October 2012 - Malbecs!

The Magic of Malbec

 

This month, in honor of the season changing (brrrr) and the need to stay warm, go a little heartier, and spice things up(!), the wine ladies took an evening to honor Malbecs.  With a single grape theme, the ladies tried to tackle differences in taste due to region and vintage rather than varietal.

The Spread:

 **Barely pictured, peeking in from the left, and VERY important.  Lauren brought wings because, according to the experts, Malbecs pair well with wings.  (Good call, thanks experts!) 

And the wines (in order of tasting):

**Note: there's a rogue starter bottle of champagne on the left, and a rogue Heavy Seas 22 oz beer on the end on the right.  The hostess' man came home at the end and opened a bottle to share/taste with the ladies. 

Without further ado, our thoughts on the magic of Malbecs!

1.  Val del Sales, Pays D'OC (France), 2011;  Whole Foods; $8.99; 13.5%.

Rating: 3.958

Nose: 

• Not too strong
• Smells fruity
• Bing cherries

Taste:

• Smooth
• Not tannic or chewy
• Very light for a malbec
• Much more like a pinot noir

As the night wore on, the ladies repeatedly commented on how the Argentinian wines stacked up against this one.  Remarkable how spicy and tannic Argentinian malbecs are compared to this French one.  Or, put another way, this one was unbelievably smooth and light compared to the usual malbec.


2.  Punto Final (Mendozo Region), 2010; Whole Foods; $14.99; 14%

Rating: 3.25

Nose: Spicy!

Taste:

• Cloves, spices
• Mulled wine without the "mull"
• Full in the back of the mouth
• Very different from the first wine

This is where the night began going south (so early!).  Even aided with the super sleek Rabbit technology, due either to a weak cork or the author/hostess’ incompetence, corks started catapulting into the bottle.  Solution?  Using a meat thermometer to keep the cork punched low enough in the bottle to allow us to keep pouring.  Genius!

Ladies: "What temperature is the wine?"
Tara: "Beef Rare, Ham Cooked."

3. Admiral Ferrer, 2010; Alyssa's Sikh (17th and L); $19; 14.5%

Rating: 3.458

Nose: very spicy

Taste:

• Fruitier
• Smoke
• Tart

This wine changed significantly with a little time.  After opening up a bit, the wine was much smoother. 

4.  Portillo 2011, $9.99

Rating: 3.791

Nose: nothing but alcohol

Taste:

• Soft, ripe cheese
• Less spicy than other wines we had tasted
• Closer to the French wine we had tasted

This wine was very dark in color.  According to the label, this wine came from very high altitude valleys, with black fruits, and a rich fruit flavor, velvety, soft on palette.
5.  Trivento; 14%; no place, no $$

Rating: 3.375

Nose:

• Brandy
• Oxyclean

Taste:

• Spicy
• Cherry cordial

According to the label, there was plum and raspberry jam on the nose, and vanilla notes on the palette.  The wine was aged for 6 months in French oak barrels.


6.  Sophenia; Barrel Liquors; $15; 14%

Rating: 3.25

Nose: smells like chardonnay with red food dye

Taste:

• Oaky
• Strong
• Spicy
• The "Chardonnay of Malbecs"

The Winner's Circle:

1.  Val de Sales - the French wine!
2.  Portillo
3.  Admiral Ferrer
4.  Trivento
5.  Punto Final
6.  Sophenia

Added Twists

• Wingos!  Who knew, winos love wings, and boy do they love this place.  Bonus: it delivers!
• Looking for milkshakes and fried chicken?  Look no further than The Satellite Room. A wino favorite. 
• A vocab lesson, wino style!
• Giddyup (noun): beginning, start.  Example: From the giddyup (in lieu of "from the beginning" or "from the get go.")  
• Ho-atus (noun): a hiatus from entertaining many men, i.e., from ho-ing about.  Example: I am taking a ho-atus. 
• Shopping?  Ladies love Piperlime.  But note that apparently women should eliminate approximately 70% of the items currently in their closets.  Hmmm, a dilemma ;)