Our monthly Wine Focus feature in the WineLovers Discussion Group during January features the wines of Spain, so we’re offering you a variety of tasting notes from Rioja, Alicante, Aragon, and Jerez. You’re welcome to join us in the discussion! Just click Spain … beyond Rioja! to open the discussion pages; you can log in using Facebook by clicking “Social Login” on any forum page. Read article.

Clear, dark copper color with glints of gold. Pleasant scents of meyer lemon, walnuts and pecans lead into a full, rich mixed-nut flavor with tart, lemony acidity holding light fresh-fruit sweetness in balance; its 19% alcoholic warmth fills the mouth in a long, pleasant finish that goes on and on.

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Find vendors and compare prices for on Wine-Searcher.com.

For much more about Madeira, read this Wine-Searcher info page. After the article you’ll find an extensive list of Madeira wines and vendors. Read article.

Dark ruby color, with reddish-violet glints against the light. Pleasant, typical Southern Rhone aromas, raspberries and black plums and just a hint of stewed plums lead into a full, ripe flavor of plums and berries, adding a bold, distinct impression of freshly ground black pepper that comes up and fills both the nose and palate. Good fresh-fruit acidity provides balance, and tannic astringency becomes increasingly obvious in the long finish. This is a very good, balanced, table wine, on a continuum with Chateauneuf-du-Pape and made from a similar blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre. It carries its 14.5% alcohol with grace.

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Find vendors and compare prices for E. Guigal Gigondas on Wine-Searcher.com.

For lots more wines from Gigondas, check out this Wine-Searcher info page and list of wines and vendors.
Read article.

Dark reddish-purple all the way to a thin, clear edge. Mixed red fruits, with hints of pomegranate and cranberry, plum and raspberry, pleasant but not overwhelming. Bright red fruits carry over on the palate in a fresh, medium-bodied flavor with food-friendly acidity, 13.5% alcohol, and a soft touch of tannic astringency on the tongue. An attractive Languedoc blend of Grenache Noir (45%), Carignan (25%), Cinsault (15%), Merlot (10%) and Syrah (5%).

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Find vendors and check prices for Côté Mas “Rouge Intense” on Wine-Searcher.com. Read article.

This interesting “natural” wine claims zero additives, including no sulfites. It’s a clear garnet color, reddish purple at the center and clear at the edge. Its intriguing scent is dominated by wild strawberries at first, then opens up to add a hint of Chambord raspberry liqueur. Strawberries and raspberries on the palate add tart red plums and an intriguing earthy minerality that evokes the scent of damp red clay. It’s light- to medium-bodied, but fresh-fruit acidity and soft but perceptible black-tea tannins round it out. Alcohol is not out of line, likely midway in the label’s generic 11-14% claim. Nicely balanced, a good food wine.

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Wine-Searcher.com includes a couple of hits for the Olivier Minot in this longer list of French wines named “La Boutanche.”

Here’s a list of U.S. retailers that stock Selection Massale’s portfolio. Read article.