Madrid, but in Argentina

Specifically Guillermo Garcia LaMadrid. His winery, named LaMadrid has gotten quite a bit of press lately for being a very quality forward winery. I had been recommended to try some of his stuff. Work has not been kind to my desire to write and drink lately. In truth, I have been drinking wine, just not much worthy of writing about. In a blog dedicated to finding good deals on wine writing about bad wine seems counter productive. Maybe not, sometimes it is fun just to write about what I notice.  I participated in a blind tasting last week which featured wines from both Italy and South Africa. I nailed 4 of 5 of the Italians wines blind, but mistook all the South Africans for South American wines. I did pick out the varietal on 2 of the 5 wines, mistaking Chenin Blanc for Albarino and Pinotage for Grenache. This was a pretty good result all things considered for me, I really feel like my blind tasting is coming along. I thought to myself this would be a great time to brush up on some South American wines to re-familiarize myself with their terroir and traits.

LaMadrid single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Agrelo Argentina

With South American Cabernet I look for that bit of green bell pepper along with the tannic structure when tasting blind. I noticed some of that greenness anlong with black pepper and clove. Then I began to pick up on it’s meatiness. It had a chewy smoky texture like smoked pork BBQ, and finished with a hint of cinnamon. It had all the big Cabernet features, the cassis and leather notes with blackberry. At one point I said it reminded me of chocolate milk with its rich smooth texture.  I kept noticing how unctuous and juicy this was. Seriously, as I am going over my notes it reads like a thesaurus. This is really good juice. It is exactly what you want out of new world Cabernet. It is the iron fist in a velvet glove, a great balance of power and smoothness. I really think this may have been slightly blended with Syrah, not that that is a bad thing. It just seems that this type of concentration and body in 100% Cabernet is a rarity. Tell me what you all think; I value the feedback and all your opinions. Definitely pick this wine up, at $15 grab a bunch. This is a great keep it around wine that really over delivers. This is better than many $50 bottles. Trust me on this one, you will not be sorry. 

2007 Michel Pichard Sancerre

Being a huge fan of French wines I had to try a Sancerre for the blog. Sancerre is Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire region of France. It stands out from other Sauvignon Blanc with it's bright acidity and minerality.   It is completely compared to the New Zealand stuff that is popular now. It is also a bit of a luxury wine. This offering was $19.99, which is cheap for Sancerre. The wine offered slate and minerals, some grapefruit and loads of lemon zest. I also detected a hint of honeysuckle. It's color was pale straw and the nose made my mouth water immediately. I found the wine to be bright and tasty, a lovely compliment to cured salmon gravlax (if anyone is interested in the recipe let me know) I had made. The wine possessed a long finish while cleansing the palate with its bright acidity. So, this wine was worth the money for anyone attempting to try a new wine, but not a standout. Don't pay more than $25 for this one. In fact, I have seen better bottles for $25. Nevertheless, I still maintain that the French make the best white wines in the world. Do you disagree? Send the the name of a better Sauvignon Blanc in the same price range or less, and I will review it and wax poetically and it.

Cheers,
E