Spring has already made its presence known in Southern California. Really, it seems at times that summer is trying to crash the party. There's no need to rush things along. At my place, we have already begun the spring planting routine. I use the word "we" loosely. Denise has actually been doing most of the heavy lifting in that area while I take care of other springtime activities. Taking a nap on the couch, for instance. Taking a nap in the lawn chair on the deck. There are lots of places that need to get napped in before spring gets away from us, and I'm working diligently to cover those places while Mrs. Green Jeans sees to it that we can get yellow corn this summer. It sure is hard to find it anywhere else.
I expect my work load to get a little heavier after she reads this, so let's quickly find a nice white wine to refresh us after toting a hundred pounds of mulch up the hill.
Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontes will do nicely. Balbo makes wine in the Mendoza region of Argentina. I'm told the word "crios" means "offspring," so she's letting us know right up front that she considers her wine to be more than a product. But, just between you and me, it's a really good product. And Torrontes is a favorite grape for me in the warmer months.
The wine is a pale golden color in the glass, with a nose of ripe apricots, peaches and pears bathed in honey. There is a sort of oleander aroma, too. It's such a lovely smell, it almost made me think I had opened a late harvest wine by mistake.
Sipping it at room temperature, a lively acidity is the first thing I notice. Bracing and fresh, the flavor of peaches with orange peel takes over. There is no oak in this wine, so the fruit is there in all its glory. It fills the mouth well and has a rather creamy texture, especially when chilled. That's how I'm going to have it - after I tote that mulch up the hill.
I usually write tasting notes here about wines I drink at home. I like giving a wine several different opportunities to show off its good qualities. Tasting a wine at home over a three-day span gives me a chance to experience the wine in different settings and different points in its evolution once the bottle is open. But I do like to have wine when Denise and I go out for dinner. My note taking is not as detailed in those situations, and I'm only getting one little snapshot of what the wine is like. Every now and then, though, I run into a "restaurant wine" that really strikes my fancy.
Alamos Malbec is on the list at Wood Ranch Barbecue and several other restaurants we frequent. I usually like to try something different when I'm out, but I have found myself going back to this Malbec over and over.
It's a dark purple color and has a very rich nose, full of fruit and some herbal traces. There's leather, too. The palate is a real treat, full of ripe fruit, dark berries, cherries, maybe some plums. This is a very smooth and drinkable wine with almost no tannic edge, and it paired extremely well with a barbecued chicken salad full of tomatoes. As if all that isn't enough, there's a lengthy and satisfying finish. The Alamos Malbec is hard to beat, particularly at the price. It runs about $8 a bottle, and I usually pay about $7 or $8 for a glass of it in a restaurant. The wines on the list that cost nearly twice that should feel a little bit of competition.
Winemaker: Alamos Ridge (Bodega Catena)
Variety: Malbec
Appellation: Argentina > Mendoza
Vintage: 2006
Price: $8
Acquisition disclaimer: Purchased by the author
