A red by any other name would bleed just the same.
Catching up on some recent red wines:
Phillppe Faury, Cote Rotie, 2004
Deep maroon red colored. Smoky plumskin, incense, and gum arabic on the nose. Smoky plums along with ripe sour cherries, lowish in acid but not deficient or flaccid by any means. Quite juicy. The perfume on this is beautiful, but due to its soft texture, would drink within the next 6-7 years. B+/A-
Domaine de Cantaussel, Minervois la Liviniere, cuvee Pic St. Martin, 1999
A dark, black red. Meaty olive and dense black fruits on the nose. Black olive, dusty concentrated and unsweetened pomegranate and blueberry juice in the mouth with polished road dust on the finish. Fine but strong tannins on the end. Old-school masculine with a brooding power. Slightly rancio styled, like an old syled Rioja. 14% B+
Domaine Paul Autard, Chateaneuf-du-Pape, cuvee La Cote Ronde, 2000
Is it just me or are others finding the 2000 vintage CDP's in a good place right now? This is medium colored for a Chateauneuf. Smoky kirsch-soaked plums and light garrigue on the nose. Spiced pickled crabapples and holiday plums, candy apple, rich but without becoming dense. Some tannins still at the end, but not obtrusive and providing a nice background structure. Slightly raw and masculine, but in a pretty place at the moment. 14% B+/A-
Tua Rita, IGT Toscana, 'Perlato del Bosco', 2001
Dark black cherry colored. Intially, a camphorish mint, plum and dark chocolate covered cherry nose presents itself, but only stubbornly. I get the feeling this was wakened from a REM sleep. Dusty Range Rover (think Mutaul of Omaha's Wild Kingdom) tannins with black plum and cherries. This is Big, but without the fruit you'd expect i nsuch a wine. Has a warm earth and dust dimension that make it interesting, but the 14.5% alcohol keep the interest muted. Modern-styled sangiovese but not voluptuous. Needs a few years to sleep. Night-night... B+
Nicolas Potel, Volnay, vieilles vignes, 1999
Medium-light crimson. Subtle nose of perfumed cherries. Light washed cherry-water and a feather touch of baking spices (esp. cinnamon), a slight stalkiness to this. Overall, a muted red Burgundy, but definately tasting of pinot noir. Merely 'good'. B/B+
Chateau Ste. Anne, Bandol, 2000
Medium brickish red. Horsesweat and rotten beef aromas. Feels advanced for its age. Saddle and sweat flavored by old crushed pepercorns. Simple and animalistic. Wish there was a little more going on here besides the underarm. B
Charles Joguet, Chinon, 'cuvee de la Cure, 2002
A deep strawberry red with slight brick highlights. Poopy nose, but with bright red fruits highlighted in the glass. Drinking better than a previous bottle tasted when it first came out. 12.5% B+
Domaine Maestracci, Corse Calvi, 'E Prove' (rouge), 2003
Maroonish red. Stewy garbage aromas, cooked cabbage, burnt sugar plums and slight herbs on the nose. Dark plums with an herbal quality (par. lavender) with a strong tannic finish. This wine tastes as if it came from a land of rough-hewn earth. 13% Needs time. B+ for interest, not so much current drinking.
Carlisle, Mondeuse, Russian River Valley, 2002
Clean deep cranberry red color. Berries on the nose (black raspberry and raspberry), smoky maraschino cherries with summer floral notes on the exhuberant nose. Bright rose-flavored red and berry fruit with a lovely floral finish. With time, a slight bitter note on the finish of roasted dandelion root. Very nice weight and balance, and much better (to me) than the "better" California year of 2001: this tastes like a distinct variety whereas the 2001 was riper, richer, but overweight and less distinctive. 14.9% [notes on bottle: 'From 99 vines planted in 1910...approximately 25 cases produced"] A/A-