Whew, it was getting thirsty around here 
My local supplier does list the Justin Cabernet as being in their inventory but it’s a little over the $20 limit ($23.31 at Spec’s). I know prices vary by location so I’m game depending on how the other members feel about the availability and price in their area.
Please tell us more Great Dave about what you like about this wine.
Truth be told, it was the first that popped into mind- I didn’t want to hold up the thread any longer. I wasn’t sure how much it’d be, so I’ll change it to
Aragonia Crianza. A nice Temp-Garnacha blend that drinks well and pairs easily. and at <$10, qute affordable, too.
Justin makes some great wines, and I especially like their Isosceles. But they tend to be a bit pricey for the purpose of this club. Never heard of the Aragonia Crianza. Italian? Tell us something about it, and where we might find it.
The description I found of the Aragonia via a google search sounds great, but sadly I’m not finding it listed at any of my local suppliers.
At least I have the Justin Cab as an alternative.
Looks like it is a Spanish wine. We’ve had very good luck with the Juan Gil and the Marques de Caceres, so I’m quite happy to try another. I’m just hoping I can find it.
BevMo isn’t showing it on their web site, although they do have a Crianza from Cune Vina Real for $15. The only thing I know about Spanish wines is “Rioja”.
Flickster: If you haven’t had the Justin, I think you’ll like it. I’ve never had a bad wine from those guys. Paso Robles, down in Steinbeck country.
Maybe I’m a bit confused regarding the difference between Rioja and Crianza. I was thinking they were basically one in the same, or at least related directly to one another. The Marques de Caceres, if I recall correctly, references both on their label which created some confusion when it was selected earlier this year.
That was my understanding as well. Crianza has to do with aging. From here:
“By law, Crianza must be aged a minimum of one year in oak barrels and at least one year in bottle before release; Reserva must be aged a minimum of three years total between bottle and barrel, at least one year of which must be in barrel; Gran Reserva must be aged a minimum of two years in oak and at least three years in bottle.”
Rioja is a region. Spanish wines are labeled like French wines-- by region. A Rioja just means the grapes are from there-- most frequently Temperanillo grapes, but it can be others as well.
Now it’s starting to gel together…
BTW - speaking of Tempranillo, if you are looking for a good value wine I have a long standing love affair with El Portillo Tempranillo (approx $7.50 at Spec’s) but it’s from Argentina instead of Spain (their Rose isn’t bad either)
Stopped in at my local Spec’s today but they didn’t have the Justin Cab in stock. They were able to tell me which store does, but that will have to wait until I get back in town next week. Keep pouring until I get back
Thought you might want to know… The woman who does the weekly wine reviews for my paper today had a “if you want to impress them with a gift” column, and she chose the 2005 Lehmann Shiraz as one of her picks in the lower price range (she was thinking impress often = expensive). She listed it as $15, though, as opposed to the $20 it goes for at bevmo.
I haven’t tried the 2005, but sounds like I should be looking for it.
Mixed news: I was able to find an older pick (Cousino Macul Sauvignon Gris) at that store with the good Spanish and South American selection. I haven’t tried it yet; I’ll wait until I have something in the house to pair it with. They also had the Earthquake Zin (mentioned in another thread that I won’t resurrect), but not the Dark Horse. Knowing that Dry Creek Valley was recommended in that thread, I picked up a Rancho Zabaco DCV (the one I had before was Chiotta (sp?) vineyard) that was on sale. And, while I was at it, an Atteca Old Vines Garnacha.
Alas, though - no sign of the Aragonia Crianza or the Justin Cab. I don’t hold out great hope on finding the Aragonia.
Okay, well, I’m going in to my part-time job at the kitchen/wine store, and I’ll try and pick something that will be widely available. Which can be hard, as our general philosophy is to stock stuff which gets overlooked by others because it’s a small producer. But, we do get some great wines at great prices.
Oddly enough, I had a bottle of that Tues night. It was OK, but not as good as the Earthquake (IMO). A little weak for a Zin.
Okay, since I saw it in last year’s rundown of quality cheap wines in the SF Chron, I assume that y’all can find:
Quattro Mani, a nice Multipulciano d’Abbruzzo (sp?). Bursting with flavors of ripe red berry, coffee, and spicy toast, I think you’ll find it a delightful change of pace from Chianti.
And since I brought up Justin Cab, a great cheaper alternate to that is Grayson. We have it at under $12. Also from Paso/Atascedero, you’ll be blown away.
Just bumpin’ it back on the first page.
This one seems to be getting a lot of praise. As I’ve said before, I know absolutely nothing about Italian red wines, and precious little about the whites. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Brunello di Montalcino, Barolo, Nero D’Avola - they’re all Greek to me. Well, you know what I mean. I haven’t always had good luck with the Italian wines that I’ve bought, and I’ve always feared that the red wines that I would like are out of my price range. So this one really looks like it might be a nice pick. I’ll look for it this weekend.
On a slight tangent, the woman in the office next to me said that someone brought her a bottle of Morgante Nero D’Avola on Thanksgiving, and she loved it. I haven’t been able to find that one, and the Nero D’Avolas that I did find by other vineyards were okay, but nothing special. I’ll keep looking for the Morgante.
ETA: The Grayson Cab looks like it should be available locally, so I’ll look for that as well.
That’s good to know. I’d hate to be ambivalent about a wine that goes for $60. 
Well I am striking out on everything here. No joy finding the Justin Cabernet, the Aragonia Crianza, the Quattro Mani Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, or the Grayson Cabernet in local stores. So I won’t be able to post on these before the next sommelier.
It looks like the Justin Paso Robles and the Grayson are available in the NH state liquor stores, and I’ll be there this weekend, so I’ll pick them up then. They have the Isosceles as well, but I think I may work on educating my palate before working up to that price range.
Has anyone been able to find any one of those four?