Malbec

We recently tasted a Malbec wine purchased from a Natural and Organic Food Store.  It was a Kaiken Malbec 2009 from Mendoza, Argentina for $12.99 with 14.5% alcohol.  Malbecs are known for their dark red or violet color.  We noted black fruit on the nose with a hint of vanilla, followed by the same black fruit on the palate.  There was some mid palate chalkiness or a leathery taste which my tasting partner finds to be common in Malbecs.  It was a balanced wine a decent finish with some tannins.  We found it to be a good everyday table wine.

Kaiken Malbec 2009, Mendoza, Argentina          $12.99              90-92 pts         

Some Large Volume Pinot Noirs

We had the pleasure of tasting three Pinot Noirs recently with our youngest son and his girlfriend, which was delightful.  I purchased three Pinot Noirs from our local grocery store and these wines should be available at most large chain grocery stores or wine shops.

The first was a Charles Krug, 2009 Pinot Noir from Carneros, $21.99 ($18.99 with club card) 14.4 % alcohol.  Our tasters noted the herbaceous nose, with a hint of sweetness.  We found a slight bitterness in the taste, with some mineral notes as well.  It had a medium finish, subtle tannins and was considered an easy drinking Pinot Noir by the group.

Charles Krug, 2009 Pinot Noir, Carneros $21.99 ($18.99)  91 pts

  

We also tasted a Robert Mondovi Private Selection Pinot Noir 2010, $10.49 ($6.99 club card) 13.5% alcohol.   The group decided this wine in a word was unremarkable.  The nose was closed, the taste was unremarkable and the finish was rather short.  My tasting partner said “Life is too short to drink wines like this” and the group agreed.

Robert Mondovi Private Selection Pinot Noir 2010 $10.49 ($6.99) 87 pts.

  

Finally we tasted an Artesa, 2007 Pinot Noir from Carneros, $23.99 ($17.99 with club card) 13.9% alcohol.  Our tasters thought this wine had a ‘brighter’ nose, with a bolder aroma.  There were some herbaceous notes and mild red fruit on the palate.  It had a medium to long finish.

Artesa, 2007 Pinot Noir, Carneros, $23.99 ($17.99)  91 pts.

In summary, my tasting partner and our son’s girlfriend thought the Charles Krug was the best of the night, while my son and I thought the Artesa was.

Some Large Volume Wineries

I thought I should review some wineries that have large volume production, with the idea that these wines are found in most grocery or liquor stores.  So I went to my local grocery store which is known for their large wine selections and purchased some wines.  I would also note that I have included 2 prices- the list price and then the discount price from the grocery store when you join (for free) and get their ‘club card’.  My tasting partner was up for the task.  We tasted the wines over 3 evenings, comparing 2 at a time and then switching them up on the third night.  We compared 4 Chardonnay’s- Beringer 2009, Mondavi 2010, Krug 2009 and a Barefoot 2010.

We tasted a Beringer Chardonnay 2009, $16.00 (14.1% alcohol) from Napa Valley.  It was a pale yellow in the glass with hints of citrus on the nose, and white fruits on the palate.  It was weak and had a very short finish.

Beringer Chardonnay 2009 Napa Valley    $16.99 ($12.99)        87 pts

Next was Robert Mondavi Private Selection Chardonnay, 2010, $10.49 (13.5% alcohol) also from Napa Valley.  It had a lovely golden color in the glass and little nose to speak of.   It was smooth in the mouth and a medium finish on the palate.  It had crisp flavors of citrus and white fruits and was quite enjoyable.  My tasting partner and I thought it was a very good deal.

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Chardonnay 2010  $10.49 ($6.99)  91 pts

The next night we tasted a Charles Krug Chardonnay, 2009, $18.99 (14.5% alcohol) from the Carneros area of California, which is north of San Pablo bay and includes both Sonoma and Napa Valley.  The cooler climate is more amenable to varietals like chardonnay and pinot noirs.  An interesting point about the Charles Krug Winery- it is the oldest winery in California and the owner, Peter Mondavi, is the brother of Robert Mondavi.  
You can read more about the Mondavi family feud here:  http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2005/04/01/8256045/index.htm

Back to the wine.  The Krug Chardonnay was pale yellow, with citrus notes.  It was austere on the palate without much fruit.  It did exhibit a mineral taste that turned mildly bitter in the end.  It was medium bodied and with an average finish.  It tasted like the Mondavi, but not quite as good.   It lacked the smoothness in the mouth feel. 

Charles Krug Chardonnay, 2009, Carneros    $18.99 ($15.99)    89 pts

Finally, we tasted a Barefoot Chardonnay from California, $7.00 (13% alcohol) that did not have a date, but did have a Gold Medal from the 2010 San Antonio Express News Wine Competition.  It was soft and delicate on the palate, pleasant with a fruity sweetness. 

Barefoot Chardonnay (with the Gold Medal, 2010)  $7.00       88 pts

So in summary, we thought the Robert Mondavi Chardonnay was the best, followed by the Krug, Barefoot and then the Beringer. 

2 Big Box Wines

My tasting partner and I happened to be in our local big box store and he just can not pass up an opportunity to buy and try a new wine.  We did not ask for recommendations, but decided to go on our instincts and to use the reviews that were posted.  We bought 2 wines and tried them both recently.  Both were a bit of a disappointment.

First, Tasca d'Almerita Lamuri Nero d'Avola IGT Sicilia,  2008 (13.5% alcohol) which had a rating of 92 from a well known wine taster.  We took a chance on this one, since neither one of us had heard of this wine or grape.  This wine is 100% Nero d’Avola grape, which is indigenous in Sicily, Italy.   It has been compared to New World Shirazes in taste, with sweet tannins and plum or peppery flavors.  My tasting partner and I thought it was uninteresting.  I suggested that it might be a good showing for that particular grape, but as a wine, it was just okay.

 Tasca d'Almerita Lamuri Nero d'Avola IGT Sicilia,  2008       $16.99  90 pts

Next we tried Jean Rijckaert Monthélie Pinot Noir Vielles Vignes, 2009 (13% alcohol).  Interestingly, it is labeled as a Pinot Noir even though it is made in Southern Burgundy, France.  Again, it was slightly acidic and uninteresting. 

 Jean Rijckaert Monthélie Pinot Noir Vielles Vignes, 2009    $17.99  88-90 pts

Marques de Caceres

My tasting partner and I have a fondness for the winery Marques de Caceres.  We spent a year in Spain outside of Madrid in the mid 90’s and began our wine tasting experience in earnest that year.  I would go to the Hipercor (which was a very large store much like a Target or Walmart) a few miles away and pick out red wines within our price range to try.  After a few weeks of this, we decided on a wine we really liked: Marques de Caceres.  We even went to the Rioja area of Spain, north of Madrid, to tour the winery on one of our trips.  What we found in Marques de Caceres then still holds true now: a reliable wine, with oak on the nose, hints of vanilla and leather in the taste, mild tannins and balanced. 

Rioja red wines are classified into 4 categories: ‘Rioja’ which is the youngest wine spending less than a year in oak barrels, ‘Crianza’ which in aged for at least 2 years, some of that time in oak barrels,  ‘Rioja Reserva' aged at least 3 years, with at least one of those years in oak barrels and finally ‘Rioja Gran Reserva’ wines which are aged at least 2 years in oak and 3 years in bottle.  ‘Reserva’ and ‘Gran Reserva’ may not be produced each year.  It depends on the grapes.  And the grapes used in Rioja wines are predominately tempranillo, with Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo varietals used in blending.

The other night I opened a Marques de Caceres, Crianza, 2009, 13.5% alcohol about $15.00 and my tasting partner declared once again, his fondness for that particular wine.  I thought it was a good wine for the circumstances- a picnic at the beach at sunset.  It went well with our dinner and did not require much thought.  Sometimes a reliable, dependable wine is just what you are looking for and the Marques de Caceres label is one of those wines. 

Marques de Caceres, Crianza, 2009                 88-90 pts

Napa Valley Tasting

My tasting partner and I recently had the opportunity to visit Napa valley with 2 of our sons and their girl friends.  We had a lovely weekend- I should have taken notes but did not. Next time.  We did, however, buy some wines from Mondavi and recently tried them.

The 2008 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve had hints of oak, red fruits and a lovely finish.  The tannins were not overpowering, especially since this is a fairly young wine.  It is higher than the price point I have set at $135.00 (or $94.50 for club members) but still worth noting.

The 2008 Robert Mondavi Chardonnay Reserve was also a treat.  It had a nice nose, pale fruit tastes, and just enough acidity to make it interesting.  Not your typical buttery chardonnay.  It also had a lovely finish.  It sells for $40.00 ($28.00 for club members).

2008  Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 
                                                (15.5% alcohol) $135.00           94 pts


2008 Robert Mondavi Chardonnay Reserve 
                                                (14.5% alcohol) $40.00            93-4 pts

Chardonnays

I have been remiss in blogging about some of the wines we have tasted. My apologies.

This summer, we have been drinking more chardonnays, mostly because it has been warm and we had the opportunity to taste a really wonderful Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2008. I have not purchased any more of that particular wine, but we have tasted other chardonnays that I have purchased from Costco at the price point that this blog tries to keep at. I am also going to be briefer in my descriptions of the wine and concentrate on whether or not I think it would be a wine I would buy again.

2008 Catena Alta Chardonnay Estates, from Argentina, 13% alcohol, $24.99 at Costco. My tasting partner and I both liked this chardonnay. It does have a hint of the buttery taste associated with chardonnays, but with some citrus notes that really smoothes it out. Lovely.

Catena Alta Chardonnay 2008 $24.99 93-4pts

We also tasted a 2010 Artesa Chardonnay, from Carneros, 14.3 % alcohol, $12.99 at Costco. At this price, it is not as balanced as the Catena Alta, but perfectly acceptable. It has more of a pear or apple taste to it, but was crisp and nice on a hot evening.

Artesa 2010 $12.99 90 pts

Finally, we tasted a 2008 Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay from Napa Valley, 14.9% alcohol, $26.99 at Costco. It had a butterscotch taste, some citrus notes, very smooth and refreshing. Another lovely wine.

Beringer 2008 $26.99 94 pts

Also, thanks to #2 son for helping me signed back on.