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Amalaya 2009 Malbec Blend ($13.99)


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

Solid Malbec, Great Price

Andeluna 2009 Malbec ($9.99) Mendoza, Argentina


Winemaker, Silvio Alberto writes on the back of the bottle to, "Please enjoy this wine with our best wishes." I can say confidently that we did. This was a great pick up, especially for the price, from Hi Times.

It was a bigger Malbec. It had a dark, inky color. It had a great nose, though I'm not sure I picked up the "black currant," "cassis" or "lavender." I did agree with the "lush flavors" noted on the back of the bottle. It had a lot going on, yet it was balanced. It had a bit of spice, which before dinner seemed "smokey" and after dinner seemed to have a bit of a burn. Nothing to worry about though. This was a really, really nice bottle for under $10.


Grade: B 

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-

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+

Say it ain't so, Argentina!

Achaval Ferrer 2009 Malbec ($18.99)


You can't get mad when the once hot-handed roller craps out if they helped stuff your pockets with green or black chips. It's bound to happen. Nothing lasts forever, not even my super successful run on Malbecs from Mendoza, Argentina.

This Total Wine purchase had a 91 rating tag hanging, so I grabbed it, hoping to find something special. It wasn't so. There were 4 of us trying this bottle Saturday night and nobody was impressed. It had a jammy, fruity, nose that got our hopes up. But, it had a tart, sour finish. I'm no farmer, and Tom isn't either, but he said it seemed like the grapes weren't ready to be picked. I agree.

Factoring in the hype and price, this bottle doesn't grade out well. I mean, 4 wine drinkers chose not to finish the bottle.

Grade: D

Melbec - Norton Reserva '07

Wow! What a way to start. I tried to make a point of not starting my first review with some stellar bottle I've had before. I'm glad too. This bottle was awesome, and at $12.99 from Total Wine, it's even awesomer!
Very deep color, solid nose. TONS of flavor, smooth... Had this been $10 more, I wouldn't have thought it outrageous, but again, at $12.99, it's a steal.
My wife put a bacon wrapped pork tenderloin in the oven for an hour (nothing more fancy than that), and the wine went really well with it.