Wine Find of the Year, 2009, under $15

With an inexpensive wine, I look for particular qualities: it must be easy to enjoy, pack a lot of quality for the price, be forgiving with lots of different types of food, and not require and advanced degree to understand what makes it so damned good. In short, it just has to taste really good whether consumed alone or with a meal. This years winner of the "Under $15" category is Evodia, a 100% Grenache from the Aragon region of Spain. It is juicy, tasty, uncomplicated and fun. For those of you that need a bit of backstory, it's made by the same team that made the Las Rocas Grenache - when that brand was sold to LVMH, the owners kept the plots of vines that they used to make the "old vines" cuvee, and those plants are now the source of this delicious and unpretentious wine. Aromas and flavors of black fruits, sweet vanilla and oak, with excellent acidity and decent length. It practically begs for gulping. For this price, who needs more? It will not improve with age and should be consumed with relish over the next 12-18 months. Lovely! (3.5)