What can we say? We have a soft spot for Malbec from Argentina and this one just jumped off the shelf at us last week. For $10.99 we decided we couldn’t leave the bottle in the store so we took it home and opened it on the spot to go with a snowy afternoon movie on pay per view. This wine is a deep ruby color with a delightful nose full of fruity plums & blackberries. On the palate, there is the pleasant “Malbec earthiness” that we so enjoy along with the fruit. We couldn’t help but notice the lovely balance between the fruit, the earthiness, the oak and the tannins. Our overall emotional response was a smile and we give this under $12 wine 4 Stars — Highly Recommended
Auka Merlot 2008 — Mendoza, Argentina — This wine has a great, pungent nose full of plums, currant, blackberries and a hint of caramel. The slightly spicy palate paired well with the tacos we had for dinner that night. And the finish was all dried fruits, some brazil nuts and smooth tannins. We like this winemaker’s style and are impressed with his wines.
Norton Malbec Reserva, 2005 — Mendoza, Argentina. $12 (14% alc/vol) We are big fans of Malbec but hadn’t tried this winery before, and thus we had no idea what to expect from them. To our great joy, we found this to be a thoroughly delightful wine! A huge nose full of raspberries, strawberries and figs gives way to a medium bodied palate full of still more fruit and gentle oak tannins. The 12 months in French oak for this wine was just perfect, leaving the oak understated, yet powerful. This juicy wine finished just the way it started, with lots of fruit and gentle tannins. We paired it with lasagna and were not disappointed, as the two complemented each other beautifully. From a quick tour of the internet, we find that our bottle was probably a bit old, as the current vintage is 2006. But no matter. This wine gets 5 Stars and our Highest Recommendation.
Torrontes is a lesser known wine in this country and that is too bad, as it can really add a lovely dimension to salads, fish and chicken dishes. The Auka Torrontes is a crisp, lively wine with aromas of citrus fruit and flowers. The palate discovers the bright taste of lemon and orange with a hint of white peaches. It is lighter in character than Sauvignon blanc, and for those who don’t like the heavy citrus of some of the Sauvignon Blanc’s out there, this wine is the perfect alternative. 4 STARS — RECOMMENDED
This is what Malbec should be, according to our palate, and it is proof that you don’t have to spend a king’s ransom to get a really nice bottle of wine. We opened this wine and the aroma of the forward fruits filled the small room before we even poured the wine into the glasses. We were tasting with the wine maker and sadly didn’t have any food to pair with it, but we imagine that this would be a wonderful wine to pair with anything off the grill. Anything. This wine is big and lush, with great flavors of plum and anise, with a juicy entry and a dry finish.
Piuquenes Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 — Mendoza, Argentina — Under $10 — With a nose of rich blackberries and plums, this Cabernet is a pleasant surprise. The forward fruit follows all the way through the palate and into the finish, along with gentle tannins and oak. For the money, this is a great value wine, sure to please your palate if you are just watching the sunset or going to a friend’s house and bringing the wine for a casual dinner. 5 STARS — HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION
Great Cognac Education
Small Wine Review Feature Wine
St. Helena Winery