The Good Wine Guru » South American 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.

Folatre Carmenere Reserve 2007

George — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:00:11 +0000

Varietal: Carmenere
Region: Chile – Curico Valley
Cost: $8

Winemaker’s Notes: Dark garnet color or great intensity with an aroma of generous ripe red fruit and merged peppers with toasted French oak. A silky, flavorful mouth feel, creamy with great volume. Firm tannins provide an enjoyable finish. Best paired with light hors d’oeuvres and pastas.

My Review: My wife and I are always on the lookout for inexpensive wines that may not excite or inspire us, but are easy to sip on and are more interesting than cheap merlot or cabernet sauvignon from California, Australia, or New Zealand. Chile has become a favored region to get affordable wines that mix it up ever so much. When a friend recently brought over a bottle of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon that he had picked up and we enjoyed it we decided to pick some up at the store the next time we went. They were out of the Cab Sauv, but had a healthy supply of the Carmenere that we decided to give a try to.

On Sunday, while watching my 49ers lose to the Giants (frigging special teams!), we opened up the bottle of 2007 Folatre Carmenere Reserve. We had tried another bottle of it before, but there was something different about it this time. The wine is a nice deep red in the glass, and on the nose I got some fruit but a good amount of green peppers and brambles that I didn’t experience the first time we opened one of these bottles.

In the mouth I got more of the same that I got on the nose and a smoother finish than I remembered from my first try at the wine. Since we were watching football I had whipped up some buffalo chicken bites and while I wouldn’t call the pairing a revelation, it certainly wasn’t horrible.

I’m not going to sit here and say this is the best carmenere I’ve ever had – it’s not even the best one I’ve had in the last 6 months, but for an affordable wine you can do a lot worse and if nothing else it was a good bottle to drown my sorrows in while watching Kyle Williams give the game to the Giants.

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.

Wines of Chile Blogger Tasting – Carmenere & Curry

George — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:00:49 +0000

This past Thursday I, along with some family and friends, got to engage in the most recent iteration of the Wines of Chile Virtual Blogger Tasting. The theme this time was Carmenere & Curry, and when I got the invite I was intrigued as I’ve enjoyed Carmenere since the first Blogger Tasting I was invited to and my wife and I have increasingly enjoyed curry and while we’ve never combined them I had read that they did pair well.

As usual, the kit included 8 bottles of wine along with a wealth of information both about the wines and the regions, along with some spices for making curry dishes and a USB thumb drive loaded with recipes and even more information about the winemakers and the vineyards. If there’s one thing I can continue to say about this tasting as that there’s no lack of information, something that I greatly appreciate. As for the wines.

2010 Emiliana Natura Carmenere ($17)

Our first wine of the night was a deep ruby in color and I got aromas of pepper, dark chocolate, pepper, and brambles. In the mouth the wine was dry with pepper, some cherry, and some of the bramble from the nose with a bit of a tart finish to it. This was my wife and my mother’s favorite wine of the night and didn’t last long after the formal part of the tasting was finished.

2008 Casa Silva Los Lingues Gran Reserva Carmenere ($22)

The second wine featured dark fruit and some of the same bramble from the first on the nose. In the mouth the wine was dry with bell pepper, bramble, and a touch of tobacco. I personally liked this wine better than the first even though they had some similar flavors.

2008 Santa Rita Medella Real Gran Reserva Carmenere ($20)

The third wine had a ton of dark fruit on the nose with some spice. I got some dark chocolate and plum on the nose, though not as much as some of the others tasting with me. In the mouth the wine displayed a subtle pepper with smooth chocolate and dark fruit. It was a stark departure from the first two wines with more fruit on less pepper than they featured.

2008 Montes Alpha Carmenere ($24)

Our fourth wine had a nose that I could only describe as musty at first, though after it opened up I did pick up some dark fruit and spice. In the mouth I got dark cherry with some dark chocolate and plum and a soft oak finish.

2009 Carmen Gran Reserva Carmenere ($17)

The fifth wine had spice and black fruit on the nose that struck me as juicy though a little bramble came out later as the wine opened up. On the palate the juiciness from the nose came up again with just a touch of pepper and some smokey fruit.

2009 Santa Carolina Reserva de Familia Carmenere ($20)

The sixth wine had a nose of black fruit and spice with a hint of dried herbs. In the mouth the wine was smooth but with what I could only describe as a “footy’ finish, though others described it as a dark almond finish which sounds far better than how I phrased it.

2009 Concha y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Carmenere ($20)

Our next to last wine had black currant and a touch of chocolate nose. In the mouth it was medium dry with some pepper and cherry and a dark chocolate note on the finish. I wasn’t in love with this wine at first, but later in the evening after it had time to open up I found it more enjoyable.

2007 Haras de Pirque Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenere ($13)

The only blend of the evening, the blend was: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon; 37$ Carmenere; 13% Cabernet Franc; 10% Syrah. On the nose I got earth with stone and flint and just a hint of dark fruit. In the mouth the wine featured pepper, tobacco, some fruit, and more of the earth and stone notes from the nose. It wasn’t a favorite of mine personally, though others that had let the wine open up more than myself did say it was the best value, and it was a bit more enjoyable to me later in the night when it had opened up a bit.

Wrap-Up

So, the usual question to these tastings is “which was your favorite”? If I was forced to pick one it would probably be the 2008 Casa Silva Los Lingues Gran Reserva Carmenere. That being said, I did enjoy the 2009 Concha y Toro later after it had some time to open up. As the theme of the tasting was Carmenere & Curry we (meaning my wife) made a point of making some curry to taste the food with. We made the beef curry dish that we had been sent a recipe for and while it wasn’t a perfect pairing with every one of the wines, it was tasty and did pair well with some of them, so you can count me as a believer in pairing Carmenere with curry.

This probably wasn’t my favorite of the Wine of Chile tastings I’ve done (the last one, Pinot Noir & Syrah, holds that title), though it also probably wasn’t my least favorite. I think I would have enjoyed the wines, the back four in particular, had I opened them all up well ahead of time to give them lots of time to breathe, something I plan to do for the next one.

As always I want to thank both the vineyards of Chile, the winemakers, and The Thomas Collective for putting on what is easily one of the most original and entertaining tastings that I get to participate in. I always look forward to these tastings as they are informative and and a great way to try new wines.

Cono Sur Pinot Noir 2010

George — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:00:28 +0000

Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Region: Chile – South America
Cost: $7

Winemaker’s Notes: This voluptuous Pinot Noir is full of rich aromas and flavours of cherry, plum, and strawberry, finished with a subtle spiciness. Balanced and New World styled, this is an elegant wine; the perfect partner for robust fish dishes, white meats, and pork.

My Review: As a slight preview to this Thursday’s Wines of Chile Virtual Blogger Tasting, I decided to open up a bottle of Cono Sur Pinot Noir that I had picked up at Costco during a recent grocery trip. I’ve had Cono Sur wines during several blogger tastings and they tend to always make my list of the top wines for the tasting, and for the value I just couldn’t pass up trying this particular bottle.

The wine was a bit darker in the glass than I was expecting, though certainly not so dark as to make me question it’s Pinot Noir-ness. On the nose I got cherry and strawberry mostly, with the plum not really coming through until the palate, and even then it was very subtle, mostly hidden by the cherry and strawberry notes.

My wife and I paired the wine with a pizza and I have to say that the wine was enjoyable. I’d be lying if I said this was the best Pinot Noir I’ve ever had, hell, it wasn’t even the best Pinot I’ve had from Chile, but it was a great value, and it wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, and I suspect that I’ll be grabbing another bottle of this the next time I come across it, as it’s better than most of the value Pinot Noirs I’ve come across in recent years.

If you can’t find this wine at your local store (I’ve seen it at multiple locations so I think they’re doing a good job of placing it on shelves), then you can follow this link and have some shipped directly to you. It’s a great value and probably an upgrade on most table wines.

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.