2010 Borsao Tres Picos

One of my favorite offerings from the Bodegas Borsao is the 6,000-case cuvee of the 2010 Tres Picos. Made from 100% Garnacha aged in equal parts stainless steel and French oak, this is the Bodegas Borsao’s interpretation of Chateauneuf du Pape. (But when’s the last time you saw a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape priced at $17 – about 30 years ago?) Deep notes of roasted herbs, sweet black cherries and raspberries, peppers and spice soar from the glass of this dark ruby/purple-tinged wine. Full-bodied, rich, ripe, silky textured, pure and long, this unbelievable value should drink well for 3-4 years. This is a marvelous consumer resource for high quality wines selling at absurdly low prices. I often ask myself, if I had known wines like this existed when I began my career 33 years ago, would I have even considered trying to find great wines at low prices? This has been one of my “go-to” wineries for many years, given their relationship between quality and price. Once you taste these wines, you will probably ask the same question many people have – why do I need to spend more? Bodegas Borsao, which was founded in 1958, owns 3,700 acres in what is one of the emerging, super quality, realistically priced wine regions of not only Spain, but all of Western Europe, Campo de Borja. The soils tend to be dominated by a white chalkiness with considerable alluvial gravel and pebbles. The climate is continental, meaning extremely hot summers and cold winters with some influence from the nearby Ebro River. The vineyards are not old by Spanish standards, with most of the Grenache planted in the early 1980s, and the Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah in the late 1990s. Most of the wines see no oak, and are fermented and aged in stainless steel under strict temperature and quality conditions. Importer: Value Wines from Fine Estates from Spain, Dedham, MA, tel. (781) 461-5767; Fax (781) 461-2570; www.jorgeordonez.com