Argentine Torrontés Reserva from Valle de Cafayate

Finca el Origen “Reserva Torrontes” Valle de Cafayate 2009
Tasting Notes: 100% torrontes, 30-year-old vines, 14% vol. Pale, golden, honey-yellow in the glass. A fresh and bright nose with notes of sweet grass and a nice floral spiciness. There are also notes of fresh tropical fruits, in particular pineapple. Overall this wine has a relatively pleasant nose although there is a subtle chemical nuance, limiting the wine’s full integration. In the mouth this wine is very smooth, silky and full-bodied. The acidity is well-balanced and there are flavors of canned peaches, pineapple, and a grapefruit-like bitterness. Not bad for the price point but certainly nothing to write home to mom about.
Rating: 13/20 (84/100)
Price: $150 Mexican Pesos @ Tierra de Vinos (Mexico City)

On Location in Peru: 100% Petit Verdot from Ica

Viña Tacama “Quantum”  Ica (Peru) 2008
Tasting Notes: 100% Petit Verdot, 13.5% vol. Dark purplish-ruby red in the glass. Spicy, herbal and alcoholic nose with notes of dark chocolate and berries. It’s not fully integrated. Very jammy, thick and syrupy in the mouth. The texture is leaning toward cough syrup. The tannins are sweet and smooth but the acidity is lacking. This wine is unbalanced and overbearing.
Rating: 10/20 (78/100)
Price: 49.00 Soles @ Metro Supermarket in Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Two Chardonnays under $30

Through just convenient timing, had two under $30 Chardonnays in the past week.

2010 Peju Provence Estate Bottled Chardonnay

Appellation:  Napa Valley

Tasting Note:  13.8% ABV.  100% Chardonnay.  Very rich color.  Nose is dominated by buttered popcorn, with some tropical fruit.  This has me concerned.  Luckily, the nose belies what is a very nice wine, not overoaked, with bold pear and apple along with the rich mouthfeel.  Not shy.  Finish has a little minerality and acid.  This is generally not my favorite style of wine, but for what it is, it’s pretty darn good, and doesn’t overdo any one aspect.  Nicely balanced.

Rating:  3/5

Price:  $28 from the winery.

2010 Thomas Moray Bourgogne Blanc

Appellation:  Bourgogne (Burgundy)

Tasting Note:  13% ABV.  100% Chardonnay.  Light gold in the glass.  Very tight nose, just a hint of tropical fruit and minerals.  Oh my goodness! crisp.  More of a citrus than tropical flavor, with stone and great acid.  Will be a fantastic food wine, very tasty! I love this style of wine, flavorful and acidic, just perfect to have with just about any fish or chicken dish.

Rating:  5/5

Price:  $26 at Chesapeake Wine

South African Pinotage for Christmas Eve

Kanonkop “Pinotage” Simonsberg-Stellenbosch 2004
Tasting Notes: 100% pinotage, decomposed granite and Hutton soil, up to 59-year-old vines, 3,700 l/h yield, 3-5 day maceration, aged 16 months in French oak, 14.5% vol. Dark purpleish, ruby red in the glass. Strong and bold, albeit a little tight on the nose, cranberry, blackberry, and subtle oaky-vanilla notes. Full-bodied in the mouth with a good acidic balance, strong tannins, and flavors of black cherry and banana.
Rating: 15/20 (88/100)
Price: US$31.99 @ Winelibrary.com

Cousiño-Macul Antiguas Reservas 2005

Cousiño-Macul “Antiguas Reservas Cabernet Sauvignon” Valle del Maipo 2005
Tasting Notes: 100% cabernet sauvignon, 14% vol. Dark ruby-red, almost blood-like, in the glass. Fresh, rich, bold, and fruity on the nose. There is strong alcohol balanced by an elegant bouquet of black fruits and spices. There are smooth yet bitter tannins in the mouth. This wine is full-bodied, with dominant flavors of bitter dark chocolate, almost even rubber bandy. A decent balance is displayed by flavors of dark fruits, spices, and good acidity.
Rating: 14/20 (87/100)
Price: US$ 16.99

Chateau Darius Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2000

Château Darius Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2000
Tasting Notes : 12.5% vol. Dark mahogany, blood red in the glass. An elegant and beautifully floral nose with great finesse and aromas of blackberries, sweet oak and vanilla. Silky smooth, sweet structured tannins, and a great balanced acidity. There are flavors of black cherries, cassis, plum, and dark chocolate. The finish is long, displaying more of the bittersweet chocolate.
Rating : 17/20 (93/100)
Price : $40USD

My First Wine Express Tasting

Wine Express is a local wine tasting/retailing company.  They host regular tastings at Silo Point in Baltimore.  For a reasonable cost in an awesome setting, you can taste a number of wines and discuss both with the host (Rita Blackwell) and the other participants.

It’s a great concept, and they execute it well.

A couple of comments on that execution, then I’ll run down the wines.  The setting is outstanding.  Silo Point is a spectacular building, and the tastings are hosted in a warm space on the 19th floor.  The view is spectacular, and the space is large enough for the group, with plenty of seating options.

The folks running the tasting do a very nice job keeping things moving… I never waited more than a minute or so to get a pour of the next wine, and the wines were served at appropriate temperatures in appropriate glassware.  Everyone had some knowledge of the wines, and had clearly tasted them.  From a service perspective, the tasting is very well done.

Rita Blackwell, as the host, engages every guest.  She’s got an uncanny ability to recall people, she remembers small details that matter.  Clearly, she’s about service first.  That said, she provides background and educates in a manner that everyone can appreciate, from novice to the experienced oenophile.

Most striking is the diversity of the group.  I was really happy to see a varied group; instead of the wine tasting of your old perception (a bunch of wealthy white people over 40 with their pinkies in the air), this was a racially diverse group ranging from 20′s to 70′s.  Everyone was friendly, and we had a great time talking wine with each other.

Wine is fun, and this tasting made fun the focus.  I’m looking forward to attending more.

Now for the wines.  The tasting was “California Dreamin’”, and while the theme was one of summer, the wines really reminded me of Thanksgiving, a great variety of food friendly and crowd pleasers.  All of these wines would pair with the rich/diverse foods on your Thanksgiving table, and would make everyone happy.

Kali’s Heart Chardonnay (Monterey County)

A bit sweetish, unoaked, but retained the California fruit/richness.  Good drinking, would be a crowd pleaser.  Grew on me.

$23.  3/5

Qupe Marsanne (Santa Ynez Valley)

Great wine!  Food friendly, crisp minerality and acid.  Very old world, would have guessed it was from the Northern Rhone.  Extremely food friendly, made my mouth water.  My favorite of the tasting.

$24.  4/5

Paraiso Riesling (Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey)

Probably my least favorite, but still pretty darn good wine.  There’s a hint of risidual sugar, but nice fruit, and some crispness on the finish.  Another very food friendly wine, and a good turkey wine.

$18.  3/5

Fappiano Pinot Noir (Russian River, Sonoma)

Another easy drinker, and another crowd pleaser.  Funk and fruit, enough complexity to pique my interest, and plenty of fruit to keep the family happy.  Yet another match for roasted poultry.

$26.  3/5

Ancient Peaks Zinfandel  (Paso Robles)

A peppery nose belies the huge fruit on the palate.  Offsetting that fruit was a ton of acidity, another one to make your mouth water between bites of turkey, stuffing, and cranberry; but flexible enough to stand up to some meat off the grill.

$24.  3/5

Paradiso Syrah (Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey)

Another big fruit wine.  I think they were trying for a Northern Rhone style, but ended up closer to an Aussie Shiraz.  Along with the fruit, there is some beef jerky and spice; another wine you could put on your Thanksgiving table.  Probably my least favorite of the tasting, but still pretty good stuff.

$26.  3/5

You can find Wine Express on the web here.

They’re also on Facebook.