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

The wine in Spain falls mainly in my glass (2 of 2)

While strolling around the local wine store I found a wine from Montsant, Spain. Montsant is located directly next to Priorat, a favorite region of mine. Both regions are known for very old vines that produce great wines. The difference is that Priorat has been “discovered”.  This wine was a blend of 85% Garnacha (aka Grenache) and 15% Syrah.  The vines are over 80 years old and the fact that it was unfined and unfiltered was completely intriguing. At only $11.99, this was a no brainer wine for my blog.

2007 Capcanes Mas Doris Barrica from Montsant, Spain

Capcanes is the vintner, Mas Doris Barrica is the wine’s name. Initially I noticed cinnamon, white pepper, and smoke. I picked up a little bit of a green quality and some bacon fat. Bacon fat might sound like a bad thing, but in this sense it was a good thing, a really good thing. The fruit was dark and very concentrated. It had both French and American oak that added structure and tannin. The mixture of oak also added vanilla and baking spice elements that really rounded out the wine. This wine is absolutely mouth coating, with a chewy quality that sticks to the teeth and gums. Right off there are powerful tannins, but they are silky and compliment the extremely extracted fruit. The old vines really produce great complexity and concentration.

Notice the nice packaging of this bottle. It has very heavy, thick glass, and the label seems to be made of a fabric, like expensive wallpaper. After finishing this bottle I noticed I didn’t have a ton of tasting notes. Sip after sip, I was only focused on how great this wine is. The Mas Doris Barrica gets 5 out of 5 arrows from me, and is probably the best wine I have reviewed for this blog at any price range.

Cheers,

E 

The wine in spain falls mainly in my glass (1 of 2)

The other day, I drank a glass of Rioja at a local restaurant for $10 a glass. Later, when perusing my favorite wine store, I was surprised to see the same wine sold for $14.99 a bottle. I am not sure really if it was a pleasant surprise; in fact, I was a little annoyed at my “by the glass” fleecing (even though I remember enjoying the wine tremendously.) However, it tasted like it had been open for at least a day at the restaurant, and I felt it warranted a fair and balanced “by the bottle” review. So, here it is.

 2006 Sierra Cantabria Rioja Crianza

Rioja is made from only one grape, Tempranillo. It is made to be very age worthy, and is available in many different levels. This wine is a Crianza, meaning it has been aged for at least two years in oak. It shows a dusty smoky nose. I noticed a nice acid and good power also. It was a little tight right off, but it showed hints of greatness. I was impressed by the well-integrated oak and dark raspberry notes. This wine was wonderfully complex and showed a long evolving finish. With the benefit of about an hour in a decanter the oak started to smooth out and the wine started giving up more flavors.  I loved the brightness of the acid at the finish, and found it cleansing to the palate. I give this wine 4 out of 5 arrows, and would highly recommend it to anyone. This is definitely well priced at $14.99 and absolutely what I would call a “steal”, but save yourself a couple bucks and always buy it by the bottle.

Cheers,

E

Aussie Aussie Aussie

Oy oy oy. Australian wines are known for a few things: They’re cheap, they’re fruit forward, and they are big. This makes it a perfect place for “The Hood” to research. To be fair, it is hard to call sitting around drinking wine research, it’s more pleasure than anything. I enjoy the whole experience of this blog. I love wandering the wine store with no idea what I want. There is always that “ah ha” moment when you find the right (hopefully) one. I saw this sitting on display at a local wine store with a RP score of 90, and purchased it. I then went and ran a bunch of errands, and basically forgot about it until about 9pm when I was really in the mood for a glass (or 2) of wine. Realizing that I had a Robin Hood wine to try, I leapt into action. I grab the bottle and my wine key, only to discover a twist top (stelvin enclosure). I thought "how convenient", and my girlfriend and I immediately popped it open. 


2007 Luchador Shiraz from R wines

Right away it was a fruit bomb, showing bright notes of raspberry and cherries with eucalyptus and pepper. Some hints of oak, but not a ton, probably was aged in used American oak. The Aussies are huge fans of the American oak as it gives enough flavor to stand up to the bold wines they produce. This wine was bold for sure, with all the power and fruit one would expect from those crazy Aussies. Alcohol was off the charts at 14.5%, but was well integrated. It had a definite viscosity to it, an almost chewy texture that stuck to the teeth and gums. I did notice a brightness that gives it a great drinkability. Not a terribly complex offering, but very good. Complexity is that certain something that separates good from great wines.  So I tell my girlfriend "I like this particular wine, but am not overly impressed." I follow that with the question, “What was this, like $15”. “No babe, it was $10 bucks”, “OH” So, for $10 this is a heck of a deal. For $15, which is what I saw as the average price online, it’s average to above average.  Great fruit and power, not much finesse or complexity. A good example of an inexpensive Aussie Shiraz, this wine is like a Aussie rules footballer. It has the brawn to turn your head, but not enough depth to keep your interest. At what I paid, $10, I would give it 4 out of 5 arrows and definitely recommend picking it up.

Cheers,

E