Domaine Terre Megere 2001 Merlot. Very flavourful, and concentrated with a nice bit of spice. Good structure throughout with solid tannins and balanced acidity. I bought a case and went back for more 'cause it was damn cheap and damn good! ($13 canadian, about $10 US) I don't really like point systems because they tell you nothing about what the wine is like, but If I had to, I'd say 85-88.
If you live in the states, there are so many bottlings that you guys have that are fine values. I Just tried the Bogle 2000 Petie Syrah. This was a terrific bottle for the price ($15 cdn.) Deep inky purple in colour and totally opaque. Really thick and concentrated. Not really complex, but great stewed fruit presence and a definite black pepper taste. Very full bodied with nice chewy tannins. I couldn't find any hard edges. Definitely has cellar potential. Oh, BRUSH YOUR TEETH AFTERWARDS! This stuff turned our teeth purple! ($18)
I have always found that Rosemount prefers a bright style of wine, and if you like that, try Mildara Wineries "Church Hill" 2000 Cab Sav/Shiraz. Very good bottle, bright and snappy with generous ripe fruit flavours. Really easy drinking. I usually dont like this style of wine, but this was just what I wanted on the day. ($16)
Still from Australia but compltely different in style, 3 picks, all similar. WaterWheel Bendigo 2000 Shiraz Peter Lehmann 2001 Clancy's Wirra Wirra 2001 Church Block
All three of these are ultra fruit packed and thick. Definitely bordering on "sweet" because the presence of stewed fruit flavours is so intense. Definitely good, but I think you have to like the style, or be in the mood for it. The Clancy's and Church Block are both very smooth and easy drinking. Round sweet tanins fill your mouth. The WaterWheel has a good layer of spice and just a touch of bitterness (a good thing though) and perhaps stronger tannins. Each is about $18 cdn.
Spain has some amazing wines right now.
Bodegas Casta�o has two wines out right now that I love.
1999 Pozuelo which has layers of cherry and perhaps even strawberry flavours and a touch of spice. Smooth tannins and balanced acicity make it very easy to drink. Colour and palate texture could be described as bright and clear. ($12)
The other from Casta�o is the 2001 Hecula. fuller in body and deeper in flavour, perhaps a little less fruit complexity, but there are mineral elements that are very interesting. A smokey and earthy element is very eveident. ($15)
Condado de Haza has beeen fairly consistent and the last three vintages I have had ('98 '99 '00) were all very good. I find that they are generally a little higher in acidity so food would be a good idea. ($18)
My Favourite from spain in the price range has to be the Castell del Remei 2000 Gotim Bru. Wow, this plonk is good! Very clean aroma of cherry, blackberry and strawberry. Clear but deep red colour. So many flavours hit the palate that I found it hard to describe. I think I'll say yummy! A slightly bitter tannic edge was present and it really added interest to it. ($18)
On the super dirt cheap end, I really enjoyed the Altano 1999 & 2000 Douro. both medium bodied, with good fruit, a little peppery, moderately chewy tannins and slightly elevated acidity. Not at all complex, but good if you're on a budget.
Here is why I don't like scores, I had the Argiano 1999 Solengo, which was great, and wanted something from the same winery, but at a more affordable price. So, I bought a bottle of Argiano 2000 Rosso di Montalcino on a whim. When I got home, I checked my first resource, Wine Spectator. They had almost never let me down! The bottle scored 79 points! I put the bottle away and hung my head in shame. A month or two later, I decided to try it anyway. I admit, it had an odd bouquet at first, but when it hit the palate, I was very surprised at how delicious it was. I did more web searching, and found that the reviews were rather split. Some giving the bottle up to 90 pts, and some as low as 70! I found it really came down to what style the drinker was after. It seems that the drinkers at Wine speactator are not much into the "rustic", old world wines, but I rather enjoy them.
Hope this helps you a bit. I have more, I could tell you about, but maybe try one of these and let me know what you think so I can find something suited to your tastes.
Take care
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