Red Blend Wine On Sale

The 2007 Quimera is a multi-regional blend of 38% Malbec, 24% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 14% Cabernet Franc aged for 12 months in 40% new French oak before bottling without fining or filtration (as were all of these wines). Purple-colored, it displays an expressive perfume of cedar, scorched earth, violets, black cherry, and black raspberry. Medium- to full-bodied, this mouth-filling blend is sweetly fruited, complex, layered, and rich. It will continue to blossom for another 2-3 years and drink well through 2022.

The 2009 Quimera is a blend of 40% Malbec, 22% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot with yields averaging a minuscule 1.3 tons per acre. The wine was aged in 40% new French oak. Pain grille, pencil lead, Asian spices, incense, violets, and assorted black fruits inform the nose of a complex, intense, layered, spicy, succulent wine with impeccable balance and length. Although it can be approached now, it will benefit from another 2-3 years of cellaring.

Black currant, bilberry, violet and spice flavors align in this luscious red, which is well-balanced and integrated, with a lingering aftertaste of sweet fruit and spices. Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Drink now through 2018. 54,000 cases made.?B.S.

Apothic Red is bold and enchanting, as it captures the dark fruit characteristics of Syrah and Zinfandel. These jammy flavors blend well with the elegant blackberry and black cherry characteristics of the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The wine is further enhanced by undertones of mocha and vanilla.

In Spain, rosado means rosé, and when Bodegas Bleda makes a rosado, it means business. Made from 100% Monastrell (Mourvèdre) grapes, this vivacious Spanish rosé literally glows with a cheerful pink color. Bodegas Bleda has installed state-of-the-art vinification facilities, and has vastly reduced the yields on its organically tended vineyards to a miserly 18 hectoliters per hectare. Because Monastrell has robust varietal character, this rosado packs a lot of flavor. A refreshing bouquet of fresh cut strawberries, herbs, and zesty citrus leads to flavors of red berry and ripe cherry, which sail over the palate before coming to a crisp, commendably dry finish. Subtle undercurrents of minerality and earth persist on the aftertaste. -- Ben Giliberti

Harkening back to the elegant style of the 2001, 2004, and 2006 vintages, the 2008 Banda Azul opens with a rich perfume of dark cherries and vanilla; on the palate, the authoritative Tempranillo fruit is well-seasoned by notes of spicy vanilla oak from aging in new barrels. Although fully ready to  enjoy now, this wine offers a significant aging potential of 3 to 9 years.

Harkening back to the elegant style of the 2001, 2004, and 2006 vintages, the 2008 Banda Azul opens with a rich perfume of dark cherries and vanilla; on the palate, the authoritative Tempranillo fruit is well-seasoned by notes of spicy vanilla oak from aging in new barrels. Although fully ready to  enjoy now, this wine offers a significant aging potential of 3 to 9 years.