2003 Bodegas Castano "Solanera"

This kicky little wine sells for $10. It benefits from some time to breathe (4-5 hours). In it, I found lots of spice and smoke. It's more plush than a shag carpet, and more interesting than your high school English teacher (the one you had a crush on). This wine is made of 75% Monastrell (or Mourvedre... whichever term you prefer), and the rest a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache. If it didn't come from Spain, and instead was labeled a Chateauneuf du Pape (which it could be mistaken for), it would easily go for $30. This is exactly the type of wine you buy a bottle of, and then go back to the store and pick up a case. Excellent value.

The Show

This is "The Show" (2005). A mostly-cabernet blend by Joel Gott (winemaker/guy who owns Taylor's Refresher, in Napa).... and also fellow winemakers Charles Bieler and Roger Scommenga... They have been doing the Three Thieves wine, (an unexpectedly good jug wine), and also "Bandit" wine sold in a CapriSun-type box (and it is not plonk). This is their newest venture. It is 80% cabernet sauvignon mainly from Monterey, then Paso and Napa; the rest of it is made of merlot, cab franc, petit verdot and petite syrah. The alcohol level says it's 13.9. Price: $12. I like it. Good bang for your buck. Once it had a chance to open, you got mocha on the nose, and blueberries on the back end. Not bad!... Quite yummy in fact. I had this with BBQ. It stood up against the ribs and savory-sweetness of the bbq sauce, but could not hold up against the heat of the spicy sausage. All in all, this is a great everyday wine that could be matched with burgers/pizza/bbq, lamb/steak, or can stand alone by itself.

Other info: Joel Gott is a fan of the posters by the Hatch company (an old printing place in Nashville that still does posters for rodeos & country singers). The bottles feature three different colorful old time labels. Pictured are two of them.