I did not take notes, so these are all brief impressions by memory. This was a neighborhood tasting, I purchased the wines, all are available in Washington State, and they were served self-pour at three different tables which created, in essence, three flites. By country of origin:
France:
2009 Domaine Massamierla Mignarde, Rhone, 80% Cinsault/20% Syrah, 10.99: Good (very nice but not a standout).
2009 Herve Leferrer 'La Claret Du Grand Cres, 85% Cinsault/15% Grenache (best I could tell, information on the constituency of this wine is sketchy, most reports concentrate on the fact the Leferrer worked for Domaine Romanee Conti for 30 years), Languedoc, $10.99: even among this many wines this stood out as extra beautiful. A very precise, pretty, nuanced cascade of complex light red fruits rolls gently into a big white pepper finish. Outstanding, my WOTN, and by far the winner of Table 1. MUST BUY.
2009 Grand Cassagne, 60% grenache/40% syrah, Costieres du Nimes, $10.99: the runner up at table 1 for Provencal typicity and balance. Excellent.
2009 Mas Carlot, 60% Grenache/40% Syrah, France, $10.99: sweeter mid-palate fruit with dry finish. Good.
2009 Domaine Cantarelles 'Rose de Fayel', 70% cab franc/25% syrah/5% grenache, Costieres du Nimes, $10.99: lightly herbaceous and interesting, very good.
2009 Pigmentum, 100% malbec, Cahors, $9.99: a little darker, a little bigger bodied than most, great complexity and the top vote getter on Table 2. Excellent. MUST BUY.
2009 Chateau de Campuget, 30% Grenache/70% Syrah, Costieres du Nimes, $10.99: a nice enough pink drink but comparatively blah.
2009 Val Joanis, 100% syrah, Provence, $9.99: luminescent pale orangey-pink, great minerality, excellent, one of my favorites. MUST BUY.
2009 Domaine Salvard, 100% pinot noir, Cheverny (Loire Valley), $14.99: pale and delicate, great nuance. Excellent. MUST BUY.
2009 Chateau Lestrille, 100% merlot, Bordeaux, $14.99: I thought this might be a soft and goofy wine, but no. Quite classy and interesting, matter of fact. Very good plus.
2009 Chateau Ferrand, cab/merlot blend, Bordeaux, $6.99: Okay, here's the soft and goofy one. Probably the least successful wine of the tasting, didn't even appeal to the people who are usually drawn to the goofier wines.
Spain:
2008 Protos, 100% Tempranillo, Ribera del Duoro, $8.99: one of the reddest and fruitier wines with a bit of sandalwood and cinnamon spice. Very good.
2009 Marques de Caceras, 100% Tempranillo, Rioja, $8.99: followed the Protos on Table 3 and was rather dull by comparison though I've had the wine by itself and liked it.
2009 Vega Sindoa Rosado, 100% grenache, Spain, $7.99: the fruitiest wine of the tasting, a bit candied and simple. Along with the Ferrand the last bottles to get drained so the crowd agreed.
2009 Casal Garcia Vinho Verde Rojo, $7.49: I've been buying and loving this all summer long and was pleased to see how well it held its own among the competition last night. Lightly fizzy, bright, beguilingly spicy, it was one of the most talked-about and popular wines of the night, and deservedly so. Excellent.
Other:
2009 Goats du Roam, a shiraz/pinotage blend (best I could tell, internet sources weren't consistent), South Africa, $10.49: I found this one a bit simpler and more direct than it's French friends, but it definitely appealed to a lot of people.
2009 Mulderbosch, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, South Africa, $11.49: My second favorite wine of the night. I've had Muldy pink cabs before and they've been off-dry, didn't like. But this effort is bone dry and big on the palate with minerally cabernet character, and it's come down in price from past years. Excellent. MUST BUY.
2009 Bernard Griffin, 100% sangiovese, Washington State, $9.99: I expected this to be a bit low on acid on long on residual sugar but it was dry, tangy and well-balanced. Nice effort.
2007 Chateau Ste. Michelle 'Nellie's Garden', 100% syrah, Washington state: because it's an "old" vintage this was on sale for $5.99 a bottle so I threw some into the tasting at the last minute just to see how these wines fare over time. Kind of a good thing too, as it turned out that a newly-retired CSM executive has just moved into the 'hood and he and his wife were in the room last night. Anyway, it showed quite well, it's a nicely structured wine. See no point in holding them any longer, however.