The grapes are from Southern Australia; 90% Langhorn Creek and 10% Limestone Coast.  This tasty blend is full bodied, showing smoky notes of strawberry, blueberry and spice.  The Stickleback red will pair nicely with roasted or grilled meats and heavier sauces.  Just stay away from spicy foods with this wine.  The ‘08 gets a solid 87 points in my book.  You should be able to find it in your local wine shop for under $15.

My initial presumptions of this wine were quite wrong.  Coming from South Australia, and with an alcohol content of 14.5%, I assumed this was going to be another flabby New World fruit bomb.  I was pleasantly surprised upon first taste.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of fruit in this blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Tempranillo.  But it had wonderful structure and spice to make this wine surprisingly balanced.  You definitely get some heat from the alcohol, but other than that this was a well made wine.  The Shiraz brings some nice blueberry and dark fruit notes.  The Grenache ads a nice smokey, savory complexity.  The Tempranillo spices things up with crushed white and black peppercorns, and a slight touch of tar.

I would give this wine a rating of 86 points.  You can find it for about $20 in a retail shop.

If you want to indulge yourself even more, spring for the next level up, the Bodegas Alto Moncayo “Alto Moncayo”, or their top bottling “Aquilon.” The Aquilon carries a hefty price tag of approximately $130, but worth every penny if you are a collector. This big boy can lay down for decades.  The 2005 vintage was slightly better, but most of the top wine critics rated the 2006 90+ points.

I had been saving it, and saving it for a special occasion.  And truthfully, I purchased it already past it’s prime.  So I finally took the plunge tonight and popped the cork.

I am usually not sentimental about keeping wine past it’s time…  if you over-age your wine, you have defeated it’s purpose.  It looses all of the beautiful characteristics that it once had.  But this was the oldest wine in my cellar, and it was time to pop this cork.

This wine was fun.  The cork held up nicely, usually you can only count on a cork to last for 20 years or so (if it’s a top quality cork).

I immediately got mushroom, “garrigue,” stewed plums, and pencil lead on the nose.  Just as I would expect from an older Bordeaux.

The palate was a bit thin, with notes of cranberry, leather and a slight minerality.  And it had a faint tannic touch that has held from years ago.  But it’s always a pleasure to drink a wine older than my own age.  I’m glad I didn’t wait another day.  I’d rate the wine 83 points in its current state.  Had I drank it a bit younger, the rating would probably have been slightly higher.

It’s always an honor to pop a cork like this.  Wines this old still have lead capsules, and other markings no longer used today.  Just ads to the beautiful mystery that is wine.  And makes me think of a time much, much simpler.

I’m constantly on the hunt for rich, full bodied wines for under $20.  Most just don’t deliver.  The majority of bargain wines are made from bargain grapes.  Flavors are not as concentrated, which means they can not be extracted as much during the wine making process.  The end result: light bodied, fruity wines with little to no character.

I recently picked up a bottle of 2008 Bitch Grenache, from Southern Australia.  While it’s not on the label, most of the fruit in the wine is coming from 25 year old vines (and some vines as old as 70 years) in The Barossa Valley, Riverland, and McClaren Vale.  For $12, this wine is a winner.  Weighing in at a whopping 15.5% alcohol, this thing is a huge wine for the price.  The 2008 vintage saw a massive heat wave around mid-season, which is one of the reasons for the high alcohol and big body. While the alcohol is a little out of whack (you definitely feel the heat), I’d still rate this wine a solid 7 on a 10 point scale.  Which is incredible for a wine this price.  Some might find this wine a little flabby, it could use a little bit more tannic structure.  I’d rate this wine at 84 points.

Tasting notes from the wine maker:  “Brick red, with pink hues. Sweet, boiled lollies, confectionary nose, some cinnamon spice. Good weight and length on finish.”  I get some great bubblegum notes, and a slight smokiness as well.

The Bitch is produced by R Wines, and imported by The Grateful Palate.  R Wines also produces the well-known Marquis Phillips wines.  While I found this bottle for $12 in a local shop, I’ve seen it as cheap as $8 online.  Worth every penny.