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Argentina

“Argentina: Celebrating Diversity” with Nora Favelukes at the Boston Wine Expo 2012

by katrin on January 22, 2012

Saving the best for last, the final seminar of Saturday’s Boston Wine Expo featured Nora Favelukes of Wines of Argentina presenting on “Argentina: Celebrating Diversity.” The full house was entertained, while also being educated on Argentina’s wine, food, culture, and geography.

A lot has changed in the Argentina wine industry in the past 20 to 30 years. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Nora said that she knew exactly where to look for the Argentine wines: way in the back of the store, on the bottom shelf, covered in dust. Nicolas Catena and the arrival of two international wine consultants, Paul Hobbs and Michel Rolland, changed all that.  Their work in modernizing grape growing and winemaking set the groundwork for making wines from Argentina an international sensation.

One of Argentina’s great strengths, which wine enthusiasts around the world are starting to recognize, is diversity; from Salta in the north to Patagonia in the south; altitudes ranging from 1,000 feet to 10,000 feet; incredible microclimates; and a wide range of varietals.  Clearly Argentines enjoy their wine; with one of the highest per capita wine consumption rates in the world, Argentina only exports 10-12% of its total production.  The rest is enjoyed at home!

We tasted five wines that gave a flavor of the geographic and varietal diversity of Argentina.  Nora had selected them based on their availability in the local market and their price to quality ratio.

2011 Michel Torino Estate – Don David Torrontés (Cafayate Valley, Salta)
Beautiful nose of peach pit and white flowers. Very mouthfilling with high acidity, spice, and a long, clean finish.
$16.99

2011 Graffigna Pinot Grigio (Tulúm Valley, San Juan)
Very pale to nearly clear in the glass, the Pinot Grigio was so subtle in comparison to the Torrontés. Ripe with medium acidity.
$13.99

2010 Dante Robino Bonarda (Santa Rosa, Mendoza)
Great smoky nose with a meaty palate.  Bonarda like this is a perfect accompaniment to burgers and pizza. I agree with Nora that this is a rustic, but rich example of this varietal.
$12.99

2009 Del Desierto 25/5 Cabernet Franc  (La Pampa, Patagonia)
Incredibly unusual nose.  Lots of dust and cocoa powder. The palate is intense showing more chocolate notes, spice, and minerality. Medium plus acidity and tannins give this Cabernet Franc great structure.
$14.99

2007 Rutini Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon (Tupungato, Mendoza)
Cassis and dark fruits on nose and palate. This is one intense and very tannic wine. Tight. Bring on the steak!
$16.99

Hopefully, Nora will do a presentation at next year’s Boston Wine Expo. With her passion for Argentine wines, fun presentation style, and infectious laugh, you won’t want to miss it.

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Wine Review: 2006 Viñas de Luján Las Loicas Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Organic)

by katrin on January 10, 2012

Las Loicas, or "the finches", Cabernet Sauvignon

I am not a big fan of rustic wines that conjure images of horses, hay, and barnyards, and I have wondered if perhaps I lack the patience or the palate for such wines. Upon opening, Las Loicas Cabernet Sauvignon reminded me of being down on the farm. Not all that long ago many Argentine wines smelled and tasted like this. However, in the past 7 to 10 years, Argentine wines transformed from rustic to refined and it has been a while since I have had a wine like this. Nevertheless, I didn’t like it and thus reinserted the cork and set it aside.

The next day I gave it a second chance, and overnight – not unlike the entire Argentine wine industry – it had evolved and improved. The nose had red currant, cherry, mushroom, hints of meat, and pepper. On the palate, cassis and ripe black fruit were rounded out by a little vinyl and cocoa. The oak was subtle, allowing the fruit to shine. Acidity, tannins, and alcohol were very well-balanced and gave the wine a pleasant structure and complexity. A nice, long finish.  And certainly a positive point: it’s made from 100% organic grapes.

At Whole Foods in Dedham, Mass. for $15.99.

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Trends and Trending – Musings on the Year Ahead

by Eleni-Glenn-Katrin on December 28, 2011

Eleni – I’d like to try Westport Winery’s “Grace”.  From their Web site:  “Scoring a 92 and earning Gold Medal status at the World Wine Championships, our aperitif Chardonnay was 7 years in the making. To make Grace is deceptively simple. We take our estate grown eau de vie of chardonnay and blend it with brilliant, fresh pressed chardonnay juice. Then age it in French oak. Give the elements time to evolve and the result is nothing short of heavenly. Aromatics of lemon zest, rich toast, ripe pears lay across sweet, succulent fruit. The flavors and aromas of our sun-drenched season become a blessing for us today. Savor Grace before the meal with most cheeses, pate, and of course, foie gras. 17.5% alcohol by volume. 375ml bottle. $29.99. Grace is here (and no, you don’t deserve it). Only available at the winery or our online store.“  Sounds delicious.

I’m looking forward to something replacing one of my true loves, dare I say it, BACON.  I love bacon but I could live without some of the hype, and especially the artery clogging recipes saturating the online world.

I hope that we continue to see the revival of specialty liqueurs.  I’ve enjoyed drinking St. Germaine in a variety of settings and would love to see a Pousse Cafe?  Just kidding.  But Chartreuse concoctions would make mine a bright New Year.

Glenn – First, with the recent openings of Hawthorne, Saloon, and Backbar, the craft cocktail movement continues. As our appetite for well-made cocktails is quickened, more establishments of this ilk will continue to appear. Hallelujah! Hopefully, the demise of the fruity/girly “martini menu” is imminent; the didactic, torch-bearing attitude of some watering holes gets toned down; and bartenders no longer resemble extras from the set of Deadwood.

Second, local craft brewing continues to – and I’m compelled to write this – barrel along. With the relaxation of the requirements by the Massachusetts ABCC for a “farmer brewery” license, the opportunity for all closet brewmasters opens up. Plus, the current emphasis on the consumption of local products serves to accentuate this trend and results in more good, fresh local brews.

And finally, food trucks become a non-story. They are here, there and everywhere. And with large corporate food chains on the verge of sending out fleets of mobile eateries, their novelty – and foodie hipness cred – become moot. They will become just another dining option.

Katrin – Three thoughts about wine in 2012. I’d love to call them predictions, but they each reflect my own biases and wishes too clearly. First, Torrontés, Argentina’s native grape, will start to steal some of the limelight from Malbec. Argentine wines are hot, but white wines have been slower to catch on.  With the increasing availability of Torrontés on store shelves, it is becoming easier to find a wines from a wide range of producers, at a broad range of prices, from different regions, and in varying styles. Perhaps there will even be a day dedicated to this versatile varietal, like Malbec does!

Second, I’m hoping that light red wines will become more popular. Wine lovers who are tired of big, brawny, high alcohol wines will want lighter, fresher, less manipulated red wines. German Pinot Noir, Schiava from Alto Adige, and Beaujolais Villages and Cru fit the bill perfect. I, for one, definitely plan to drink more of these in 2012.

And finally, I hope that consumers will see the light and embrace wines that are organic, biodynamic, or sustainably farmed. Market research shows that less than 20% of consumers make a purchase decision based on these labels. It’s a shame. More wineries are going green, but are not noting that fact on their labels for fear of turning off potential customers. As the wise Kermit said “it’s not easy being green,” but in 2012, I would like to see that change.

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Beyond Malbec: Bonarda, Argentina’s Other Red Grape

by katrin on June 29, 2011

Part of the Bonarda Line-Up

Bonarda is the second most popular red grape in Argentina – after Malbec, of course. Nearly 19% of red grape vineyards are planted with Bonarda. The origins of this varietal were under dispute until 2008. Was Bonarda brought to Argentina from Italy’s Piemonte region, where it is known as Bonarda Piemontese? Or was it related to the French Charbonneau (or Corbeau) grape? Or can its roots be traced to Croatia? Laura Catena clarifies the matter in Vino Argentino, “Bonarda is none other than the rare Corbeau or Charbonneau of Savoie, a French departement adjacent to the Italian Alps.”

No matter the origin, to me, Bonarda is a simple, enjoyable, pizza-loving wine.  A wine that’s a good value and in vast supply, but not necessarily complex. Sandy Block’s Argentine wine tasting this winter seriously challenged that notion with a concentrated, oaked Bonarda from Nieto Senetiner. It was unlike any Bonarda I had had before. Still, the majority of the Bonardas we see on wine store shelves are perfectly suited for “open on a Tuesday night” to be enjoyed with casual food. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just that we don’t see much evidence that Bonarda can match Malbec’s flexibility and ability to produce wines in a range of styles.

For this line-up of six Bonardas (actually seven, since there were two vintages from one producer), I chose a range of value- to mid-priced bottles. The results were mixed, with two wines on opposite ends of the price range emerging as stand-outs. I found that some of them – namely the first three – actually tasted a bit better when they were slightly cool.

2009 Altos Las Hormigas Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda (Mendoza)

I’m certain that if you have perused the Argentine section of a wine shop in the past few years that you would have seen this wine.  And it’s no surprise, since this is a good wine at a very good price. The Colonia Las Liebres is fresh, with a touch of minerality, cherry, and vinyl. It has nice medium acidity and tannins and finishes with spice and chocolate. A very good value.

At WineNation for $7.99.

2009 Bodegas San Huberto Bonarda (La Rioja)

The San Huberto comes from La Rioja, a province north of Argentina’s best-know winegrowing region Mendoza.  I found this wine to be a bit lackluster. Plum and spice in the nose and on the palate, but it also had a slightly high pitched character. Made completely in stainless steel without any oak, it was quite streamlined.

At The Urban Grape for $13.00.

2007 Ichanka (La Rioja)

Another Bonarda from La Rioja. The Ichanka was an interesting contrast to the San Huberto. The nose was meaty, with lots of plum. This wine spent six months in French and American oak which imparted sweet oak and smoke flavor. The wine’s heat from alcohol was offset by a cool, lead pencil shaving character. A chewy, dense mouthfeel, with medium plus acidity and tannins, and a medium length finish.

At The Urban Grape for $15.00.

2007 and 2008 La Posta Vineyards Estella Armando Vineyard (Mendoza)

La Posta has been a reliable producer of mid-priced wines. Unfortunately, the 2007 La Posta had a very bad case of bret. It would be overly generous to call this awfully stinky bottle “rustic.” To me, this bottle was undrinkable, and it went down the drain.

Luckily, I happened to have a bottle of the 2008 vintage, which was a dramatic improvement over the 2007. Darker than the other wines, the La Posta initially had a lot of fruit on the nose and palate. It was brambly, and had concentrated dark cherries and blackberries. There was oakiness, too, and notes of smoke and toast.  A few hours later, the fruit had largely dissipated, leaving a mocha-filled palate and bitterness. Medium body.

At Bacco’s Wine + Cheese for $17.99 (2008 vintage); At Martignetti’s in Brighton for $14.99 (2007 vintage).

2006 Trapiche Broquel (Mendoza)

As the oldest of the bunch, this 2006 Broquel is starting to show its age. On the nose blueberry jam and pencil shavings. The palate has cassis and a bit of high-pitched acetone. The medium-length finish has notes of chocolate and toast. Good, but probably better a year or two ago.

At Martignetti’s in Brighton for $18.99.

And, my favorite Bonarda from this tasting

2007 Alfredo Roca Dedicación Personal (San Rafael, Mendoza)

Dark garnet, saturated but starting to show a little age. It took about half an hour for the wine to open, but it was well worth the wait. Ripe fruit, primarily cherry and raspberry, with notes of vanilla oak. A lingering finish of spice (white pepper), chocolate, and a little smokiness. Ripe tannins, juicy acidity, and moderate alcohol are all very well-balanced. There’s still a freshness to this wine, and I found it very satisfying. My favorite of this tasting.  It was, however, at its best the first day it was open; after that, the fruit vanished and the texture was flat.

At Winestone for $20.00.

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He Said, She Said – L’Espalier Argentina Wine Monday

by glenn and katrin on June 28, 2011

L’Espalier Wine Monday

Argentina

The Menu

First Pairing

2010 Crios de Susana Balbo, Torrontés, Salta

Apple Street Farm Greens with Shaved Carrot and Rhubarb

Second Pairing

2009 Alfredo Roca, Malbec, Mendoza

Roasted Lamb Sausage with Pearl Barley, Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives

Third Pairing

2009 Jean Bosquet [sic], “Reserva”,  Malbec, Tupungato Valley

Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri and Roasted Potatoes

Fourth Pairing

New Age, Sauvignon Blanc/Torrontés, Mendoza

Mt. Tam, Menage and Fourme d’Ambert

GLENN – We were eager to attend our first Wine Monday at L’Espalier on June 27th. The featured wines were from Argentina, one of our passions at WDWU. What interesting gems would Sommelier Erich Schliebe offer us? What wonderful culinary treats from the kitchen? And what imaginative pairings would we experience? Alas, the watchword for Wine Monday is casual, as in “off-the-cuff”. The wines were basically an uninspired selection of entry-level wines. Though Susana Balbo’s “Crios”  is a favorite of ours, this is a large scale production and not some undiscovered gem. I found a similar lack of depth in the choice of Malbecs. The first, the 2009 Alfredo Roca, was flat and unexciting. The second, the 2009 Jean Bousquet, was over-oaked. I don’t enjoy “chewing on an oak floor” (quote attributed to Kathy Benziger). And finally the fourth wine, billed as the most popular wine in Argentina and the mainstay of Buenos Aires nightlife, was a sweetened, carbonated concoction. (An aside about restaurant wine mark-up: additional glasses of wine were available for $12 a glass –  more than the wholesale, and in some cases the retail(!), cost for a bottle of any of these wines.) This was definitely “Argentina for Beginners.”

KATRIN – Glenn described the wine selection perfectly. I really had been looking forward to this dinner, and particularly the wine selection, for weeks, knowing that the wine list at L’Espalier is well-chosen, both elegant and comprehensive, and has a number of fine selections from Argentina. Plus my last experience at L’Espalier was stellar and unforgettable. If this was “Argentina for Beginners”, then I wouldn’t be surprised if it made would-be Argentina enthusiasts run back to European selections. Which is not to say they make bad wines. Quite to the contrary. Susana Balbo has become a flying winemaker in South America and Europe; Alfredo Roca has made wine in Argentina for four generations; Jean Bousquet immigrated from Southern France in the 1990s, where he had made wine; and Valentin Bianchi’s namesake and founder left Italy in 1910 to make his future in Argentina. 

GLENN – The food exhibited a similar lack of excitement. The  greens from Chef Frank McClelland’s farm in Essex were unremarkable – my salad a handful of baby spinach leaves, some of which were totally bruised; the vinaigrette, though, was well made. The lamb sausage – tasty, but overly salted – sat on a tasteless bed of barley. The flank steak was fine and as there are as many versions of chimichurri as there are cooks who make it. L’Espalier’s rendition was quite different – more an herb aioli. The meal ended though with a solid cheese plate – the triple creme “Mt. Tam” was at perfection and the tomme-like mixed milk “Menage” from Carr Valley Cheese provided a good contrast. And of course,  “Forme d’Aumbert” is always a reliable choice for the requisite bleu. The rye bread – a variation of Swedish rye – that accompanied the cheeses was outstanding. However, the cheese plate was done a disservice by the wine that accompanied it. Service, as one would expect, was professional and courteous except for the greeters at the doors who were overly scripted and effusive – honestly, I felt like a woman of a certain age being fawned over.

KATRIN - The impression I was left with was that the restaurant has a “you get what you pay for” mentality and that if you are only paying $65 for the privilege of dining there then that is the quality of the food and wine you should expect to receive. I asked Erich how the wines were selected and it seemed that the decision was based on price. A gem like the Bodega Chacra Barda Pinot Noir, which is on their wine list, wasn’t served because it would be too expensive. Meanwhile, only Susana Balbo’s Torrontés is on the wine list; the fact that the other three didn’t make the cut speaks volumes.

L'Espalier on Urbanspoon

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Wine of the Week: 2008 Viña Cobos Felino Cabernet Sauvignon

by katrin on June 16, 2011

Argentina produces some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon on the market today. That may be too much of a sweeping generalization, so I will qualify it a bit by saying relative to Cabs coming from other New World producers, such as California, Chile, and Australia. I think this is particularly true in the $18-30 price range (and up, of course!). While a fuller discussion will certainly be a topic for the Beyond Malbec series in the near future, the inaugural Wine of the Week is the Viña Cobos Felino. Viña Cobos is the Argentine label of California winemaker Paul Hobbs. It has a great black currant center on the nose and on the palate. The nose also has floral notes and spice, while the palate has Australian black licorice and coffee bean, with some rather unexpected green notes (unexpected since I associate unripe or green characteristics with Chilean Cabernet). Medium acidity and fine, long-lasting tannins, with some bitterness in the finish.

Available at WineNation for about $22.

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Celebrating Malbec World Day: Part II

by katrin on April 20, 2011

The Final Three for Malbec World Day

And here are the final three wines of our Malbec World Celebration!

2007 Bodega Monteviejo Lindaflor

Bodega Monteviejo is owned and operated by Catherine Pere-Verge of Chateau Le Gay. With international winemaker Michel Rolland heading up the winemaking, the winery is seeking to produce very high quality wines. Glenn and I tasted the entire Monteviejo line up of wines at this year’s Boston Wine Expo and enjoyed all of them.

As soon as we poured the inky black wine, we knew that the Lindaflor was different from the others in color…and in temperament. The Lindaflor matches the expectations many wine drinkers have of a New World style wine – big, ripe, extracted, and oaky.  It is not a bad thing or good thing; it is a particular style that some will like, others not. It actually works for this wine since there is plenty of verve to keep it lively. My initial impression was of sweet vanilla from the oak, but additional time in the glass yields black cherry and licorice. These combine with bitter chocolate and even a hint of minerality on the palate. High tannins, high acidity, and a long spicy finish.

At Wine Library for $49.98.

2007 Altocedro Año Cero

In  a tasting of noted winemakers, Karim Mussi might not be a household name, but we decided to give the Altocedro a try. Mussi, a Chilean of Lebanese descent, produces a small quantity of wine each year, with limited oak. In fact, there is no mention of oak for the Año Cero in the winemaker notes on their website.

The Altocedro had the unfortunate luck of following four intense, well-crafted, and sometimes oaky wines. And after the Lindaflor we all agreed that we would have appreciated this wine more had it come earlier in the line-up. Nevertheless, the Altocedro came across as fresh, with a nice purity of fruit. Plum and cassis are complement by some chocolate and minerality. It was much lighter than any of the other wines in the tasting, with decent acidity and light tannins. The following day, with taste buds not compromised by heartier wines, I enjoyed this selection.

At Brookline Liquor Mart for $17.50.

2008 Altos Las Hormigas Valle de Uco Reserva

The Altos Las Hormigas was somewhat a sentimental choice. When we were just starting the BU wine program, the winery’s Malbec (not the Reserva) was one of our favorites. And at about $10 a bottle, a bargain by our estimation.  Italian winemakers Alberto Antonini and Attilio Pagli have set out to create a “Malbec only” winery (though they do make some Bonarda under the Colonia Las Liebres label).

Black cherry and plum with licorice dominate, but there are also some rustic notes. What’s surprising is that despite having spent 18 months aging in oak, there is not an overt oakiness here. Mouthwatering acidity, grippy, but not overpowering, tannins, and a long finish of black fruit and licorice.

At Austin Liquors for $20.99.

It was difficult to choose a favorite, and interestingly, we had a split along gender lines. Eleni and I favored the Susana Balbo, while Chris and Glenn liked the Mendel. Even the night after Malbec World Day, I could not definitively say which wine I liked best. Each has its own character and flavors and textures to enjoy.  And that is really one of the things that I hope wine lovers can take away from this celebration of Malbec: that this grape has the versatility to be transformed into wines of a variety of styles and price-points to please pretty much all palates, whether you explore the grape’s Bordeaux roots or look to Argentine or US examples.

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Celebrating Malbec World Day: Part I

19 April 2011

We have been eagerly anticipating Malbec World Day ever since we first learned about it a couple of months ago.  Despite my early efforts to not overthink the wine selection, I did just that.  In the end, I tried to find representation from some of the key winemakers in Argentina today – the ones have [...]

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Decisions, Decisions: Drinking My Way To Malbec World Day

11 April 2011

Malbec World Day is only six days away and the Wine Dine With Us team is eagerly looking forward to celebrating the occasion together. Since I will be hosting, I have been working on gathering the wine selection and creating a short, but appropriate, menu of snacks to enjoy with the wines. But it’s not [...]

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Trials and Tribulations of Rainy Day Love Affairs: 2006 Tikal Amorio

7 April 2011

The other night I opened the 2006 Tikal “Amorio” (“Love Affair”).  100% Malbec, this hand-harvested wine spent 12 months in 60% new french and 40% second-use french barrels.
“Amorio” is Spanish for “Love Affair”.  It seems a bit unfair for me to claim a love affair when it’s truly Katrin’s honor but I fell head over heels [...]

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