Luigi Bosca Malbec 2005

Ah the Malbec, the most misplaced grape of the popular wine grapes. Everyone seems to think you started in Argentina when you're a Bordeaux native, once very popular in Cahors. Well after trying this lovely example of what Argentina can do with you one does begin to understand why the confusion. What a lovely wine. Deep, dark purple in the glass this wine presents a bouquet of ripe raspberries, hints of cherry, mocha, and just the tiniest bit of spices. In the mouth you get a medium/(+) bodied wine, smooth tannins that turn just a touch dusty in the finish, nice acid backbone and red fruit (primarily cherries) that all come together in a delightful med/(+) length finish. This is a lovely wine that is probably peaking in maturity but should hold through 2012. I had it with a bacon wrapped filet mignon and it was perfect, but could pair just as well with a nice hamburger.

Number of wines reviewed in 2011: 3

Argentina Tasting at San Diego Wine Company

Seems like ages since I've written a review, the curse of having a day job I suppose but the day job does allow me to support my avocation. I was fortunate to attend a recent tasting at San Diego Wine Company where the lineup was all Argentina. In the United States we know Argentina for its Malbec (which actually has its roots in the Cahors area of France) so it does make a solid appearance here as well as the distinctive Torrontes whites.

Crios 2009 "Salta" Torrontes: Clean, earl, lemon tinted wine. The nose is lightly floral. Palate is "green" with citrus, hints of lime, med/- acidity all coming together with a touch of minerality on a medium-length finish. Quite nice and well priced at under $10 a bottle.

Colome 2009 "Salta" Torrontes: Another Torrontes, nice compare/contrast in styles. Clean, clear, lighter straw color than the Crios. Nose is more floral with hints of lime and grapefruit. similar palate as the Crios but with a touch more acidity creating another clean, medium-length finish.

Graffigna 2005 "San Juan" Cabernet Sauvignon: Clean, ruby with a hint of purple in the core. Nice nose, ripe fruit, hints of cassis and chocolate. Med/+ body, fruit-froward, smooth tannins, balanced acity all coming together to give a pleasant medium/+ length finish.

Tempus Alba 2007 "Mendoza" Tempranillo: Well made wine from a grape better known for wines from Spain. Clean, medium intensity with purple/black hues. Berries and cherries on the nose with a touch of earthiness that I found appealing. Lively palate, fruity and peppery giving a medium length finish. Nice.

Tempus Alba 2008 "Mendoza" Malbec: Deeply purple, intense nose of plums, ripe berries, hint of smoke and vanilla. Lively mouthfeel, less pepper than the Tempranillo and tons of ripe fruit, long fun finish.

Zolo 2009 "Mendoza" Malbec: Broad inky core, medium/+ intensity nose full of raspberries and violets. Very fruit-forward, balanced acid and tannins, nice pleasant medium-length finish. Pleasant, fun.

La Madrid 2008 "Mendoza" Bonarda: Surprising unknown, Bonarda was until recently the most widely planted wine grape variety in Argentina (only recently been surpassed by Malbec). Dark broad core, fruity, ripe berry nose, hints of baked figs and maybe mulberries. Med/+ bodied wine, ripe fruit and smooth tannins, nice med/+ length finish. Give this a try.

Kaiken Ultra 2007 "Mendoza" Malbec: Dark, opaque, broad core with little bleed at the edges. Nose loaded with berries, violets, figs but slightly "hot". full bodied, juicy, good balance of fruit, tannin, and acid. Quite a buy at $16.

Ksana 2007 "Mendoza" Reserva, Malbec: Clean, med/+ intensity depth of purple hues. Big fruity nose with hints of earthiness, balanced palate giving me a nice medium/+ length finish.

Good wines, for something different I definitely suggest the Bonarda jut to try something different.

Number of wines reviewed in 2010: 121

Alamos Malbec 2007 - Almost A Year Later

Well, in November of 2008 I posted a review of Alamos Malbec 2007. Looking for something to sip tonight I happened across another bottle in the cooler and thought "Why not?" The wine is still an inky black in appearance with lovely legs as I swirl the nectar around in the Riedel. The nose has a strong black fruit component as well as hints of leather, tobacco and a touch of earthy spice. The wine is still on the lighter side of medium, lovely balance of fruit and acidity with just a hint of tannin to come together in a short/medium finish that is very pleasing. So one year later I can still recommend this inexpensive yet lovely little wine.

Wines reviewed in 2009: 206

Maipe Malbec 2008

I have got to start taking pictures with something other than my phone.

Tonight's entry into the blog is the Maipe Malbec 2008 from the Mendoza region of Argentina. For those of you who don't know it already, only four countries in the world produce more wine than Argentina and for the time being some of the best vino bang for the buck can be found here and in neighboring Chile. I picked up this wine for $8 from San Diego Wine Company and it's a real winner. Beautiful purple bleeding out to a red rim in the glass the wine visually shouts "body" and it does have it. Here we get a wonderful blend of blackberries, plums, "gaminess" and hints of spice greeting the noise while it delivers black fruits, pepper, smooth tannins and a fine acidity slowly tapering off into a lovely finish. Well worth it for twice the price (but don't tell anyone I said that).

Number of wines reviewed in 2009: 140

Cougar Winery

Tio Ely calls me a gay "cougar" so I decided to scope out Cougar Winery in Temecula. I've seen the sign before and even been to their neighbor Frangipani, so this time I took the winding road up to their tasting room. It was not a disappointing detour. Rather than trying to move into an already crowed Bordeaux group, Cougar is making a nice name for itself with some Italian and Argentine grapes (including but not limited to Malbec, Sangiovese, Arneis, Nero d'Avola (which I am really wanting to try), Malvasia Bianca, and Aglianico). Ambitious, but what I tasted today definitely shows there is some skill at this winery and they may just pull it off. Some of the highlights of today's tasting:

Arneis 2008. Lovely little wine, full of peaches and apricots. Difficult to grow and often used as a blending wine in its native Piedmont region of Italy, this is a nice, crisp. "fruit-sweet" wine perfect for a hot summer's day.

Sangiovese 2006. This is actually a super Tuscan blend creating a nice medium-bodied wine, lots of fruit and a touch of spice, soft tannins and good acidity. If you're looking for a grill wine or a pizza wine this should be on your shopping list.

Malbec 2006. I really enjoyed this wine. Deep puple bleeding out to the edges of the bowl, aromas of plum and I swear smokey bacon, very fruit forward on the tongue, nice tannins and the acid made my mouth water. This was definitely a keeper.

Malvasia Bianca 2008. Green apples and honey. Sweet but not cloying, just enough acidity that it could be a sipping wine for those who like their wines sweeter but for me would make a nice dessert wine.

So if you're in the area and looking for something a little different Cougar is well worth the stop.

Wines reviewed in 2009: 121

Alamos Malbec 2007

As I am studying the wines of South American my study companion tonight is Alamos Malbec 2007 from the Mendoza region of Argentina. Truth be told I wasn't sure what to expect for $10 but being the adventurous types (and always on the lookout for a bargain) I picked up a bottle. A native of the Cahors region in France Malbec has come to prominence in Argentina (which for those of you who didn't know it is the world's fifth largest producer of wine). The wine is dark and inky as you would expect. The nose is interesting... ripe black fruits (especially plum) with a hint of spice, leather, and I would swear a little "tar". Once in the mouth you get a light/medium bodied wine with wonderful raspberry and currant flavor, very sweet tannins and nice acidity that makes the mouth water. The finish is quite nice, medium/long in length, not weak at all.

Well made wine plus excellent price = a fantastic introduction to the wines of Argentina.

Norton Malbec 2007

Since I am getting up to speed on Chilean and Argentinean wines I thought it a good time to pop open a bottle of Malbec. I decided on Norton Malbec 2007. Not bad. Deep inky-red in color, almost like melted dark cherry candy in the glass. The nose is blueberry with some earthy hints and just a touch of peppery spice that delivered on the tongue. The body is a little lighter than I expected, medium-light at best but with a good balance of acid and tannins it delivered a great value for the price (less than $10 for the bottle). A nice, approachable introduction to the Malbec of Argentina.