09 Domaine Astruc Rosé (Vin de Pays d'Oc, France)
A delightful rosé with just the right balance of fresh fruit on the nose and body along with a hint of tartness on the finish to make for a great, and even serious, glass of "pink wine." Superb with hamburger and a host of different cheeses. Plenty more of this coming in.

08 Bodegas Santiago Graffigna Reserve Malbec (San Juan, Argentina)
A remarkable and very different style, this behaves like a "dry Malbec," as if the Italian roots of winemaking in Argentina are showing through here. Traditional plum notes mix with brighter fruit tones, keeping a kick on the dry, herb-tinged finish. Absolutely perfect with grilled meats; can handle salad dressing too. Serve slightly chilled for a treat of a wine. Great price too! We bought all the rest we could get for club members.

A note about a new importer, Jay Beattie of Vinea Imports:
Sure, the wine business is about wine, but for us at Vino Verité, it's also very much about the people we work with. In the end, great wine is based on a relationship - and those who care about the product and the customer tend to bring us the best results. When Jay Beattie came in several months ago, we liked him right away. Friendly, intelligent, and very creative, Jay was introducing his new import company and having us try various wines he was going to bring to Seattle for the first time. As of now his portfolio focuses on Spanish wines. Every wine Jay poured for us was great; so expect to see more of his selections in the shop soon. We look forward to scheduling a tasting with him.

09 Finca VilaDellops Garnaxta "SMC" (Penedés, Spain)
One of Jay's newest wines in his portfolio. An old estate in the Penedés region near Barcelona, Finca VilaDellops is an incredibly well-established winery going back a hundred years, producing exceptional wine from its opening in 1877 all the way to the 1980s. Then, for unknown reasons, the winery went idle, the estate seeming to freeze in time for 20 years. The Desvalls family purchased the estate in 1999 and was thrilled with what they found: everything was still intact; even the vines are original, ranging between 20 to 80 years old. The older, more mature vines and the slightly higher altitude of this coastal region, along with hot, dry winds and very little rain makes for powerful, complex wine. Using 70% Garnaxta (Catalan for Garnacha), the blend is accented with Syrah, Merlot, and Cariñena. Tasty, rich and complex, this features bold black cherry tempered with coffee, spice, and coca notes on the finish.