This red wine from Argentina is a spot on $10 effort
Most of the malbec I taste for the blog comes from samples; it’s just not a varietal I much care for. Unless, of course, the wine is made by Familia Zuccardi.
What impresses me the most about this Argentine red wine is not just its consistency, in that it’s top-notch from vintage to vintage, but that it’s so well made that it appeals to those who prefer something a little sweeter as well as the rest of us. Most inexpensive malbecs only bother with the first group.
This vintage is soft and fruity (berries? cherries?), but it isn’t sweet; that’s not always easy to do. In addition, it’s so well balanced that the soft tannins and lower acidity aren’t overwhelmed by the fruit. Finally, it’s food friendly, but not too heavy for the summer.
Highly recommended, and a candidate for the Hall of Fame next year.
The blog’s 16th annual Memorial Day and rose celebration, in which we celebrate cheap, quality pink wine
The good news as we celebrate the blog’s 16th annual Memorial Day and rose extravaganza is that there is lots and lots of quality, inexpensive dry rose on store shelves. The bad news? Prices are higher, though not much more than last year. Plus, they’re all over the place, with some retailers charging twice as much as others for the same wine.
And perhaps the most interesting news? There may be a rose glut, with lots of older vintages — some as old as 2016 and 2017 — lurking in wait for unsuspecting wine drinkers. We’ve written about a potential wine glut before, and this is just another indication that lots of old wine is taking up space in warehouses. Know that most roses that are more than a couple of years old aren’t worth drinking, so buy that 2018 for $5 at your own risk. Hence, the the blog’s rose primer.
The roses here are each highly recommended, and tomorrow’s post will feature six more roses worth writing about. Many are 2021s; the 2022s have been slow to arrive. In fact, I still haven’t tasted blog favorites, Zestos, Charles & Charles, Scaia and La Vieille Ferme.
This year’s roses:
• Tenuta Fanti Rosato 2021 ($11, purchased, 13.5%): This Italian pink, made with sangiovese, was stunning — savory, yet almost fruit punch-like, in the Italian style that almost no one else does. Limited availability. Imported by Massanois
• Mont Gravet Rose 2022 ($10, sample, 12.5%): I tasted this French blog favorite before it was released to retail and it needed more time in the bottle. Having said that, it should evolve into what it always is — clean, bright Provencal-style rose (barely ripe berry fruit, minerality). There also a 3-liter box, non-vintage ($22, 12%), and it needs time, too. Imported by Winesellers Ltd.
• Funckenhausen Dry Rose 2022 ($16/1-liter, sample, 13%): Another stellar effort from a small Argentine producers — cherry fruit, but not sweet, clean, crisp, and all a rose should be. And a liter! Imported by Global Vineyard Importers
• Chateau Fage Rose 2021 ($10, purchased, 13%): Unpretentious and professional French rose, made with cabernet franc, that is a bit heavier and fuller than a Provencal wine. The cab franc fruit (dark berries) shows through. Imported by Monsieur Touton Selection
• La Chapelle du Seuil Rose 2021 ($10, purchased, 13%): Provencal rose for $10. A little more ripe, so the strawberry fruit is more noticeable, but also clean, some minerality, and a hint of garrigue. Imported by Skurnik Wines
• Domaine du Tariquet Rose 2021 ($12, sample, 11%): This French effort may be difficult to find, and prices are all over the place. But it’s savory and fruity, with a wonderful, almost dark finish (and the blend includes tannat). How do they do it? Imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons
Fourth of July wine 2022: Four bottles offering value and quality for Independence Day
This year, the U.S. is 246 years old — so here are wines worthy of that birthday. As always, keep our summer and porch wine guidelines in mind for this time of year.
Here are four wines to start with:
• Tormaresca Calafuria 2020 ($10, purchased, 12%): Once, the Italian Tormaresca Neprica was the blog’s favorite cheap red wine. Then, it went the way of the rest. So imagine my surprise to taste this Tormaresca pink — a little fizzy, dark berry fruit, and a touch not light. Nicely done. Imported by Ste. Michelle Wine Estate
• Pedroncelli Sauvignon Blanc 2021 ($15, sample, 13.9%): Classic California sauvignon blanc — grassy, a bit of citrus, not too tart, and almost flinty. A three-generation family producer shows how it’s done.
• Trivento Malbec Reserve 2020 ($11, sample, 13.8%): Solid, professional Argentine red, made in the supermarket style — lots of sweet black fruit, but not a sweet wine and one that is mostly balanced. Previous vintages have been a little darker and earthier, but this is fine for what if tries to do. Barbecue? Indeed. Imported by Eagle Peak Estates
• Charles LaFitte Brut Prestige NV ($12, purchased, 12%): Entry-level French Methode Champenoise sparkling from a prestigious producer, but made far from Champagne. Yes, there is a bit of the 7-Up feel to it, but otherwise well-made cheap bubbly — some green apples, tight bubbles, and almost zesty. Imported by Vranken Pommery America
But the Wine Curmudgeon is undeterred. I got a couple of shot glasses, a handful of toothpicks, and my last two avocado pits. So, in six months or so, I should have a couple of avocado plants. Now, the shortage may be over by then, but one shouldn’t take any chances with guacamole.
Which leads us to the next step in my urban farming experiment: What wines to drink while I’m waiting for the pits to sprout? Roses and light whites, of course:
• Albamar Chardonnay 2021 ($12, sample, 13.5%): This Chilean white is stunning — clean, crisp, and refreshing, with green apple and pear fruit. The bad news? Only 1,000 cases were imported. Imported by Global Vineyard Importers
• Laurent Miquel Cinsault Syrah Rose 2021 ($11, purchased, 12.5%) One more reason why there’s no need to spend $20 on rose. This French pink has berry fruit, a bit of stoniness, and a clean finish. Imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons
• Amalaya Esperanza por un Milagro Rose 2021 ($10, purchased, 13%): Well-done Argentine-style rose, so more fruit (ripe red berries), less acidity (but not sweet), and more full in the mouth. The little bit of torrontes in the blend is a nice touch to round out the wine. Imported by The Hess Collection
Father’s Day wine 2022: Bring on the well-made and value-oriented wine for Dad
Yes, despite economic uncertainty and all the rest, we found wine for Dad for Father’s Day that fits what we do here — price and value, and not silliness. And don’t forget the blog’s wine gift-giving guidelines — don’t buy someone wine that you think they should like; buy them what they will like.
Father’s Day wine 2022 suggestions:
• Carol Shelton Wild Thing Zinfandel 2018 ($18, purchased, 14.5%): Spot-on California old vine zinfandel (60 years at least) that is somehow jammy (berries and berries and more berries), but not heavy or hot. Having said that it’s a big wine and a mouthful, and needs lots of red meat. Highly recommended.
• Domaine Bousquet Brut NV ($13, sample, 12%): Argentine bubbly with surprising structure, tight-ish bubbles, not too sweet, and apple and lemon fruit.Imported by Origins Organic
• Jean-Pierre Boisson Rose Domaine du Pere Caboche ($11, purchased, 12.5%): Full, rich and surprisingly complex $10 French rose, with almost cranberry fruit and what one tasting note calls grenadine. Highly recommended. Imported by Monsieur Touton Selection
• Chateau La Maroutine Blanc 2020 ($13, purchased, 13%): French white Bordeaux blends sauvignon blanc and semillion; the latter, though only 20 percent, is noticeable, and gives the wine a rounder, less citrsusy feel. Lots of stone and minerality. Imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons
Once again, the snobs try to ruin a terrific wine for the rest of us
This wine, as well-made an Argentine red blend as I’ve tasted in years, was criticized on CellarTracker (the blog’s unofficial wine inventory app) for being too alcoholic.
Its alcohol? 13.9 percent. Would that all those 14.5 percent chardonnays I have to taste had that little alcohol in them.
So, once again, a wine that doesn’t taste the way someone has decided that it should taste instead of letting the wine be itself — gets ripped. Is it any wonder that I worry about the future of the wine business?
Know that the Santa Julia ($12, purchased, 13.9%) is an Argentine red with about two-thirds malbec; the rest is cabernet franc. The combination works: The latter gives the the malbec some structure and a little licorice, while the former provides lovely, rich, and ripe fruit (plums, some jammy berries?). Plus, it has enough tannins and acidity to taste like a red blend, and not a syrupy and thick supermarket malbec.
Highly recommend, and a candidate for the 2023 Cheap Wine of the Year (plus the Hall of Fame). This wine is light enough for summer barbecues, but would also hold its own with something more formal. Santa Julia, long a terrific producer of wine that most of us can afford to buy, continues to do just that.
Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the fourth Friday of each month. This month, six rose reviews as part of the blog’s 15th annual rose fest.
• Inazio Urruzola Rosado 2020 ($20, sample, 10.5%): A tremendously interesting pink from the Basque region in Spain made with almost unknown grapes. It’s sort of a cross between pink vinho verde and a more traditional rose. Maybe a bit sweet, maybe not. Maybe a bit fizzy, maybe a bit not. Berry and orange fruit, very bright. Imported by Winesellers Ltd
• Chateau Minuty M 2021 ($25, sample, 13%): It’s easy to write nice things about the $20 Inazio because it’s weird; it ‘s almost painful to admit that the $25 M is worth every penny. It’s a Provencal rose that hits all the notes — garrigue, barely ripe strawberry fruit, minerality, pale color, and all the rest. Highly recommended. Imported by Vintus
• Funckenhausen Dry Rose 2021 ($13/1-liter, sample, 13.5%): Solid, cherry-ish Argentine rose that offers fine value in larger bottle. Imported by Global Vineyard Importers
• Liquid Geography Rose 2021 ($12, sample, 12%): That mencia, a little known Spanish grape, can produce wine of this quality speaks to how wonderful wine is. Almost savory and orange, with tart strawberry fruit, and very bright and refreshing. Highly recommended . Imported by Ole & Obrigado
• Le Paradou Rose 2021 ($11, purchased, 12.5%): Simple, light and not too fruity (berries) French pink. It’s not as well done as the La Vielle, but perfectly fine for the back porch in the heat of summer. Imported by European Cellars
• Santi Infinito Rose 2021 ($11, purchased, 12%): Another top-notch Italian rose, with a little dark fruit hidden between the strawberries and red cherries. Long and almost savory. Highly recommended; Hall of Fame quality wine. Imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons