they had on the shelf that day were Klinker Brick's 2005 Zin and a retardedly unaffordable claret. So - zin it is.

The Klinker Brink should not be classed among those lesser zins, for sure. It's a really amazing example of Zinfandel - in fact, after the Klinker, just to see if my tasting was accurate I sipped a few others including the 2005 Terraces Zin. I was right the first time - the Klinker is a stunner.

It's from Lodi, California and harvested from a selection of vines ranging in age from 35-110 years old. One HUNDRED and ten years old! For reference that means the first vines in this bottle were planted in 1898. Other things that happened in 1898: The Spanish-American War started. New York City is divided into 5 bouroughs and the US annexed the Hawaiian islands.

Okay, enough trivia, onto the facts: The Klinker is 100% Zinfandel aged for 15 months in American oak. Harvested late, the 2005 yields were higher than average. It's $17 a bottle directly from Klinker, and if you are crafty (like me) you can find it for $15.

In the glass it's a pale rose purple with a very subtle nose, there's a lot of heat - the alcohol is 15.5% so...

I'd been informed that this would benefit from some decanting and some air, so I poured it and let it sit in the decanter for a good hour before I sipped it. The first sip was pleasant - fruity with a long, long complex chocolatey finish. Very decent. I had a glass and really enjoyed it, it's wonderfully fruity and complex. And, I'm going to break every rule in the wine world by admitting it - this stuff gets you drunk. So I had a couple of glasses left in the decanter, and I went out and did what I do on a weeknight and returned home about 3 hours later. I noticed the decanter and grabbed a glass wondering how it had matured throughout the evening.

Wow. WOW. The wine had matured into an amazing combination of ripe fruits and jammy complexity. The difference a few hours made was pretty stunning. In fact, the first sip I had after letting it air was so good I regretted drinking so much of it initially.

So - bottom line on Klinker Brick's 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel? Good stuff, great for the price, open it it early and let it get some air and you'll be pleased. Klinker Brick says, "Our Klinker Brick 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel may be the very best we have produced to date with full, juicy flavors of cherries and plums coupled with the perfect balance of oak and spice." I agree.

Price: $15 (Out West). Closure: Natural cork. Alcohol content: 15.5%.

Bodegas Alto Almanzora Este 2005

Este, or 090 degrees on the compass, is a sleeper. After tasting from 3 or 4 bottles of the 2005 vintage, I continue to be impressed with the intense aromatics and the fireworks display of fruit in the mouth.

Bodegas Alto Almanzora Este 2005 can boast an 89 point rating from Wine Advocate and the good wine-keeping seal of approval that is implied with any wine imported by Eric Soloman. It's beyond me why Este isn't a swifter seller here in Nashville. Perhaps it's our desire to know the grape variety, which is conspicuously missing from Este's label. The blend is proprietary but is believed to contain 60% Monastrell (Mourvedre), 10% Garnacha and 10% Tempranillo, plus smaller amounts of 3 other grapes we all know (Cab, Merlot and Shiraz). Describing the synonyms of Monastrell is enough to put some people off a wine that's not Cabernet, Merlot or Shiraz. Yes, maybe it's a grape identity crisis. Or it could be we don't know where Valle del Almanzora is. (It's located in southeastern Spain.) It's not on our radar of impressive places of origin.

Whatever the reason, there is still 2005 Este to be bought for under $10. (The 2006 is perhaps even better according to Wine Advocate, as reviewer Jay Miller gave it 90 points.) The 2005 is drinking superbly right now. Think about anything off the summer grill, from hot dogs to burgers to chicken to sausages and wash those thoughts down with a glass of Este. If you're a bear of a wild salmon eater, take a break from Pinot Noir. Here's a great quaff for wild Coho, especially if you like to do the cedar plank technique.

The aroma is intense, slightly perfumed, with lots of red fruit and seductive undertones of vanilla and wood spice. There's a purity to the aroma that can't be described singularly. You might pick up cherry cola when you taste it, but with lots of backbone and assertiveness. The finish is dusty dry and sticks around nicely. This is definitely a more elegant wine, with lots more going on, than you expect. Especially if you aren't sure what to expect.

The label features a simple, stylized drawing of an Andalusian mare. Also known as the purebred Spanish horse, the Andalusian dates back 20,000 years in this area of Spain. These are an intense, agile and elegant breed, an thus an appropriate symbol for this wine. If you see Este at a good price, don't hesitate. It's an exceptional red blend.

Price: $10 (Nashville). Closure: Plastic cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Hendry Napa Rosé 2006

Whenever I notice someone buying good quality dry rosé, I look to see what else they're buying. These are people I should know, or at least I should know what they drink. They're not stuck in a red and white world. They are open-minded wine drinkers. And they aren't afraid of color.

Some people have no time to stop and smell the rosés. But I wonder, how can you not like a good rosé? No wine is as much fun to look at in a glass, and none is more versatile. Rosé is the de-facto picnic wine and is the liquid stuff of romantic sidewalk cafés. Still, few Americans venture to the middle of the wine spectrum.

Hendry Napa Rosé, like most good dry rosés, is really all about the color. You're not so much drinking rosé because of the flavor. The flavor can be really good, of course, as with this Hendry, still it's not tremendously different from drinking a white wine. But look into a glass while you swirl it around and what do you see? Of course, you can't help but to think of the flower. Anarchist Emma Goldman was quoted as saying, "I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds 'round my neck." Personally, I couldn't agree more. Does that make those of us who like rosé, wine anarchists? Then there are the sunsets that stop us in our tracks, whatever hurry we're in. Even neon comes to mind when swirling a glass, like the pink elephant neon sign near the Space Needle in Seattle. Rosé also brings to mind the brilliant turning leaves that happen in the fall. We usually think of Vermont, but this brilliant color can even be seen in Hendry's vineyards.

Hendry Napa Rosé comes into being when the lots of freshly crushed Cabernet and Primitivo grapes have been in the fermentation tank a short time, and a judicious cut of the brightly hued juice is bled off. The saignée process as it is called, results in a fanciful rosé from great stock, while also concentrating the phenolics and deepening the color of the red wine that is left on the grape skins. It's a win-win, or you could say, wine-wine situation.

Breathe in Hendry Rosé and your apt to sense lots of citrus, grapefruit and blood orange, plus stone fruit, peaches and nectarines, and a hint of something plummy. Your tongue will be delighted by a bittersweet sensation that carries through the citrus character. This is a real picnic wine that makes me think of cold fried chicken, pimento cheese sandwiches and those addictive salt and pepper kettle chips.

Another real nice thing about Hendry Rosé is it's kind of like an early bird special. You'll pay $55 for a bottle of Hendry Cab, or $31 for the Primitivo, both of which gave up some of their juice to make this rosé, which you can buy for under $15. That's a great deal for this estate bottled beauty. There's only a few hundred cases of it, but you can buy it online direct from Hendry if your state allows it.

Price: $15 (Nashville). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 13.5%.