Wine Peeps

On Friday evening, we hosted our 60th wine tasting dinner. It was another fun evening of good wines, Mom’s excellent food, and the company of wonderful friends.

With the current state of the dollar and rising gas prices, most of us are looking to find some good deals. That’s the main reason why we selected Argentine Malbec for this month’s tasting. All six wines that we tasted come in under $20, and the winner rolls in under $10. Malbec is a varietal that is getting more and more attention and appeals to a wide variety of folks. It has a lot to offer. It is not as tannic as Cabernet Sauvignon but is spicier than Merlot and goes well with a number of different foods. It paired wonderfully with Mom’s dinner of flank steak with pico di gallo and corn salsa, Spanish rice, and sautéed vegetables.

Paul Gregutt, Wine Adviser for the Seattle Times, recently wrote a couple articles touting Argentine Malbec. All of the wines in this tasting were on his recommended list from April 9th.

For the most part, my rankings are generally close to the group consensus rankings. In this tasting, however, my personal favorite finished fourth. While the last two wines were disappointing, I don’t feel that you can go wrong with any of the top four.

From 1st to last in the group consensus rankings:

2006 Altas Cumbres Malbec: Spicy and jammy. Smooth, not too bold.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $9.99, Available elsewhere, $7.99

2006 Punto Final Malbec: Lots of red fruits, especially cherries and strawberries come through on both the nose and the palate. A hint of peppermint is present on the mid-palate.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $11.99, Available elsewhere, $9 to $14

2007 Altos Las Hormigas Malbec: A bit spicy with flavors of beef jerky and cinnamon. A little rough now, should get better with age.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Pete’s Wine Shop – Eastside (Seattle area), $9.29, Available elsewhere, $8 to $13

2005 Melipal Malbec: My favorite of the evening. Very complex with lots of dried fruit and black olive flavors. Also has an attractive smoky component coming through on the nose.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $19.99, Available elsewhere, $14 to $20

2005 Tomero Malbec
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $14.99

2005 Andeluna Winemaker’s Selection Malbec
Quality: 1 star (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $12.99

This event, held last weekend at the Dempsey Indoor on the University of Washington campus, brought together two of my favorite things, Huskies and wine. As a graduate of the University of Washington, I am a tried and true Husky fan. In fact one of my favorite pastimes is attending UW sporting events with my family. So an event that features wine and supports the Huskies is right up my alley. In its third year, Toast to the Northwest featured about 40 wineries or wine companies (distributors, importers, etc), food vendors, and even a few breweries that are all located in the Pacific Northwest. The proceeds from this event benefit the University of Washington’s Husky Marching Band. As you might expect, there was also fabulous live music.

As with any event like this, it is impossible to taste all of the wines offered. So Colby and I chose to visit the booths for wineries whose wines we had not previously tasted or had not tasted in a long time. We made a few discoveries and look forward to picking up some bottles and adding them to our blind-tasting lineup to see how they stack up against some of our proven favorites.

Our most exciting discovery of the day was Chandler Reach Vineyards. I had not previously tasted (nor even heard of) their wines. We tasted the two red wines they were offering, the 2005 Corella (72% Sangiovese, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Syrah) and the 2005 Monte Regalo (63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Syrah), and loved them both. Chandler Reach is located in Benton City, Washington, along the Yakima River. Inspired to start his own winery during a trip to Italy, owner Len Parris set his sights on “bringing Tuscany to Washington.” Founded in 1997, Chandler Reach’s winemaking focus is on Italian-style wines and their tasting room resembles a Tuscan villa.

In order to keep these notes from being unwieldy as we tasted 20 different wines, I have broken down the list into Quality rating categories. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with appellation/region, price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2005 Chandler Reach Corella, Yakima Valley, $16.35, QPR: 5
2005 Chandler Reach Monte Regalo, Yakima Valley, $20, QPR: 5

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Patit Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $29, QPR: 5
2005 Saint Laurent Estate Syrah, Wahluke Slope, $22, QPR: 4
2006 Alamos Seleccione Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina, $14, QPR: 4

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2007 Tilia Malbec-Syrah, Mendoza, Argentina, $9.50, QPR: 5
2003 Kiona Cabernet-Merlot, Washington State, $11.99, QPR: 5
2005 Sawtooth Viognier, Idaho, $8.49, QPR: 4
2005 Waterbrook Melange, Columbia Valley, $15, QPR: 4
2005 Zerba Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $30, QPR: 4
2006 Maryhill Viognier, Columbia Valley, $14.99, QPR: 3
2005 Glen Fiona Walla Walla Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $19.99, QPR: 3
2002 Kiona Red Mountain Estate Cabernet, Red Mountain, $35, QPR: 3

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2004 Sawtooth Syrah, Idaho, $12.99, QPR: NR
2006 Waterbrook Reserve Syrah, Columbia Valley, $22, QPR: NR
2005 Zerba Columbia Valley Syrah, Columbia Valley, $28, QPR: NR
2002 Glen Fiona Cabernet, Columbia Valley, $29.99, QPR: NR
2002 Terra Blanca Block 8 Syrah, Red Mountain, $40, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
NV Kestrel Lady in Red, Columbia Valley, $15, QPR: NR
2002 Terra Blanca Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, $35, QPR: NR

We had so much fun exploring new wines in our first Wine Century Club Tasting that we decided to do it again. We headed over to K&L Wine Merchants to order another case of wine (actually a baker’s dozen this time), each bottle containing at least one grape variety that we had not previously tasted.

We followed the same format as last time for the tasting. All four of us Wine Peeps got together one afternoon, put all 13 bottles out on the table and tasted them one-by-one, discussing them as we went.

Eleven out of the thirteen bottles we tried this time were white wines. Unfortunately, this set of wines was not as solid as the wines in the last tasting, but we did find four new wines that we would like to try again sometime.

All in all, it was another fun tasting! After checking off the boxes on our Wine Century list, Dad (John) and I both have now had over 100 different grape varieties. It’s time to turn in our applications for membership in the Wine Century Club.

Just because we’ve officially met the requirements for our Wine Century lists doesn’t mean that we are done trying new grape varieties. We have learned so much, discovered new wines, and uncovered some great values. Therefore, we’ll remain on the lookout for new varieties to try.

The next time you’re buying wine (in your local wine shop, online, or in a restaurant), consider trying something new and then come back and tell us about your experience.

Here’s a rundown of the wines that we tasted (regions listed in parentheses).

Our favorites:

2007 Dominio del Plata “Crios de Susana Balbo” Torrontes (Salta, Argentina): Grape: Torrontes. Soft, golden straw color. Fragrant aromas of apricots and magnolia blossoms with a hint of sweetness. Apricots and orange peel come through on the palate. Similar to a cross between Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. Well-balanced with medium plus body, refreshing acidity, and a smooth finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $12.99

2005 Bleasdale Verdelho (Langhorne Creek, Australia): Grape: Verdelho. Light gold with aromas of burnt toast and butter. Too much oak for me but a great value for a California Chardonnay fan.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $9.99

2006 La Posta del Viñatero Cocina Blend (Mendoza, Argentina): Grapes: 60% Malbec, 20% Bonarda, 20% Syrah. Deep, dark, inky purple like Welch’s grape juice. Aromas of cherry pie and oak. Ripe fruit flavors with some sweetness on the back end. A good sipper with subtle tannins and a short finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $13.99

2006 Pra Soave Classico Superiore (Veneto, Italy): Grape: Garganega. Deep, rich gold with fruit salad aromas. Citrus, almond, nutmeg, and spice on the palate. Crisp acidity and a medium finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $13.99

The others:

NV Bortolomiol Prosecco Brut Prior (Veneto, Italy): Grape: Prosecco.
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $14.95

2006 Val de Lainos Verdejo (Rueda, Spain): Grape: Verdejo.
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $10.99

2005 Teruzzi & Puthod Vernaccia di San Gimignano (Tuscany, Italy): Grape: Vernaccia.
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $9.95

2006 Weingut Schmelz Grüner Veltliner “Pichl Point” Federspiel (Wachau, Austria): Grape: Grüner Veltliner.
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $15.99

2006 Emiliana “Natura” Carmenere (Colchagua Valley, Chile): Grapes: 87% Carmenere, 4% Syrah, 4% Petite Verdot, 1% Malbec.
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $8.99

2006 Mancini Vermentino di Gallura (Sardinia, Italy): Grape: Vermentino.
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $11.99

2006 Domaine de la Pépière Classique Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie (Loire Valley, France): Grape: Melon de Bourgogne.
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $11.99

2005 I Favati Fiano di Avellino (Campania, Italy): Grape: Fiano.
Quality: 1.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $17.99

2006 Ermacora Tocai Friulano (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy): Grape: Tocai Friulano.
Quality: 1.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $15.99

What is the best “non-major” grape variety that you’ve ever tasted?