Del Sol Verano Tinto Red Wine

Grapes: Syrah (94 percent), petite sirah (6 percent)

Region: Oakville, Napa Valley, Calif.

Vintage: Nonvintage

Price: $2.99

In the glass: This wine is a deep, burly sort of crimson to dark garnet red with a completely opaque center going out into a deeply painted rust-red rim definition and high viscosity.

On the nose: Del Sol Verano Tinto Red Wine immediately reveals layers of ripe, opulent black fruit with dominance by black currants and stewed boysenberries, then eucalyptus, oak, creme de cassis, vanilla, cherry jam and blackberry sorbet. It is a fabulous, mature and fairly complex nose for a California wine.

On the palate: It is a veritable smorgasbord of flavors, highlighted by cooked black currants, minerals, plum compote, earthy notes of blackberries, a firmly structured set of tannins and solid notes of ripe and chewy fruit. The midpalate is powerful, with more plums and minerals, going into the tasty finish that is laden with forest berries, fern and elder fruit.

Odds and ends: "Verano" is the Spanish word for summer and now is the perfect time to drink this wine. Featuring top class fruit, del Sol is hands down the greatest little value wine in the market. For less than $3, you’ll want to buy cases of this for everyday drinking. Try it by the glass or with freshly made burgers. Give it about 15 minutes to open up. Don’t worry about any sediments in the bottle, they’re natural deposits, so just give it a shake and stand it up for a little while before opening.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89016-0749, or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com.