The Most Interesting Bottle In Mendoza

Altivo Reserva 2007 Malbec ($14.95)


I pulled the "if/then" question in the Malbec section of Hi Times yesterday. I asked for a recommendation under $15, and said I really like Colome, a favorite from Argentina that John introduced me to. I was steered to two bottles, but told that if I liked a bigger Malbec, this was the one. I should have paid attention to the 2nd option. Darn, next time.

I don't know that I've ever been so confused by a bottle of wine. Out of the gate, it smelled great, like an awesome bottle always does. At first sip, it was bouncing all over the place. Flavors pinging around my mouth. It settled down a bit (maybe too much) and Beth noted that it got a bit dull, with a dry finish. I withheld judgement until we had it with dinner. I threw steaks on the grill and the wine got a lot better with food. The meat really brought out the cherry flavor. Never super smooth, but the flavors melded well with a big steak.

It was indeed big for a Malbec, beautiful dark color, nice fruit flavor, chewy texture (nothing light about it). I'm not the biggest fan of a dryer finish, which for me, keeps it from scoring higher.

I don't think I'd recommend buying this, but at the same time, I'd be really curious to hear your thoughts on it.

Grade: B-

Gone, But Not Forgotten.

While looking through my wine pic folder in an effort to tidy things up a bit, I came across 2 bottles that I didn't write about. I think it's a bit unfair to grade anything a few weeks after assessing, but I'll still pass along my mind.

Morgon 2009 Beaujolias ($16.99)


I'm pretty sure I didn't site that correctly, but a while back a Total Wine rep showed me the way to the wall of Beaujolias when I told him Ahi was on our menu. This also happened to be a night with the Jansen's and 4 or 5 bottles were opened, so it's easy to see why I forgot to write about the bottle, right? 


I'll be back to the Beaujolias section. Most of the bottles were in the $12-$20 range and a lot, I mean an unusually high number, had ratings from the big wigs of 89 and up. I can't give too many specifics on this particular bottle, but it was good enough for me to further investigate the grape. 

Shenandoah Vinyards 2009 Zinfandel ($9.99)


I have no good excuse for why I didn't write about this one. While cruising down the Zin aisle of Total Wine, this bottle, with a 91 point rating tag (need to start paying attention to who's doing the rating), and a $9.99 price tag caught my eye. 


We opened this the night I first made pulled pork in the crock pot, which turned out really well. The wine was nice. Very smooth. Soft almost. Beth thought it was "grapey." To which I shot her a "No Shit?" look. She then clarified, "Like, grape jelly, or juice" Ah, got it. 


It was good. Not tons of Earthy, peppery flavors that you get in many big Zins, but for $10, well worth it.  

Porta Reserva 2009 Pinot Noir ($ no clue)


Damn the fat Pinot bottle that doesn't fit in the wine fridge.

Damn drinking William's Selyem Pinot the last time we did seared Ahi and crab-stuffed mushrooms. My wine pales, nah, it sucks in comparison. Side note, if you visit for dinner in the near future, you're probably getting seared Ahi for dinner and if you don't like fish, swing by Carl's Jr. drive thru before you come. It's so damn good and the only way it doesn't turn out well is if I drink too much good wine and leave the fish on the grill too long. Hopefully for you, Johnny will join us and bring another A+ bottle so you're not disappointed with my vino.

Again, this bottle somehow found its fat self in the wine fridge. No proof of purchase, no on-line pricing info. Just magically appeared. I swear I'm not stealing wine.

Anyway, don't worry too much about where it came from or what it cost because you shouldn't be buying or stealing it. It's not that good. Flat, boring, and a little burn on the way down. We didn't dump it, and it did get a little better with food, but still, pass.

Grade: D

The Best of What's Around

Phebus 2010 Melbec ($8.99)
Shotfire 2008 Shiraz ($19.99)
Purple Angel 2007 Carmenere ($45ish)


Great night with great friends drinking pretty darn good wine. The Hamilton's and Jansen's came over tonight making the count 6 adults to 5 kids. We've gone from boardwalk beach cruiser rides to toll road commuting / back patio sitting. From talk of schooners and last call to breast milk and feeding schedules. The guests were gone by 8 and I'm typing this sober on a Saturday evening. Yep, times have changed!

"Turns out not where, but who you're with that really matters." So true Mr. Mathews. So true. 

Going in order here, the Phebus Malbec was opened early with all-star appetizers of  Bass Lake 7 Year Aged Cheddar Cheese, lamb sausage links, and Hungarian keilbasa. The wine was solid. Pretty smooth, easy to drink. I thought for the money, it was a great buy.
Grade: B- (close to a B for the price)


The Shotfire Shiraz was opened as we finished apps and was polished up over dinner. In typical Shiraz fashion, it had a musky, tobacco nose. Super earthy. It had a ton of flavor, but I thought it was dry on the finish. It went well with everything we threw at it though. Solid bottle. Not sure I'll get it again at $20, but nobody was dumping it.
Grade: B


Purple Angel Carmenere had all the makings of an epic masterpiece. Big heavy bottle (does that matter?), wonderful Earthy, yet fruity nose. It had an awesome initial fruit-forward burst. Now, to be fair, this was bottle #3 and we had it with pulled pork, which was soaked in a sweet & spicy BBQ sauce. I don't think this was the best match for the wine, yet it was still really, really solid. It seemed a bit dry on the finish, but I'm going to put partial blame on the food.

I don't think I'll be dropping $50 bucks on this bottle, but it was really good.
Grade: B+

Italian Pinot. Who knew?

Conte Priola Pinot Noir ($6.99)


The bald guy at Total Wine knows his stuff. This isn't the first time he's suggested a cheaper European bottle that I never would have picked up on my own.

This was really really good. And for under $7? Fugitaboutit! Very flavorful, but smooth. It went well on its own before dinner and paired well with grilled salmon.

Note to self: Run back to Total Wine and stock up.

Grade: B (For the price, B+)

Mystery Pinot

Chalten Reserva 2008 Pinot Noir $10ish?


I really have no recollection of buying this bottle, it's not on any of the receipts I've saved since starting this space. Maybe someone left it here? Strange. Since it was here, and didn't seem to be tampered with, I put my family at risk, took one for the blog, opened it and drank it down.

This was really tasty. It seemed like La Crema to me. Soft and smooth. Not a ton of flavor, but something easy to drink to wind down the night. Now I just wonder where it came from.

Grade: B-

Tour de Trader Joe's

Nobilo 2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($9.99) New Zealand

A few weeks back we shopped at TJ's and I decided to pick up a few Sauvignon Blanc's while I was at it. The best of the bunch, easily, was this from where else? Marlborough New Zealand. I'm pretty convinced that New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc should roll off the tongue like Chilean Sea Bass. It's a pretty safe bet.

Everything one would like in a Sauvignon Blanc, this had. Just enough zip, citrus, pineapple, green apple goodness. Well worth it.

Grade: B+

Sauvignon Republic 2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($6.99) New Zealand


Ok, I should add to the above post that Sauvignon Blanc's from Marlborough New Zealand are a pretty safe bet unless they're priced under $7 and have a cheesy label. Even as I was grabbing this, I thought the label reminded me of Fish Eye or Yellowtail. Damn. I hate falling for cheesy labels.

This wasn't so good. I'm going to pretend it didn't happen.

Grade: D

Fetzer 2009 Sauvignon Blanc ($5.99)


Let me start by saying I've been a fan of Fetzer Reisling and Gerurztaminer. I'll stick with Fetzer's sweeter stuff from here on out.

This bottle fell into the "wine flavored water" category at first, then finished with a tanniny, both sides of the tongue bite that wasn't so pleasant. Not a good combo. We corked it, came back to it a night later, then dumped it.

Grade: D-

Down 'N Dirty

Peter Lehmann Clancy's 2007 Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot ($12.99)

If the Marbro Man and Red Man sat down for a nice steak dinner, this is what they'd drink. They might order it for the bad ass bottle shape, but they'd keep drinking it because the Dos Equis guy strongly recommended it if they weren't drinking beer.

This wine (2nd visit for me) is so Earthy. It reeks of soil (in the best of ways). I taste leather, and tobacco, hell, throw in some musk, and V12 Chevy exhaust from the late 60's. It seems it shouldn't finish nearly as smooth as it does, but... it does. Both times I've had this it's been post meal and it's not only been great, but I'm saying I need to try this with a steak or BBQ next time. Yes, next time....

Grade: A-

Gordon Bros. Gets the Gong

Gordon Brothers 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ($22.99)


I know, I know, it batted clean-up with an Honor Roll class in front of it. This bottle was the 4th opened on the night after an "A" Cab, an "B+" Cab, and an "A+" Pinot. Judging from the nose alone, it belonged with those big boys, but it just didn't deliver.

I had it side by side with what was left of the Cult, and it couldn't hang. I (we) found it to smell delicious, but taste very ripe, young maybe, and finish with a flat, center of the tongue, dullness that to me, should not be found in a Cab in this price range. Nice label and all, but between the Blanc and now the Cab, Gordon Bros is 86'd from my purchasing list.

Grade: C-

Greetings!

Regusci 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon ($40ish)

After only 11 months,  Johnny and his girlfriend (who gets an A, btw) made the trek south to Aliso Viejo to join us for dinner. I have to give them credit, sacrificing the early part of a beautiful Saturday evening with an old married couple with 2 kids, but they did it, and they came bearing great wine. 

Beth gladly didn't open the Fetzer white she was ready to crack when she saw Johnny's wine was being opened. Smart girl. First up was this. A super solid Cab. We had it with carne from El Toro as an app. Good combo. I thought it was very similar to the Rombauer. I think I give the edge to Rombauer, but that could be because my dad didn't drink much of it, therefor, I had 2/3s of the bottle. This was smooth, complex, black cherry, tobacco goodness. 

FWIW, Beth gave this the nod as the "Wine of the Nigh" but with a Pinot (see below) that stood head and shoulders over every other Pinot I've ever tried, I gave the nod to Williams Selyem. Thats no knock on Regusci, it's really good stuff.

Grade: A

And During the Few Moments. That We Have Left...

Cult - Cabernet Sauvignon ($24.99)

I was very afraid of this being a sucker bet. I needed 1 more bottle for my case discount at Total Wine, and there on the top shelf of the end-cap with a shiny 91 point ranking by someone, this bottle catches my eye. I roll the dice and pick it up. 

To be fair, this bottle was sandwiched between 2 bottles in another league the night I opened it. I really thought it stood up well. It had an Earthy, not overly exciting nose, but was full bodied and very smooth on the finish. Lots of black cherry flavor going on. I really liked it and will pick it up again. 

Grade (though I'll revisit): B+

Ding-Ding-Ding. We have a winner!

Williams Selyem 2005 Pinot Noir (Allen Vinyard) 


So this is what good Pinot tastes like. I get it now. I'm not the hugest Pinot fan, and this was one of the best wines I've ever tasted. Brilliantly complex. This had everything going that Sideways said Pinots should have. And the finish....ah, the finish. So velvety smooth.

We had it with seared Ahi, crab stuffed mushrooms, an arugula salad, and great company. It was a match made in my back yard, which for those 20 minutes, could very well have been heaven. Just so delicious.


Grade: A+