Variety: 50% Malbec; 45% Syrah; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Mendoza, Argentina
Cost: $20 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Intense red colour with violet hues. Black fruit and spicy aromas. Juicy and fruity with some tannin backbone. Medium to full body. Polished and pretty. Pair with grilled meat, cheese, and chocolate.
My Review: The first red wine of the new year! Ok, the first red wine review of the new year. I actually drank quite a bit of red wine while watching my 49ers lose the Super Bowl, but my wife and I cracked open this bottle on a Monday with some homemade pizza. So what did we think? Was it worth the calories?
In the glass the wine was a deep red with lots of purple hues shining through. On the nose I picked up aromas of dark fruit with some chocolate and tart cherry notes. In the mouth I picked up flavours of tart red cherries. The wine was crisp and clean – no long lingering finish, but still good body on the wine.
Overall the wine was….fine. It was a bit one note for my liking, but it also wasn’t a fruit bomb, and that one note it had was pleasant enough. I was also pleasantly surprised when the wine didn’t read as hot, given that the alcohol content is 14.6% by volume.
While the pizza pairing was fine, I think the wine would pair better with a saucy pasta, sharp cheese, or some juicy red meats; something to really balance out the tart notes of the wine.
Still, for $20 it wasn’t a bad way to wrack up the calorie count. It didn’t blow my mind, and I don’t know that it’d be the first bottle I’d reach for on the shelf, but I also wouldn’t shy away from a second glass.
Editor’s Note: I received this wine as a free sample for review.
