The Good Wine Guru » Argentinian Wine

Dos Lomos Malbec 2010

George — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:00:06 +0000

Varietal: Malbec
Region: Mendoza – Argentina
Cost: $9

Winemaker’s Notes: Full-bodied and smooth with intense black fruit flavors and aromas. A good pairing with grilled foods including steaks.

My Review: I have this habit of picking up steaks and red wine whenever my wife is gone for the evening and I’m feeding myself. This past Thursday was just one of those nights and given the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having here in Virginia I decided to take advantage of being able to use my grill and grabbed a steak at my local Fresh Market. While there I browsed the wine aisle to see if anything caught my eye and was recommended with a steak and decided on this bottle of 2010 Dos Lomos Malbec, in no small part because of the unique bottle shape.

The wine was fairly dark in the glass, with violet being the predominant color. On the nose I got dark fruit with just a touch of spice. In the mouth the wine was medium dry and medium/full-bodied with good notes of dark fruit. It paired well enough with the steak and baked potato that I cooked up, holding up well enough to the grilled flavors though not standing out either.

For the price it was a good value wine, and one I could see myself grabbing again when I was looking for an inexpensive table wine. It certainly wasn’t the best steak wine I’ve had in recent times, but it also wasn’t a terrible wine to sip on before, during, and after my dinner. If you’re looking for a big, bold steak wine pass on this one, but if you’re looking for a table wine that stands a chance against a big grilled steak and doesn’t cost a ton there’s certainly something to be said about the 2010 Dos Lomos Malbec.

Ruta 22 Malbec 2010

George — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:00:19 +0000

Varietal: 100% Malbec
Region: Patagonia, Argentina
Cost: $13 (SRP)

Winemaker’s Notes: A deep ruby-colored wine with rich, smooth blackberry flavors and vanilla aromas. Pairs well with red meats, cheeses, and pastas.

My Review: I’ve been a fan of Malbec for some time now, I’ve found it to be, on the whole, a nice inexpensive alternative to numerous other budget wines where you can get far better quality than your dollar would lead you to believe, especially coming out of South America, and it tends to pair well with the foods I like to eat. Because of that, I was pleased to receive a bottle of Malbec as a sample right at the end of the year, and my wife and I finally decided to pop the cork and give it a try last night.

When I usually think of budget Malbec I think of wines with good fruit notes, maybe a bit fruit forward, but with dark notes and some body that can hold up to bolder meals. The 2010 Ruta 22 Malbec exhibited most of those things, but it wasn’t nearly as fruit forward as I was expecting, and that’s not a complaint at all.

As I was pouring the wine into a decanter (my wife and I received a custom etched decanter from my wife’s brother for Christmas and have found ourselves using it for just about every bottle of red we open lately) I noticed a lot of purple notes slashing through the deep red of the wine. On the nose I got a bit of alcohol at first, in no small part because of the 14.5% alcohol content, but that eventually gave way to blackberry notes and a touch of spice.

In the mouth the wine had tons of fruit, but instead of being “fruit forward” there was a nice dryness to the finish that I wasn’t expecting but appreciated. Paired with some pasta with red sauce and meatballs it wasn’t terrible, but my wife and I suspect that it would have paired better had we not thrown crushed red pepper into the sauce. That being said, when sipping on the wine after we’d finished eating it was a nice easy sipping wine with a bit more character than your usual budget Malbec.

If you want to give this wine a try and can’t find it at your local store, just follow this link and you can have it shipped directly to you.

Thanksgiving 2011 Wine Selection

George — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:00:59 +0000

There are a lot of different wine sites out there giving suggestions on what you should be pouring during your Thanksgiving festivities. Since, however, it’s been fairly well established what varietals go well with the traditional Thanksgiving feast, I thought I would change it up and let you know what I’m pouring at dinner, or rather, what I’m taking up to my parents house to pour for the army-sized feast my mother will be cooking.

2009 Coastal Vines Pinot Noir – Sonoma, CA – $10

I picked up a pair of these at my local Richmond wine shop since it would have been irresponsible of me to not show up with some Pinot Noir. While there are plenty of wine sites that will be recommending $30 and $40 bottles, I don’t see the reason to break the bank when there are perfectly serviceable bottles under $20. I’ve never had this one before, so it will be interesting to try it out on Thursday.

2010 Ponga Pinot Noir – New Zealand – $14

I’ve had other Ponga varietals before (namely Sauvignon Blanc), so I’m holding out high hopes for this being a good value wine that over-performs for the price.

2010 Alamos Torrontes – Argentina – $13 (SRP) *

Much like the Ponga, I’ve had other wines from Alamos, so I’ll be interested to try this one. For those unfamiliar with Torrontes, the best approximation I can give, and the comparison I usually use, is Viognier. Given that I live in Virginia, and that I’m not bringing any Viognier myself (sorry VA Wine Marketing Board), it seems appropriate to bring something similar.

2009 Steininger Gruner Veltliner – Austria – $25

A few months back I received a case of summer white wines to try out, and of those my favorite was a Gruner Veltliner. I found it to be light, minerally, and refreshing. Since Gewurztraminer is a popular choice for Thanksgiving, I wanted to mix it up and try something a bit different though similar. As I’ve only had one Gruner (that I remember), I’ll be interested to see if this one is as enjoyable to me as the other one.

Freixenet Cordon Rosado – Spain – $12 (SRP) *

Rose’ in general has been finding its way more and more into my wine selection, as have sparkling wines. It’s only natural that they should combine. A blend of Trepat and Garnacha grapes, this wine will probably be a good selection before and during the dinner. I may use this bottle as a way to entice my parent’s neighbors that pretty much only drink bubbles to come over for a drink at some point in the evening.

2011 Christmas at Biltmore – California – $12 (SRP) *

This one will most likely get brought out for dessert, as one of the suggested pairings is pumpkin pie. A blend of Gewurztraminer, Muscat Canelli, Chenin Blanc, and Riesling, this wine has 4% residual sugar, so it’s definitely going to need something to either cut or compliment the sweetness.

2008 Foris Gewurztraminer – Oregon – $15

Since I was grabbing some Pinot Noir to bring, I of course had to bring some Gewurztraminer as well. I’m always a bit gun-shy around this particular grape, so I had my guy at my local wine shop show me to his driest Gewurztraminer. Hoping that this will go well with the feast my mom puts out.

Elyssia Pinot Noir Brut – Spain – $18 (SRP) *

A blend of Pinot Noir and Trepat (85%/15%), it will probably be a coin flip to see if this or the other sparkling rose’ makes it to the dinner table and which one gets opened up early for cocktails before dinner. I’m leaning towards dinner with this one though.

2009 Montinore Estate Reserve Pinot Noir – Oregon – $21

My wife and I actually bought half a case of this wine thanks to enjoying a glass of it so much at our local Flemings while there for happy hour. Since it’s rude to not share, I grabbed a bottle of this to throw into the selection that we’re taking up to Norther Virginia with us.

Hopefully you’ll all enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner and I hope you all have a safe Thanksgiving and have safe travels. If you feel like sharing what you’re pouring I’d certainly be interested to hear it.

Wines marked with a (*) were received as samples.

Saying Goodbye to Summer

George — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:00:02 +0000

Well, the end of summer isn’t that far away, so when I was recently sent a mixed case of summer white wines, it seemed a shame to sit on them and try to go through them each individually as I would have quickly run out of summer by the time I was able to get to them all. With that in mind I invited some friends over, opened up all the wines, and tasted them all at once, because let’s be honest, that’s what summer’s really all about. Here’s what I thought.

The first one I tasted was the 2010 La Fiera Pinot Grigio (SRP $8). I got mostly apples on both the nose and the palate with a nice lingering finish with just the right amount of acid. There was a slight hint of sweetness to my palate, but for being the first one I tried, it was a good start and it’s a good value for these kinds of parties.

Next up were two from Tiamo. First was the Tiamo Prosecco (SRP $15) which had a hint of citrus on the nose with medium sized bubbles and a slight bit of yeast on the palate and a mix of crisp fruit. This was definitely not a super-dry Prosecco and it was quickly consumed by my friends.

The other was the 2010 Tiamo Pinot Grigio (SRP $12) which I found to have some citrus on the nose and apple and lime in the mouth. It was nice and crisp with just a hint of effervescence to me, a trait I find I enjoy this time of year.

From Argentina I had some Santa Julia wines, starting with the 2010 Santa Julia Pinot Grigio (SRP $10), which had notes of tropical fruit and banana, which I think added a hint of sweetness on the finish of the wine.

Next was the 2010 Santa Julia Innovacion Torrontes Pinot Grigio (SRP $11). This was actually a 1L bottle and is a Whole Foods Exclusive “Summer Top 10 Wine” and was certainly one I was interested to try given my growing enjoyment of Torrontes. I got notes of orange peel on the nose and floral notes in the mouth with a slight almost petrol note. For the price this is a good value and an interesting combination (90% Torrontes/10% Pinot Grigio) that I think I’d like to see more of.

Finally from Santa Julia was the 2011 Santa Julia Organica Chardonnay (SRP $11), which is made from 100% organically grown Chardonnay grapes. On the nose I got green apple and pineapple, with the pineapple carrying through to the palate. There was a nice finish to it that was at once both crisp and long tasting. This is a stainless steel wine for those that have an aversion to oaked Chardonnay (you know who you are).

The first of three Rieslings that I had was the 2009 Dr. H. Thanisch Riesling Classic (SRP $18) which had a nice minerality with peaches, grapefruit, and a nice crisp, dry finish. There was a subtle sweetness to this one, which at least to my palate was the driest of the three and one I’d be interested to pair with some spicy Thai food.

Next was the 2009 Heinz Eifel “Shine” Riesling (SRP $10) which was slightly sweeter than the previous Riesling and had flavors of green apple. I could still probably drink this one with the right meal, but again I’d want some kind of spicy Asian cuisine to go with it and cut through the sweetness.

The final Riesling was the 2010 Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Noble House Riesling (SRP $12). With an aroma of apple and honeysuckle, petrol, and some minerality in the mouth it was also the sweetest of the Rieslings and featured a lemon/sour note that wasn’t off-putting, but neither was it great.

Up next was the 2010 Biohof Pratsch Gruner Veltliner (SRP $14). This was probably my favorite wine of the night and is a great value considering the bottle was 1L. Made from organic grapes, there was apple on the nose and a fresh, tangy dry minerality in the mouth with just a touch of white pepper. I kept going back to this one all night and was sad to see it gone.

The 2010 Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc (SRP $12) was one I had actually seen in stores a few times but never picked up. Might have to now. Aromas of gooseberry an herbal note were nice, but on the palate I was really intrigued with this wine that was nice a dry with flavors of stone fruit and what was debated as being either nettles, tomato vines, or just “green”. Either way, I really liked this one.

The final wine of the night was the 2010 Saint Clair Vicar’s Choice Sauvignon Blanc (SRP $16). Like the Fire Road, it was from New Zealand, and like the previous bottle it featured similar aromas with some grapefruit coming into the mix and some of the nettle/tomato vine/green. A touch of a mineral note on the palate was welcome as well.

All in all this was a great selection of wines. The Rieslings weren’t terrible, even though when I first received the wines I’ll admit I cringed at the sight of three German Rieslings – my memories of growing up in Germany tasting sickly sweet German Rieslings are hard to get over.

I really enjoyed the Gruner Veltliner, this being my first real experience with it, and the two New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs had intriguing aromas and flavors that make me want to see if this is something about that particular vintage in the region or just something those winemakers were doing.

There’s not a single one of these wines that I would tell somebody to avoid like the plague, but if I had to pick one to buy it would be the Gruner Veltliner with the two Sauvignon Blancs closely following.

Graffigna Centenario Pinot Grigio Reserve 2010

George — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:00:38 +0000

Varietal: 100% Pinot Grigio
Region: Argentina – San Juan
Cost: $13 (SRP)

Winemaker’s Notes: Pale straw in color with silver hues. Aromas of white flowers and citrus with a palate that is refreshing and balanced, with citrus notes and a crisp finish. Pairs well with white fish, assorted seafood dishes, Asian cuisine, and is a great apertif.

My Review: I was intrigued when I was offered this sample as, at least as far as I can remember, I’ve never had a Pinot Grigio from Argentina. One a Sunday relaxing with my wife we decided to open it up to go with our lunch.

In the glass the wine was a light yellow color and on the nose I got light citrus notes, though they were subtle. On the palate is where I found this wine to be really interesting. The front of the wine was more full bodied than I was expecting from a Pinot Grigio, and in fact reminded my wife of a Chardonnay. The middle ofthe wine had the citrus notes I was expecting, but around the finish I got some floral notes and a hint of sweetness that made me thing of a Virginia Viognier as much as anything.

Paired with a lunch of cheese (some basic cheddar, smoked gouda, and blue cheese), some spicy krab dip, and some sliced rosemary bread, it was a nice pairing. Especially when paired with the krab dip, the wine was a nice and refreshing note against a surprising amount of heat from the krab dip.

If Pinot Grigio is a grape that you’re either trying to get back into or are just looking for something different from the grape, the 2010 Graffigna Centenario Pinot Grigio Reserve is definitely worth checking out. It certainly wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was something new, and that’s often better than what your expectations are.

Alex Elman Malbec 2009

George — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:00:38 +0000

Varietal: 100% Malbec
Region: Argentina – Mendoza
Cost: $11

Winemaker’s Notes: This unoaked, delicious, cozy, well-balanced Malbec is ruby in color and texture. Notes of cherry, candied apple and caramelized onion mingled with great tannins to make this a perfect wine for hearty stews, smoky mushrooms, spicy sauces, sausages, tomato based pastas and steaks.

My Review: You may (or may not) remember that a few months ago I reviewed the 2010 Alex Elman Torrontes and that I enjoyed it overall, but that it wasn’t what I was expecting based on my experiences with Torrontes. Had I kept that in mind I probably would have been less surprised by the 2009 Alex Elman Malbec.

While I had received both the Alex Elman Torrontes and Malbec at the same time, it took me a while to get around to the Malbec, partly because I was waiting for more regularly warm weather to give it a chance at pairing it with some BBQ.

In the glass the wine was a deep red color and on the nose I got some bright cherry notes that I would expect from a Malbec; in the mouth, however, the wine was fairly different than I was expecting.

Maybe it’s just the Malbec’s that I’ve gotten used to, but this wine was much dryer than I was expecting, with none of the juiciness that I was anticipating and hoping to pair with some grilled chicken basted with BBQ sauce. While I got the typical flavors of a Malbec, cherry in particular, the wine was dry with good tannins on the finish and honestly made me feel like I was drinking a cabernet sauvignon instead of a Malbec.

That being said, my only complaint with this wine was my own fault in that I paired it with BBQ chicken instead of a steak or some pasta which I think would have been a better pairing with this particular wine.

If you want to try a Malbec that’s different than others you’ve probably tried, the 2009 Alex Elman Malbec is a good value and Alex’s story is certainly interesting if nothing else. If you can’t find the wine at your local store you can follow this link and have it shipped to you directly.

Santa Julia Reserva Malbec 2009

George — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:00:54 +0000

Varietal: 100% Malbec
Region: Mendoza – Argentina
Cost: $12 (SRP)

Winemaker’s Notes: Dark violet with brilliant purple colors. Good complexity in the nose with typical Malbec aromas of ripe fruit such as figs, plums, blackberries, and marmalades. Notes of vanilla, tobacco, coffee, and chocolate. Full-bodied red wine with sweet tannins, good structure, and long finish.

My Review: Given my fondness for the wines of South America, and for Malbec in general, the 2009 Santa Julia Reserva Malbec that I’d received as a sample seemed like a good choice to open for my third wedding anniversary last night when my wife and I were at home making dinner.

In case you forgot, back at the end of April I attended a lunch for Santa Julia wines and while everything was amazing, the 2009 Reserva Malbec was paired with a steak that had a lot of heat to it and made it hard to get a good feel for the wine. Fortunately the organizers were kind enough to send me another sample.

Since it was my wife’s and my anniversary, we decided that something a bit nicer was required for our home cooked dinner, so a pair of steaks and lobster tails found their way onto the grill while some potatoes cooked away in the oven. Given as the wine was paired with steak at the lunch, it seemed appropriate to pair it with steak when sampling it again for review here.

In the glass the wine was a dark red (though it still let light through when held up) with purple streaking throughout. On the nose I didn’t get a lot of aroma, just a very subtle aroma of general red berries.

In the mouth I got cherry and ripe fruit with a nice bright finish of light tannins. Paired with the dinner it was a good compliment to the grilled steaks and actually managed to not be completely overwhelming of the lobster tails. A good sign of a good wine is wanting more after the last drop has been poured and in that regard, the 2009 Santa Julia Reserva Malbec was a good wine.

When compared with the 2009 Santa Julia Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon I didn’t enjoy it as much, which is surprising given how much I enjoy Malbec, but I certainly wouldn’t shy away from drinking it again or recommending it to anybody wanting to try out a new Malbec.

If you can’t find a bottle of the 2009 Santa Julia at your local store you can always follow this link and have a bottle shipped directly to you.

Santa Julia Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

George — Mon, 23 May 2011 15:00:38 +0000

Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Mendoza – Argentina
Cost: $12 (SRP)

Winemaker’s Notes: Ruby color with purple hues of good intensity. Complex aromas of ripe fruits such as cherries, black cherries, and plums as well as vanilla, leather, tobacco, and spices such as black pepper and paprika. Full-bodied, sweet tannins, rich red wine with good balance and complexity and a long finish. Pairs well with grilled red meat and pastas.

My Review: If you’ll recall, a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend a lunch featuring several Santa Julia wines. During that lunch, the third course was a steak paired with a reserve cabernet sauvignon and a reserve malbec. While I enjoyed them, and the steak, the chimichurri topping on the steak had quite a bit of heat to it, and sorta fried my palate a little, making it hard to be sure I’d gotten a good sense of the wines. Fortunately, I was able to get a sample of the wines sent over so I could check them out again without my mouth being on fire (though that steak was still delicious).

This past weekend my wife and I decided to do a surf and turf dinner (gorgeous weather makes me want to grill), and since it’d had originally been paired with a steak, it seemed appropriate to that I should do so again. After cooking up a couple of NY Strips and a lobster tail, we sat down with our dinner and bottle of wine.

In the glass the wine was a dark red color with slashes of purple. On the nose I didn’t get a specific aroma so much as a generic red fruit smell that I typically associate with cherry. In the mouth the cherry flavors came through much more, especially with a tartness on the end that wasn’t tannic. In fact the finish was very light on the tannins, which was nice considering the lobster tails on the plate.

This wine was another example of why I wines from South America continue to find their way into my house. Argentina, Chile, and really everything I’ve had from the continent in general, are putting out good, quality wines at prices that make it very enticing to try new things since they’re priced to move. If you want to give the 2009 Santa Julia Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon a try, and I recommend you do, and you can’t find it in your local store (I haven’t seen it at mine yet either), you can follow this link and have some shipped to you directly.

Alex Elman Torrontes 2010

George — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:00:03 +0000

Varietal: 100% Torrontes
Region: Mendoza – Argentina
Cost: $13 (SRP)

Winemaker’s Notes: This luscious, refreshing, lightly floral wine has notes of orange citrus, honeydew melon and maintains a well-balanced acidity. Its notes of honeyed fruit leaves a long taste in the mouth. This wine is great to sip all day and is a perfect match for salads, citrus accented foods, light fish, and semi soft cheeses.

My Review: Ok, before I delve into the actual review of this wine, I want to talk about Alex Elman for a minute. Part of why I was interested to get these wines when they were offered was because of her. While you can check out her entire life story over on her website, the short version itself is nothing short of amazing. Involved in the wine industry from an early age, Alex partially lost her vision in her late 20s due to complications from diabetes and after several eye surgeries within a year, had completely lost it by the age of 27.

Since then, her passion for wine has grown and in 2009 she decided to create her own label of wines focusing on sustainability at the vineyards where they are produced, with the inaugural release coming out in November of 2010. Talk about your amazing stories. Ok…now for the wine.

In the glass the wine was a light golden yellow and I got floral aromas with a hint of citrus – pretty much what I would expect from a Torrontes. The palate almost made me think it was a different wine. While the nose had this nice floral notes that almost hinted at sweetness in the wine, none of that came through in the mouth. Instead I got citrus and a finish that combined that citrus with a pithy quality to create the sensation of effervescence.

That's braille on the label, which I found to be a nice touch.

Paired with a dinner of mahi mahi that was spiced with Baja seasonings and some chipotle sauce on the side and some home made fried rice it wasn’t a bad pairing, though with with heat from the food I might have preferred a bit more of a honey note on the end as opposed to the citrus. That being said, Torrontes is one of those grapes I’m still getting to know, and seeing another way it can be done is always something I’m in favor of, so it’s certainly worth checking out for that, and if you can’t find it near you, follow this link and have it sent to you.

Santa Julia Lunch and Wine Tasting

George — Mon, 02 May 2011 16:00:13 +0000

On Friday, I was fortunate to be invited to a lunch in Vienna to sample some Argentine food and wine. The Culinaria Cooking School was kind enough to host us as myself and others sampled a host of Santa Julia wines from the Zuccardi Family of wines, all paired with great Argentine food in what may have been one of the best lunches I’ve had. As with all good things, it started with bubbles.

We were each greeted with a glass of the Santa Julia Rose NV ($13 SRP), made from 100% Pinot Noir. The wine was a deep pink in color with aromas of strawberry that I would expect. In the mouth were subtle fruit flavors which went well with the light bubbles in the wine. All in all, a great way to start the lunch.

Our first course was a selection of Zuccardi Olive Oils with some fresh baked bread and Beef Empanadas, which had some hard-boiled egg in them, which I found to be absolutely brilliant. To pair with this we had a 2010 Santa Julia [+] Torrontes and a 2010 Santa Julia [+] Malbec ($10 SRP for both). The Torrontes had nice floral notes on the nose, and a slight sweet finish that was a nice counter note to the subtle spice of the empanadas. The Malbec was jammy and fruit forward, with dark fruit on the nose.

The second course featured a home made goat ricotta cheese served over Shiacciata l’uva bread with raisins and fresh grapes and touch of olive oil. The ricotta and the olive oil gave this amazing combination of sweet and savory, and when you added in the tang of the raisins and grapes, the whole combination was savory and sweet in the mouth all at once and just great. Paired with this we tasted a 2010 Santa Julia Organica Chardonnay ($11 SRP). The Chardonnay offered up tropical notes on the nose with a robustness in the mouth that made me think it had spent time in oak barrels, which it hadn’t.

The third and main course was a beefsteak with crunchy potatoes and chimichurri. I want to start by saying that the chimichurri had some kick to it, with a heat that lingered in your mouth – not to say it wasn’t good, but it wasn’t something I was ready for and it kicked on the first bite. The steaks were cooked to perfection, and the crunchy potato cake was a nice textural difference from the steak. To pair with this we had two red wine selections – a 2009 Santa Julia Reserva Malbec and a 2009 Santa Julia Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon ($12 SRP for both). Both wines were a nice dark color, with the Malbec show aromas of dark fruit and tobacco with a smooth feel in the mouth. The Cabernet Sauvignon showed some of the same aromas as the Malbec, cherry, dark fruit, tobacco, and some leather, but was more full-bodied in the mouth, which is why of the two, I enjoyed it with the steak better.

The final course, the dessert course, was nothing short of amazing. We were served a Mendocinean puff pastry which was a crispy handmade puff pastry covered in a handmade dulce de leche in layers (think baklava), that we then ate with our hands. The pastry was sweet, but not overly sweet, and when paired with a 2009 Santa Julia Tardio ($13 SRP 500ml) it was a great finish to our lunch.

So, my take-aways from this lunch. While I already knew Argentina was making some great wines, this just confirmed it even more. What I really appreciate is that they’re creating amazing wines at great prices, making them accessible to everyone. Santa Julia and the Zuccardi Family in general have done an amazing job of making wines that I think are perfect for this time of year – they just cry out to be shared with family and friends over a warm weekend in the backyard.

I want to thank our chef, Ana Soledad Rodriguez Armisen and Julia Zuccardi (the namesake of the wines) for an amazing lunch, as well as the Culinaria Cooking School and their amazing staff for letting us use their space – if you’re looking to take a cooking class, I definitely recommend going there.