Disclaimer: Spain has, by far, the best wine values in the world.

For my money, Spain has two premier red grapes: Garnacha (Grenache) and Tempranillo, though many other grapes play important supporting roles.  The Spanish version of Grenache can range from light and supple to huge and oaky.  This one forgoes the oak but has plenty of the spicy fruit flavors which define Spanish Grenache vs. the French or American versions.

Hailing from the Navarra region in Northern Spain, near the French border, this Garnacha splits the difference between Spanish spice and Southern Rhone sleek.  The nose is bright – focused on fruit over oak.  Immediately upon opening, this wine was on the lighter side with sweet cherry flavors coating the palate.  I opened it on Friday and today (Monday night), it’s gained weight and firmed up, showing its more serious side.  The wine is great either way, and the fact that it’s still good after having been open 3 days, suggests that it will improve with a few years of bottle age.

Slap a 91 point score on an American red and it could certainly add another digit to the incredible price of this wine.  This wine is more evidence that Spain leads the way when it comes to wine value.  But even with Spain’s proven track record, this is an exceptional value.  Caseworthy.

Buy Here: 2009 Artazuri Garnacha $8.99

Wine Advocate 91 points

“The 2009 Artazuri Garnacha is deep purple in color with an inviting nose of spice box, floral notes, and ripe black cherries. Dense, rich, and nicely proportioned on the palate, it has several years of aging potential but can be approached now.”

When I wrote up the last vintage of this awesome Spanish Garnacha, I compared it to a fine northern Rhone.  If anything, the 2009 vintage is even better than the 2008.  I’ve mentioned this several times, but if you are looking for value in the $8-15 range, start with Spain and especially their Grenache/Garnacha.  It’s difficult to find better drinking wines for the price.

Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha is not subtle but it is balanced.  This wine is made for the pleasure seeker.  It’s aged half in stainless and half in oak so you get a nice freshness with the added rich texture from the oak.  That said, the oak influence is definitely not prominent compared to many Spanish Garnacha which use strongly flavored new American Oak.

Finding any 91 point red under $15 is rare.  When you do find one, it’s sometimes an anomaly.  That’s what is so great about Tres Picos – this wine has been rated over 90 points for the last several vintages.  It’s great to make a list of “go to” wines and I can officially add one more to mine!

Buy Here: Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha $12.95

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar 91 points

“($17; aged half in stainless steel and half in French barriques Glass-staining ruby. An explosive, flamboyantly perfumed bouquet exudes scents of blackberry, cherry cola, violet and cracked pepper, plus a hint of smokiness. Deeply pitched flavors of dark fruits and candied flowers remind me of syrah, but red fruit notes emerge with air, confirming that this is garnacha, not syrah. Intense, focused and impressively persistent on the finish, which echoes the sweet red and dark fruit notes and leaves a subtle smoky quality. This serious wine should be even better in a couple of years. (Fine Estates from Spain, Dedham, MA)”

I’m a fan of Chris Ringland’s wines.  If you aren’t, because you find his wines too bold, high alcohol, or in your face, you’re not wrong and neither am I.  Wine comes down to individual taste, and that’s what makes it so great.  That said, a lot of individual tastes must be in line with Ringland’s because his wines are wildly popular.  So in summary, if you don’t like it, you’re weird but not wrong.

Last year I wrote about the 2007 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Alto Moncayo, which is the big brother of this wine.  For such a marketing genius, Ringland should think about making the naming convention of this wine simplier.  I’ll try to make it as simple as possible, because it’s worth understanding and more in this line will likely show up on these pages.

Bodegas Alto Moncayo is the name of the winery (“Bodegas” actually means wineries).  This Bodega has three wines:

The confusing part is when you put the winery name with the wine name, you end up with Bodegas Alto Moncayo Alto Moncayo for one of the wines.  Look at it this way: Veraton (the one featured here) is like a second wine, Alto Moncayo is their main wine and Aquilon is a reserve taken from only the very best vineyard blocks and barrels.  Get it?

Now forget everything I just said, because Veraton shows better than most producer’s reserve wines and calling it a second doesn’t do it justice. The grapes for all of these wines are harvested from the same estate vineyards and all spend time in 100% new French and American oak barrels.  Last year, both Tanzer and Parker gave Veraton 92 points and I would be shocked to see it get anything lower this year.   It possesses the same bold, sweet flavors Chris Ringland is known for while achieving an impressive balance and depth of flavor.

Chris Ringland is like the champion rally car driver of wine makers.  He’s almost out of control, but despite sliding the the very edge of the precipice, he always comes out ahead of everyone else.  He has a signature style which he uses to produce a Garnacha that’s richer and more dense than I’ve ever tasted.  At $23.95, it’s even that much more impressive.

Buy Here: 2008 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Veraton $23.95

I’m going to have to start writing up these Spanish wines two at a time because there are just so many bargains available right now.  The fact that there are so many Spanish bargains right now is making me much less motivated to drink $8-15 California reds.  I have one to try later this week, so we’ll see if I change my mind.

The Priorat region of Spain produces some of the most highly regarded and high priced wines in the country.  Almost completely surrounding this tiny region is Montsant, the region in which this wine is made. Montsant, much like Priorat, makes bold wines based around Garnacha (Grenache) while also incorporating other varietals, in this case Syrah.  Master importer Eric Solomon is notorious for tracking down fantastic values and he’s hit it in a major way on this one.

Judging by the cool label, Mas Donis Barrica is what I call a “MFA” wine.  Made for America.  Spaniards don’t care about the label and for better or for worse, Americans do.  You could also call it a “MFM” wine, meaning Made for Mason.  Bold flavors, impressive concentration and great balance make this Montsant a dead ringer for a Priorat.  For, $8.99, almost a full dollar lower than the lowest price I can find online, it’s case worthy to say the least.

Buy Here: 2007 Celler de Capcanes Mas Donis Barrica $8.99

Wine Advocate 90 points

“The purple-colored 2007 Mas Donis Barrica is a blend of 85% Garnacha (from vineyards over 80 years of age) and 15% Syrah. Aged for eight months in French and American oak, it was bottled without fining and filtration. It offers up an alluring bouquet of smoke, pencil lead, earth notes, clove, cinnamon, and black cherry. This leads to a wine with remarkable depth and concentration for its humble price, savory flavors, and a fruit-filled finish. Although it is likely to evolve for 1-2 years, there is no reason to delay gratification. ”

International Wine Cellar 90 points

“($13; 85% garnacha and 15% syrah) Ruby-red. Powerfully scented bouquet of raspberry, blackberry, cocoa powder and smoky minerals, with a sexy floral overtone. Lush and creamy but lively, with strong red berry flavors and supple texture. Highly alluring wine with lingering sweet notes of rose and red berries.” (IWC)

It’s the start of a Spanish bonanza with this spectacular 90 point Garnacha from the Calatayud region of Spain.  I hate to sound like a broken record, but Spain is absolutely the source of the best values in wine.  Garnacha (that’s Spanish for… Grenache) and Tempranillo reign supreme, both growing particularly old, allowing the grapes to get exceptional concentration and complexity.

Atteca is made with old vine Garnacha.  When they say old, they mean it!  Vines for this wine have been growing for 80-120 years.  With the exception of a few Zinfandel vines, that kind of age is absolutely unheard of in the United States.  The result is a juicy wine with beautiful purple coloring.  Its fragrant nose is floral, while on the palate it’s rock candy and distinct black pepper.  What really sets this wine apart from others in its price range is the balance, which is incredible.  Unlike the 3-4x more expensive “Armas” bottling (which is also VERY good), this one seems uninfluenced by oak.  It’s all about the bold but balanced flavors.  I tasted a lof of Grenache this past weekend in Santa Barbara county and only the very best achieved this level of concentration and those were $30-50.

Watch for more wines from Spain because the deals just keep on coming.  I bought 5 Spanish wines today including the new vintage of a couple of my favorites.  I have high expectations, so we’ll see if they deliver.

As if this all wasn’t enough value, LA Wine Co has the lowest price in the country by a full dollar according to Google Shopping.

Buy Here: Bodegas Ateca Atteca Garnacha Old Vines 2008 $11.95

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar 90 points

“($16; 100% garnacha) Bright purple. Intensely floral bouquet offers scents of black raspberry, lavender, Indian spices and white pepper. Juicy dark berry flavors are complicated by notes of candied flowers and pepper and show no rough edges. The floral quality resonates on the spicy, long finish. I’d drink this over the next few years to take advantage of its vivacious fruit.”

Spain is producing some amazing values right now.  In an age when quality U.S. reds are considered values when they come in below $20, these Spanish wines under $10 are absolute steals.  How often have you drunk a $6 bottle and said “I can find absolutely no fault in this wine”?  I can count those experiences on one hand.

The 2009 Garnacha de Fuego does have one fault.  The label is absolutely awful.  It looks like a teenager’s Photoshop project.  Otherwise this wine is faultless.  That’s not to say that every aspect blew me away, but rather that everything is in its proper place- a real accomplishment for a $6 wine.

This Garnacha comes from 60-80 year old vines resulting in a concentrated wine that manages to retain an especially juicy, bright taste.  As vines age, they produce less and less fruit, but the fruit they do produce gets more and more concentrated.  All vines benefit from age (to a certain point) but Garnacha in Spain, Syrah/Shiraz in France/Australia and Zinfandel in the U.S. seem to get better with 50 and even 100 years of age.  The problem is that it becomes cost prohibitive as the vines produce less fruit.  So a $6 wine sourced from 80 year old vines is impressive!

I can’t think of many $6 wines that I would even consider drinking, let alone one that I would actually seek out.  Seek this one out  at L.A. Wine Co.  They have it for around $1 less than everyone else.

Buy Here: 2009 Garnacha de Fuego $5.99

Wine Advocate 87 points

“The 2009 Garnacha de Fuego was sourced from 60- to 80-year-old vines at 3000 feet of elevation, insane for an $8 wine. Aside from the price, the other piece of good news is that there are 6500 cases for the USA market. Purple-colored with spicy black cherry aromas that jump from the glass, this is a forward, friendly, ripe effort with no hard edges. Drink this crowd-pleaser over the next 2-3 years.

Bodegas Ateca is a collaboration between the Gil family of Jumilla and importer Jorge Ordonez.”

In honor of Spain’s victory in the World Cup, I decided to pop a bottle of old vine Garnacha.  Let me tell you, drinking this wine is WAY more exciting than watching 90 minutes of scoreless soccer.  Then again, so is being punched in the head, but that’s beside the point.  In all seriousness, this might be the most exciting wine I’ve had all year!  I’m not finished with the bottle, and I already can’t wait until the next time I get to drink this.

This wine pours an inky purple- so dense that the bubbles look almost as dark as the wine itself.  The nose is sweet and absolutely jumps out of the glass.  I’m not sure how the Spanish get their Garnacha (aka Grenache) so concentrated.  Blueberry syrup comes to mind.  This is muscular, firm and sweet but still manages to be refined despite its 16%(!!!) alcohol.

Chris Ringland, the man behind many of Australia’s best values (Pillar Box Red), is the mastermind of this fantastic wine.  It was rated 94 points from the Wine Advocate and 93 from Stephen Tanzer’s notoriously stingy International Wine Cellar.  This wine is drinking great today but will likely last for 10 years.  I see no reason to wait on it because it’s SO good right now.

Buy Here: Bodegas Alto Moncayo Alto Moncayo $37.95

Wine Advocate 94 points

“The same can be said for the 2007 Alto Moncayo, also 100% Garnacha. It offers up a similar aromatic and flavor profile, just at a slightly higher octane level. This opulent effort is all about pleasure; give it 3-4 years of additional cellaring if you’d like it a bit more civilized.

Old vine Garnacha made under the supervision of renowned vigneron Chris Ringland is the story at Bodegas Alto Moncayo in the little known DO of Campo de Borja.

International Wine Cellar 93 points

“($45; 100% garnacha) Deep, bright ruby. Complex bouquet offers scents of blueberry, boysenberry, cola, dark chocolate and mace. Broad, sweet dark berry flavors display liqueur-like depth and power and are nicely framed by velvety tannins. A tangy mineral note gains strength with air and adds vivacity to the long, sweet, spicy finish. I’d drink this alluring wine on the young side for its exuberant fruit character.”

The Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha 2008 tastes like a fine northern Rhone, only it’s from Spain! This old vine Garnacha is full bodied, exotic and bold.  If you are looking for something different, this 91 pointer (from both Wine Advocate and International Wine Cellar) is an incredible value.

At some point, disease has taken out most grape vines around the world, preventing them from reaching “old vine” status, but Garnacha (called Grenache in most of the rest of the world), was spared in Spain.  As vines age, they produce less fruit, resulting in a more concentrated, complex wine.  Because of this, Tres Picos pours a deep red/purple- a really beautiful color.  It has an exotic, spicy nose which foreshadows the equally exotic peppery flavor of this wine- a great food wine.

At $12.95 this Garnacha is seated firmly in daily drinker territory and totally outperforms its price point.  If you’re looking for easy drinking, smooth and light, this is not your wine.  But if you are looking for a well made, bold and flavorful wine at a truly amazing value, look no further.

Wine Advocate 91 points

“The flagship of this portfolio is the perennially outstanding Tres Picos. The 2008 Tres Picos is 100% Garnacha old vines in which 50% was aged in tank and 50% in French oak for 10 months. It gives up a compelling nose of black cherry fruit that jumps from the glass along with earth and mineral notes. Plush on the palate bordering on voluptuous, this pleasure-bent, full-flavored effort will drink well for another 3-4 years although few will be able to resist its charms for that long.

Bodegas Borsao has long been known for high quality value-priced wines and the current releases are no exception.”

International Wine Cellar 91 points

“($17) Opaque purple. Exotically perfumed bouquet of dark berry preserves, smoky minerals, potpourri and Indian spices, with a strong note of cracked pepper; smells like a high-end northern Rhone wine. Very spicy and tightly focused, offering juicy red and dark berry flavors and sexy notes of candied flowers and cocoa powder. Finishes with a wallop of sweet red berries and lingering, seductive spiciness; as ridiculous a value as one can find these days. The yield for this wine was reportedly under two tons per acre. (Fine Estates from Spain, Dedham, MA)”

Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha 2008- $12.95