Santa Alicia Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2011 (about $12)

About the Wine:  In European countries there are strict rules about what may be labeled as "reserva", "riserva", or any variation thereof.  South America does not, as a rule, have those kinds of restrictions.  This is unfortunate because it means that some wineries throw the reserva label on anything.  The fact that this bottle is a screw cap makes me somewhat dubious about the choice of labels. That said, I have seen genuine reservas in this price range where the non reserva of the same wine is $9 or something like that.

About THIS Wine:  This one is opaque in the glass with a purple rim.  The nose is heavy with the green pepper notes one would expect from a Cab this young.  A musky quality is also present.  The palate is dry and smooth with sweet red fruit on the finish.

Drinking This Wine:  Pop and pour.  It needs all of fifteen minutes of decanting.  It works well as a sipping wine but would also be good with a burger.

Overall Impression:  Pleasant, easy to drink, and cheap.  This reserva could easily sell for fifteen dollars or more and at twelve it is a good value.

Domingo Molina Hermanos Cafayate Cabernet-Malbec 2011 (about $18)

About the Wine: Argentina is best known for its Malbec, which is a bit of a shame since many of the Cabs from there fight well above their weight class in terms of price to quality ratio.  A Cab/Malbec blend is probably as good a way as any to introduce drinkers to this expression of a familiar grape, assuming the wine is any good, of course.

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is opaque with a purple rim.  Some chocolate and coffee notes are present on the nose on first opening but those quickly give way to aromas of burnt cedar.  My guess is that this spent a lot of time in charred oak barrels.  Oak is strong on the palate but heavy green pepper also comes through along with and undercurrent of plum.  Spice lingers in the finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This is a rich, racy wine that needs food.  Enjoy it with grilled hamburger and Spanish rice.  This wine was not meant to age and the cork is synthetic, so you could not really age it if you wanted to.

Overall Impression:  This is a pleasant reminder of everything I love about New World wine.  It is vibrant, rich, and unique.  If the label said "California" then this would be a thirty dollar bottle.  At eighteen it is a steal.

Bosco Dei Ricci Langhe Nebbiolo 2009 about $15

About the Wine:  Nebbiolo is the grape used to make Barolo and Barbaresco.  Those are Italian terms meaning "expensive" and "pretentious".  Or the names of two villages where Nebbiolo is grown.  I forget which.  Barolos especially require years and sometimes decades of aging to reach maturity and it is all but impossible to get a good one for under forty dollars.  While young Nebbiolos can't really compete they can provide a full bodied wine with a lot of structure at a reasonable price.

About THIS Wine:  The center is dark red with a pink rim.  Slightly sour red fruit with hints of tobacco make up the nose.  Those flavors deliver on a palate with some pretty fierce tannins and a hot finish. 

Drinking This Wine:  This needs at least an hour of decanting and I think you would get best results but popping the cork in the morning, putting the cork back in, and having it with supper.  You could also age this a few years, though I have never heard of anyone cellaring a fifteen dollar bottle.  Having with a hearty pasta dish.

Overall Impression:  I am of two minds on this one.  It is not really ready to drink but it definitely an Old World wine with a classic tannin structure and it is hard to find anything like that in this price range.  If that is your taste then this wine is a good value.