Sans Liege "Sancha" Marsanne, Derby Vyd., Paso Robles 2010

Light yellow.

Slightly chilled. Nose of ripe pear, lemon flesh and quince.

Round and completely mouth-filling. Great density without being heavy and shows textural sweetness buffered beautifully by mineral/tannic chew. Quince and pear flavor action. RFG. Mineral chew really coats the front teeth. Buying more of this.

$38   from Feast in Tucson.

Tardieu-Laurent, Cote Rotie 2003

Deep red.

Vinturi - sumptuous nose - savory smoked meat/bacon, grilled and wilted herbs and root veg. Smells like Caldo Verde.

Broad and fairly dense in the mouth. Excellent mid-palate flesh, but does lack a bit of lift. Very hot vintage.
Nice smoked meat flavor follow through in the finish. Grainy tannin covers the mouth. Not sure where this is headed though.. Find some good duck and drink this thing.

$60   100% Syrah (I think)

Arnoux "Vieux Clocher" Vacqueyras 2009

Deep red.

Expressive nose - iron/blood/grilled herbs/pepper steak/black cherry.

Round and mouth-filling, with a textural sweetness. Excellent, packed black cherry, herb and spice mid-palate flavors. This is loaded. Spicy, tannic finish is slightly rustic, but honest. Real, gutsy wine here. No sculpting/BS.

$22.

Niepoort "Docil" Loureiro, Vinho Verde 2011

Pale straw.

Fresh, ripe nose of peach, apricot and a hint of fresh herb.

Bright and minerally in the mouth - flavors of ripe apple, lemon zest and ripe peach - as odd as that amalgam might seem. Really acid-driven and yet has a textural sweetness too. This is killer action at a ridiculous price.

$14    Loureiro is an esoteric Portuguese white variety...