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Archive for the ‘Wine’ Category

185 Wines and Counting

30 Jun

After five months and over 185 wines, Chile and Argentina still offer up surprises.

We set off to find great-tasting, value, soulful wines from Chile and Argentina, and have found a few (not as many as we would have hoped!) and have confirmed that Argentina is a great place to live for value-seeking wine-geeks.  For those of you concerned for my health, please rest assured that most of the 180 wines were simply “tasted,” either when I served as a wine judge or when we met with potential clients at wineries, and involved very little actual alcohol consumption!  Wine tasting, less glamorous than it sounds, is performed according to industry standards, and the ones I follow were developed by the Court of Master Sommeliers and involve visually inspecting, smelling, tasting, and yes, spitting out the wine.

Siena Smelling Wine

Ok, you can smell, but don't drink!

Argentina has put most of its focus on selling Malbec to Americans, and is working under the misguided assumptions that the market for high-end wines is rapidly increasing in the U.S. and that the style that is selling best at the moment is the one everyone should produce.  Malbec’s continued popularity for the export market has resulted in a decrease in unique, terroir-driven wines and an increase in fruit-forward, enjoyable and interchangeable wines.  This is great for brand Malbec, but is sad for anyone looking to try more of the old-fashioned, rustic Malbecs.  I am among a growing group who are beginning to fear that this may result in Malbec going the way of Merlot or Chianti and becoming a victim of its own success.  Just last week, a winery told me that they’re making Malbec in a very fruit-forward style “because it’s what Americans want.”  I bit my tongue and simply responded, “Yes, some Americans.”  I believe there is and will continue to be a market for these fruity, internationalized wines, but don’t expect it to continue to grow as steadily as it has in the past as wine drinkers move to the next varietal of the moment.

However, there are still some interesting Malbecs coming out of Mendoza that give you a sense for the very unique Mendoza terroir, some very exciting Malbec-based blends, and a few surprises.  It just takes a bit more searching to find them, as they are the exception to the rule.  Following are a few wines from The Annual Wine Republic Tasting 2010 which I had the pleasure of rating as one of the seven judges as we samples some of Argentina’s best.  The wines below are generally still a good value that you can find in the US, either at your local wine shop or through online wine retailers:

  • Malbec-based blend:  Alta Vista Atemporal 2007 ($18) – if you’re just going to try one new wine, try this one.  I really enjoy the Alta Vista style, whose French influence is reflected in the manner in which they highlight the Mendoza terroir and present very well balanced and interesting wines.
  • Two Malbecs to try: Hacienda del Plata Malbec Zagal 2008 ($14), Kaiken Ultra Malbec 2007 ($20).  The Zagal is produced by a family winery with a gentelman-cowboy background, and includes a bit more of a rustic style, which is a very nice surprise.  Kaiken is a cross-Andean wine, produced by the Montes group of Chile, which may make it a bit easier to find at your local wine shop.
  • Malbec splurge:  Ruca Malen Kinien Malbec 2007 ($35). Ruca Malen is a midsized winery (approx 50,000 cases) that produces excellent wines, especially within their Kinien line.  Ruca Malen wines have a refreshing funk (oxymoron?) that add another layer of complexity, and which is in great harmony in the Kinien Malbec.  Their Ruca Malen Malbec was not included in the competition, though is still a very enjoyable, great value wine.
  • Surprise – try a Tempranillo:  O.Fournier Urban Uco Tempranillo 2008 ($11).  A friend and chocolatier has conducted some interesting taste experiments pairing this wine with chocolate: The Tempranillo Experiment
  • Money-to-burn splurge:  Benegas Lynch Meritage 2006 ($48) or Catena Zapata Estiba Reservada 2004 (approx $150, exclusively for sale in Argentina.)  Mr. Parker, upon reviewing this wine (100% Cabernet Sauvignon), noted that it “is a wonderful wine that deserves to be compared to the best of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.”   These two are not great value wines, but are enjoyable, nonetheless, especially when they’re on someone else’s dime!
 
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Wine Update: Great Argentina Wines for $10 – $20

23 Mar

We flew out of San Francisco two months ago, and although we have just begun settling into Mendoza, we have not wasted any time with getting to drinking, er, working on familiarizing ourselves with local wines. To date we have tried 65 wines, mainly Mendoza Malbecs. Mendoza is Argentina’s Napa Valley, and has approximately 2000 wineries, covering several different sub-regions and appellations. The part of Mendoza most renowned for producing Malbec is Lujan de Cuyo, and two other important areas are the Uco Valley and Maipu. Below are some highlights from our tastings so far, as well as some wine you can buy today in the U.S. (no need to fly to Argentina to buy them, though if you’re coming let us know and we can help you find your way to the wineries.)

We initially focused on Uco Valley wines, an area that has recently begun receiving a lot of international attention and which has been heavily influenced by the hands of a few international winemakers and consultants. An interesting, great value wine is Lorca’s 2005 Poetico Malbec, produced with Uco Valley grapes, with yields of 1 bottle per plant. Their production is still relatively small (total capacity of approx. 450,000 liters), though the wine is readily available internationally. Malbecs produced by Salentein are also highly regarded, and as their production is a bit higher (3 million liters), their wines may be a bit easier to obtain in the U.S.

After our initial exploration of Uco Valley, we’ve moved on to the classic Lujan de Cuyo Malbecs. Lujan de Cuyo is considered to produce the very best Malbecs in Argentina, and we’re looking forward to verifying this for ourselves! Lujan de Cuyo produces Achaval Ferrer’s wines, which many consider to be the best of the best. We attended a winemaker evening last week, and had a chance to sample Achaval Ferrer’s portfolio and learn their winemaking philosophy; as these aren’t value wines more information will follow in a later post.
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Ruca Malen produces some great, funky, terroir-driven wines, among them a stellar Malbec. Their 2006 Malbec contains grapes from both the Uco Valley and from Lujan de Cuyo, as well as an interesting twist (12% Petit Verdot and 8% Tempranillo grapes.) This wine is a steal at $15, and pairs really well with game, as we’ve enjoyed it at Molokai, one of our favorite restaurants, with a smoked deer ravioli (delicious – sorry Bambi!) and Patagonian lamb.

Another winery producing great yet still affordable wines from this region is Lagarde. When we visited their tasting room we were impressed by the very solid quality levels across the board, especially within their Guarda line. They produce both a Guarda Malbec DOC, as well as a very elegant, complex blend called “Guarda” which is a blend of Malbec (40%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), Merlot (20%) and Syrah (10%.) Guarda opens up nicely, and was nice to drink on its own and very food friendly when we enjoyed it out our other favorite restaurant, Ocho Cepas. It paired both with J’s dinner of grass-fed steak and my trout and egg scramble on brioche (it tasted much better than it sounds.)

An interesting wine to try is Bodega Benegas Don Tiburcio 2006, a very balanced, drinkable wine which is 50% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Merlot. This wine is a great way to understand the style that Michelle Rolland lends to a winery (he consults with Bodega Benegas), and is a steal for less than $15.

Last but not least, try Alta Vista Premium Torrontes 2008. It’s a very balanced, elegant Torrontes produced from high altitude vineyards in Salta (the home of the best Torrontes.) We’ve had fun trying the different styles of Torrontes, and it’s a varietal that is very easy to drink. Tapiz produces an award-winning fruit-forward Torrontes which is great on a hot day and which we’ve found helps pass the time when stuck on a bus during a border crossing. Alta Vista’s style is crisper and has great acidity to balance out the fruit. It is full of honeydew, honey suckle, pears, orchids, basil, lemonade, with hints of a dusty, rocky terroir. No, it’s not a Malbec, but it is a very refreshing wine produced by one of the wineries in Argentina producing stellar Old-World style wines in the New World. At $15, you may even want to buy a case to stock up for summertime.

 
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