Some latest TN - Friday group

Last month I drank some really nice bottles at Wine Route , that also represents good values :

Antinori - Guado al Taso , 2001 - Very dark ruby, nose quite closed with black fruits, tobacco and licorice. In the mouth , full bodied, rich, quite tannic feel , with good persistency and aftertaste. not ready now, but will be very good in 2-3 years. Score - 95
Clos Mogador, 2004 - My second time with this wine , and my impression didnt change. Nose still closed with hints of black and dark red , spices and licorice, full bodied. very rich , chewy , great midpalate feel with long aftertaste. Superb value at 339 NIS before discounts. Score - 95-96
Artadi - vinas de gain, 2005 - One of the last bottles remained. Jay Miller (from the Wine advocate) gave it a score of 94 and drinking ability till 2030, not sure about both. Dark coloured, Medium to full bodied, still a bit tannic but quite fruity, decent mid - palate feel but not quite like the Clos mogador 2004, tasted afterwards, and nice finish. Overall, a very nice bottle , can be drank now or better 1-2 years from now. Probably will last 10-12 years from now , but why should we wait. Score- 92 . At 139NIS before discounts , a great value .
Clos Du Caillou - CdP Quartz , 2000 - Ruby coloured , wild nose of meat, leather , provencal spices and some dark red fruits in the background , the wine is quite full bodied, rich, spicy, chewable , with classic Chateauneuf feel in the palate, and nice aftertaste. I drank it with friends , some of the not realy Chateauneuf fans, and still all of the liked it a lot. Score - 94 . Again realy nice value for 349NIS before discounts.

All those wines makes me hold my opinion that today, with the rising prices of the Bordeaux & Burgundy wines , wine lover should pay attention to wines from the Rhone valley , Spain and Italy (Superb Barolos from good vintages such as the wines of Clerico and Scavino are being sold in Italy and hopefully in Israel for about 50-60 Euros), not to mention Australian wines which have a different style , but if you like it , you can find superb wines at a relatively good prices.