Every summer, AJ’s (the chain of upscale grocery stores in Phoenix) gets a group of interesting, moderately priced wines -- and they sell them at moderate prices ($6.99 – $12.99).  For the last couple of years, the AJ’s nearest our house has had a tasting, but it seemed we either were out of town or heard about it too late, but not this year.  And taste we did – about 28 of the 40 wines between the 2 of us.   Overall, it was a great group of wines, with a wide assortment of styles and flavors. 

Here are the ones that scored best on the Deb-scale (TM) (see note 1)

Sparklers:
1.1     NV Varichon & Clerc Privilege Banc de Blacs ($11.99) – bright, great starter

Whites:
1.6:      2008 Ceson Pinot Grigio ($12.99) – more like a $21 Oregon Pinot Gris
1.5:     2008 Don Cristobal 1492 Verdelho ($8.99) – different
1.3:      2008 Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet – a grape that you never heard of but makes you want to move to France
1.3:      2006 Balletto Pinot Gris ($11.99) – quote: “its nice” (see note 2)

Reds:
1.5:      2008 Santa Rita Carmenere ($6.99) – Unusually complex for the price
1.3:      2006 Stephan Vincent Crimson ($9.99) – interesting blend, different
1.3:      2007 Ciao Bella Sangiovese Rosso ($10.00) – good summer drinker
1.2+)    2006 Campus Oak Zinfandel ($12.99) – had a true Zin character
1.2+)    2007 Caldora Montepulciano d’Abruzzo ($10.99) – better than the $7.99 Stella

(note 1):  Deb-scale (TM) = what you think it would cost / what it did cost.   So, if after tasting a wine, you think – gee this tastes like a $15 wine, and it actually cost $10, it would get a 1.5.  However, if that wine tasted like 2-buck Chuck, it would get a 0.3.

(note 2):   Our notes go downhill as we taste more wines.

I think the sale officially starts on June 1.  Hope this helps keep your summer interesting, and let us know your favorites!