There is a chance this isn’t the world’s most perfect cheap wine. But it’s a very small chance. This Spanish red is $7, and it has body and structure that most $7 wines can only dream of. It has remarkable fruit; usually, cheap wine either has body or fruit, but rarely both.
What’s even more impressive is that the Solaz is consistent from vintage to vintage, something else that you don’t see in quality cheap wine. Most good inexpensive wines will have a four-, five-, or six-year run, and then fade from the scene like old ballplayers. That’s what happened to two of my all-time favorites, Hogue’s sauvignon blanc and a red blend from France, Jaja de Jau. Great wine, and then not great.
But not the Solaz. How good is it? Even Robert Parker agrees with me, and how often does that happen?
This should please the cabernet drinkers at Thanksgiving dinner. But save it for Saturday night when everyone has gone home and you’re alone and worn out and you feel like take out pizza. Open the Solaz then, and marvel at how they do it.
The good news: World Market (Dallas) has Solaz for sale for $3.97 a bottle. The bad news: the wine lady at WM told me that the reason it's on sale is because Osborne has discontinued making Solaz in favor of making a new "New World style" wine with a colorful cuddly animal label.
Posted by: Web Mayfield | November 28, 2009 at 04:57 PM
I got the bad news on this last week, and I'm frankly astounded. The new brand is called "Tempratantrum," which does not inspire confidence. I'm having lunch with the winemaker this week, and will have more to report then.
Posted by: Jeff Siegel | November 29, 2009 at 07:23 AM