New Wine Lover Here

[Greyraptor]

Well I must say that I am glad I discovered this diamond mine of wine knowledge. I have read many good postings and I lood forward to reading many more. I am very new to the world of wine and have been to a few wineries here in Virginia with pleasant memories from each.

I have a question for someone that knows about Virginia wine. At Barboursville Vineyards I purchased a bottle of Octagon 2004. It is based on "Merlot and other bordeaux varietals" as they would tell you, which means nothing to me for now, never having drank a bordeaux varietal that I know of. I know I like Merlot, but what should I expect from this wine? They say that I should wait until at least 2010 to open. I anticipate the wait. In the meantime I had the pleasure of drinking a 2002 Campo Eliseo Toro tempranillo which so far has been the BEST wine I have ever tasted in my short experience. What other wines should I try that compare with the Campo but don't carry the hefty $75 price tag?