About a week and a half ago, having beers for breakfast while watching the early morning college football games at Rudy's in Newport Beach, Tom, Johnny and I somehow turned our conversation to wine. Johnny had mentioned that this bottle, Amalaya, a less expensive Malbec, from the makers of Colome, was his go-to for wines under $20. While at Hi-Times on Saturday, I twisted my own arm and placed a bottle in my basket.
While preparing dinner, I cracked this open, and, right out of the gate, everyone was impressed. There's a lot going on in the glass, especially for a Malbec. A very fruity, cherry nose. After the first sip, and I realize if I had any credibility at all as a wine drinker, I might lose it right here, but the fruity flavor immediately took me back to my grandma's kitchen and I swore I was drinking Hawaiian Punch out of a cup with my name on it. I love me some Hawaiian Punch, this isn't meant to be a bad thing. Once the punch blast subsided I tasted a lot of cherry and berry that effortlessly turned into a nice spice that still managed to go down smoothly. Like I said, there was a lot going on with this wine. All good things.
We kept dinner pretty simple tonight, Trader Joe's chicken sausage (apple and mango). I thought the wine was a tad too big for the meal, and might pair better with with a steak.
Grade: B / 3
Beth's Grade: B
