The Good Wine Guru » Dry Wine

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.

Montecillo Rioja Reserva 2003

George — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:00:04 +0000

Varietal: Tempranillo
Region: Rioja – Spain
Cost: $18

Winemaker’s Notes: A deep red in color with bright flavors of ripe berries and oak that will pair with duck, any red meats, and roasted vegetables.

My Review: A few weeks ago a pair of bottles showed up to my office. Whereas most samples I get have at least some tasting notes, if not a letter from the winemaker/vineyard owner/head of marketing letting me know something about the wine that might not be in the tasting notes, the two bottles of Montecillo (one the 2003 Reserva, another to be reviewed later), had nothing. In fact I took a moment to look over the shipping label to make sure that they were in fact intended for me.

Knowing what I know now, I would have at least kept the 2003 Reserva anyways.

The 2003 Montecillo Rioja Reserva was a lovely dark red in the glass, with subtle and smooth aromas of berry and spice on the nose. In the mouth, bright berries were quickly tempered with a smooth oak finish that lent body to the wine and made it a great pairing for what may have been the most perfect steak I have ever cooked. I’m just saying.

I think it’s fair to say that over my last few years of writing this site I’ve made no secret of my continuing fondness for Spanish wines, and the 2003 Montecillo Rioja Reserva is just another example of why I enjoy them so much. If you’re looking for something to pair with your next steak dinner, I definitely recommend this wine both because of it being a good pairing, and for it being a good price. If you can’t find the wine near you, follow this link and have it shipped directly to you.

Afton Mountain Vineyards Gewurztraminer 2008

George — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:00:42 +0000

Varietal: Gewurztraminer
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: 17

Light in the glass with orange peel on the nose. Effervescent with a mineral finish that pairs well with chicken, sausage, cheese, smoked salmon, and fruit.

Recommendations: I’ll be the first to admit that I was hesitant when my wife and I were doing a tasting at Afton Mountain Vineyards some months ago and saw Gewurztraminer on the list. However, our pourer assured us that we would enjoy it and we decided to trust him. I’m really glad we did. When most people think of Gewurztraminer they think of a sweet, almost syrupy white wine that is better suited for dessert than anything else, and they would be partially correct in that assumption. However, as I’ve learned recently both from Afton Mountains and from a tasting of Gewurztraminer from the Finger Lakes, that’s not all there is to it.

Light in the glass, the Afton Mountains Gewurztraminer offered up slight citrus on the nose while having a great efferevescent and mineral flavor with just a hint of apple. A dry wine that will remind more people of a Champagne than anything else, this is a great deck wine as the heat continues to increase, and my only regret in opening this bottle was that we only have the one.

If you’ve tried Gewurztraminer before and didn’t like the sweetness of it, you don’ t have to worry with this wine. While Afton Mountain Vineyards claims there’s some residual sugar, I think most people will be hard pressed to find it. I highly recommend this wine for the summer and personally plan to visit them again to buy some more sooner rather than later.

Il Valore Sangiovese 2008

George — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:00:39 +0000

Varietal: Sangiovese
Region: Italy
Cost: $6

Garnet colored in the glass with aromas of cherry and crushed fruit on the nose. Cherry, crushed fruit and a spice finish in the mouth. Pair with pasta or meat.

Recommendations: Given that my wife and I have been snowed in for the better part of two weeks, our supplies of wine are starting to run low. While watching a movie (The Neverending Story for those that care), we opened up a this bottle of Sangiovese that I had picked up at our local Trader Joe’s in anticipation of the coming snow storms.

Fairly light in the glass and on the palate, I got flavors of cherry and spice, along with a little fresh crushed fruit. In typical Sangiovese style, the wine was rather dry and would have paired great with a pasta dish or some red meat, though it was a good compliment to the realization that the movies from my childhood may not have been as good as I thought they were.

While certainly not the best Sangiovese I’ve ever had, not even the best in the last 30 days to be honest, it’s really hard to argue against a passable bottle of wine that’s less than $10. Worth it to keep around the house for cooking/pairing with quick pasta dishes, but not good for much else beyond being a cheap table wine.

Di Majo Norante Sangiovese 2008

George — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:00:23 +0000

Varietal: Sanviovese
Region: Italy
Cost: $10

Violets, berries, spices and leather on the nose of this garnet colored wine with flavors of ripe fruit that pair with pizza, pasta, and grilled meats.

Recommendations: I grabbed this bottle of wine at a local store because, quite frankly, the price point was too good to pass on for a Sangiovese that had been highly rated by The Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator in previous years. Also, as Chianti is my first love of red wine, I have a hard time walking away from any Sangiovese.

Paired with a meal of pasta with red sauce and ground Italian sausage, the dryness of this wine was a perfect compliment. A bit of ripe fruit on the palate does take the edge off the wine, making it enjoyable well after the meal is gone (my mark of a good wine), and the price means you can pick this wine up in bulk to keep around for any occasion.

If you’re not a fan of dry wines, you might want to pass on this one, but if you are a fan of Chianti or any dry wine, or are looking to get into them, this is absolutely one you should pick up – easily one of the best values I’ve found for any red wine.

Canneto Rosso di Montepulciano 2007

George — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:00:57 +0000

Varietal: Red Blend
Region: Italy
Cost: $20

Deep purple coloring with aromas of roses, violets, and woodlands. Red and black fruits on the palate, with hints of truffle and chocolate. Pair with veal, hearty soups, hard cheeses such as Parmesan or Pecorino, lamb, Osso Bucco.

Recommendations: I’ve been sitting on this bottle for a few weeks since receiving it just before Thanksgiving waiting to pair it with some steaks that have been sitting in my fridge waiting to be cooked. I was so glad that I did. I’m a fan of dry red wines, and the Canneto Rosso did not disappoint.

Tons of earthiness on the nose lead into a very dry wine that still managed to exhibit flavors of ripe berries. Although the wine has a high alcohol content (14%/vol), it doesn’t show either on the nose or on the palate, a huge selling point for me.

Paired with a well seasoned steak, the dryness of the wine was a great compliment to the juiciness of the meat, and the earthiness on the nose mixed well with the herbs I used on the steak (rosemary is my friend). While this wine is a bit expensive to use as an everyday table wine, it’s certainly in that vein and if you’re looking for a fancier table wine, this is certainly what you’re looking for. Definitely worth grabbing.

Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the wine.

Iron Chef Chianti

George — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:00:36 +0000

Varietal: Chianti/Sangiovese
Region: Italy
Cost: $29

Ruby red in color with aromas of red berries. Smooth on the palate with a medium body, and great tannins on the end. Flavors of cherry and a bit of spice.

Recommendations: My wife, parents, and some extended family went to lunch in San Francisco at Tony’s Pizzeria Napoletana, and it soon fell to me to select wine for our meal. Wanting something a bit more dry to pair with the brick oven pizza, I quickly moved to the Sangiovese section of the wine menu.

I was a bit hesitant about selecting a wine from a TV show, but given that it’s an estate wine from Tuscany, I was hopeful that it would deliver. It did.

At $29 in the restaurant (about $15 in stores), it’s a great value for a chianti, especially one that will pair so well with pasta or pizza. Nice ruby coloring with aromas of red berries and flavors of cherry and spice with a great tannic finish make this a great wine to keep on hand.

If you’ve seen this and have been hesitant about picking it up because of the Iron Chef affiliation, go ahead and grab it. It’s worth it.

2007 Gabbiano Chianti

George — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:00:36 +0000

Varietal: Chianti
Region: Italy
Cost: $8.99

Slightly dry red wine that will hit you on the back of the tongue. Slight cherry flavors and good tannins on the finish make this a good red for pasta, pizza, or red meat.

Recommendations: I’m a sucker for chianti, and Gabbiano is one that I always find myself returning to. On an evening by myself, I paired this chianti with a pasta dish. The dryness of the wine was a nice compliment to the sauciness of the meal.

For the price, Gabbiano is great in that it’s a consistently good chianti. While I’m certain you can find a better chianti, you’ll be hard pressed to find one for this price that will consistently impress. For a dinner of pasta or pizza this is worth keeping on hand.

Rockbridge Cabernet Franc

George — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:00:44 +0000

Rockbridge Cabernet Franc

Varietal: Cabernet Franc

Region: Virginia – USA

Cost: $17 – $20

Good earthiness to the wine, a very dry cabernet franc. A very robust aroma greets you before you sip at the wine, which is followed by flavors of cherry and a hint of black olive. A rather peppery finish.

Recommendation: This wine will pair excellently with a sauce-heavy pasta or a very juicy steak, but the dryness of the wine by itself will probably be a turn-off for those looking for a dry red wine to drink by itself. If you’re pairing this with a meal, I certainly recommend it, but if you’re looking for something to drink by itself, this might not be the wine for you.