Gifts for Wine Lovers

Red Wine by Alto Moncayo from Spain. Dark purple. The nose offers surreal, room-filling perfume of ripe raspberry, blackberry, incense, vanilla and dried flowers. Shockingly understated on the palate, with vibrant red berry, smoked meat and baking spice flavors, silky tannins and crisp mineral bite. There's no excess fat or sweetness here. Finishes with palate-staining intensity and superb focus. I'd love to see this lined up with some mega-bucks Napa cult wines costing twice the price of this admittedly luxe-priced bottle. If you play in this sandbox, you'll flip. -International Wine Cellar The 2005 Aquilon has a splendid perfume of slate, violets, and cherry compote. There is beautiful integration of oak, tannin, and acidity, a smooth texture, layers of flavor, and exceptional length. There is enough structure to support 6-8 years of cellaring and it will provide pleasure through 2030. -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Clarendon Hills from McLaren Vale, Australia. Dry spiced and savory fruited palate is supported by complex tannin structure. Acidity and tannin are expressed in this layered and multi-dimensional example.

Red Wine by Clarendon Hills from McLaren Vale, Australia. Ripe cherry, strawberry and a violet character dominate the nose. Recessed and spice driven - the Kangarilla vineyard is elegant and light on its feet.

Red Wine by Clarendon Hills from McLaren Vale, Australia. Spiced red fruit notes integrate with the lightly textured tannins. The balance of unique vintage spice and the clarity of varietal characters make for a pleasing, lightly structured Clarendon...

Red Wine by Clarendon Hills from McLaren Vale, Australia. This vineyard is situated in the hills above the township of Clarendon, planted in 1920. The wine from here is always very aromatic, lovely scents of cherry, plum with lavender and basil notes...

Red Wine by Betts & Scholl from Barossa Valley, Australia. Wine Spectator's Harvey Steinman writes: 'Americans Richard Betts, sommelier at Montagna, the Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning restaurant at the Little Nell in Aspen, Colo., and Dennis Scholl...

Red Wine by Alto Moncayo from Spain. The estate's mid-level effort is the fairly priced Alto Moncayo. This wine is spectacular, and represents the perfect foil for grilled steak. Even richer, fuller, and more muscular than the 2003, with riveting intensity and palate staining extract, the 2004 Alto Moncayo is inky/purple, full-bodied, and rich. This pedal-to-the-metal offering should age handsomely for a decade. -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Saint Cosme from Gigondas, France - Rhone. 100 % Grenache, Limestony sand, Aged for 12 months: 30% in new oak - 40% in one year old barrels - 30% in two years old barrels. The limestony sands are mysterious: it is important to avoid...

Red Wine by Tintara from McLaren Vale, Australia. Blend: 94% Grenache, 6% Shiraz Appearance: Brick red with purple hues. Aroma: Highly fragrant with musk, red licorice, star anise and blackberry fruit. Flavor: Rich and textured with bright fruit characters of strawberries and violets with underlying musk. The vibrant fruit is supported by elegant savory tannins leading to a refined, long finish.

Ship a bottle for just a buck. Details at Wine.com.Red Wine by d'Arenberg from McLaren Vale, Australia. Some years ago, chief winemaker, Chester Osborn, sought out additional premium Grenache fruit from McLaren Vale to meet the high demand for d'Arenberg's Grenache-based wines. Amongst others, a particular vineyard planted thirty years ago with Grenache appeared promising, and was the inspiration in the naming of this wine. Last used for grape production two decades ago, the vineyard fell into neglect and was utilized as a horse paddock. Horses had trampled on the vines making them unproductive. Vine pruning occurred sporadically when the horses snacked on them. Long bracken ferns and native grasses up to a meter high entwined with, and hid the vines. The vines themselves resembled Medusa's hair - wild, thick, struggling and gnarled. Taming and rejuvenation of the vineyard occurred over several years with weeding, reposting, trellising and pruning undertaken. The exceptionally low yielding Grenache was hand-picked late in vintage. The palate starts with a huge Wam! of flavor. Thick, ripe mulberries, blackberries and blueberries progress into a rich, gutsy, licorice and bitumen palate, followed by masses of powerful, youthful, gritty fruit tannins, layered with tones of flowery, cranberry and dark fruit flavors, and a youthful acidity. This is a wine of intense concentration. With time, the tannins will somewhat soften and integrate as the fruit flavors open. Enjoy with grilled chicken or lamb. Drink now or cellar for 5-7 years. \\xA0 \\xA0

Red Wine by Alto Moncayo from Spain. Inky purple. A heady bouquet evokes ripe red berries, anise, mocha and pungent fresh flowers. Supple and sweet on entry, then more structured in the middle, offering deep, mineral-accented dried strawberry and cherry liqueur flavors. Takes a spicy turn on the long, sappy finish, which echoes the pure red berry qualities. The oak (all new) is almost shockingly understated, perhaps thanks to the reported four-year aging of the staves. -International Wine Cellar The 2005 Alto Moncayo Veraton is 100% Garnacha aged in new French and American oak for 17 months. Dark ruby-colored, it exhibits an alluring nose of toasty new oak, mineral, spice box, black cherry, and black raspberry. This leads to a wine bordering on opulence, with layers of fruit, some structure, and a long, pure finish. Drink it over the next 8-10 years. -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by d'Arenberg from McLaren Vale, Australia. On initial pouring, the colours of this wine are dark and concentrated and suggest a very young wine. Served blind, the fragrance and voluptuous, red fruit aromas lead you to think that it's...