The food is great at South Point Argentine Grill on Sunset Boulevard, and Mrs. Now And Zin loves it, so we dine there quite often. The half chicken with rice is fabulous, the Patagonia salad is great and their sausage is to die for. I have issues, however, with the way they serve red wine. In the glass, it's often almost warm to the touch, and that's too warm. To quote my friend, Art, "When you serve wine at room temperature, the room should be a cave, not the kitchen." I'm sure you agree.
So c’mon South Point, get the wine right! And while you're at it, straighten out the music. South American folk one time, classic rock the next, blaring ranchera on this visit - I'd like to know what to expect when I come to your restaurant.
On our most recent visit, once again I was served a wine that seemed on its way to mulled status. It was Luis Felipe Edwards Rosa Blanca Organic. Fortunately, this Chilean wine from the Colchagua Valley did not suffer as much as some others I have had there. It's essentially a Cabernet Sauvignon, with a bit Carmenere added. Both grapes come from the same vineyard, one that sits next to a bed of white roses. That's the origin of the name.
In the glass, a dark purple core only lightens a bit at the edge. The nose gave away a lot of alcohol early, but that settled down after ten minutes or so. The fruit rides in the front seat and waves at you when it passes by. Aromas of dark berries and plums are foremost in the bouquet, while the plums come through strongly on the palate, along with a leathery flavor. There isn't a lot of graphite or smoke discernable to me, which I found mildly surprising. The somewhat short finish is the only drawback.
I had a couple of opportunities to enjoy 
The wine is dark at the core and ruby red at the edges with a big nose - and I mean a huge nose - of red fruit and leather. It tastes of smoke and dried cherries, plums and blackberries. The tannins are quite mellow and the alcohol level is 13% abv. It has a big, rich taste which was much appreciated on the cross-country flight. It even tasted great in the plastic cup.
The Art Of Brunch was the title of Sunday's daytime session at the 
The Sommelier Challenge
The Taste of Beverly Hills Event Sommelier Bonnie Graves presided over the competition with a light touch. It was an entertaining event which included panelists David Rosoff from Osteria Mozza, Dana Farner from CUT, Christopher Lavin from XIV, Caroline Styne of AOC and Lucques, Jonathan Mitchell of the Palm, Rebecca Chapa from the Culinary Institute of America, Mark Mendoza of Sona and Comme Ça, and Diane DeLuca from the Estates Group.
The Cabernet was dark ruby in the glass, with a nose featuring black currant, smoke, leather and pencil shavings. It was nice to give my palate something more complex than the samples of the Keystone State wines I had been enjoying thus far. The Cab had a good grip and felt very full in my mouth. Blackberry, blueberry and cassis showed on the very fruit forward palate.
When the waitress inquired about another round, it seemed everyone was in agreement. I stayed with Mondavi and had the Merlot. Medium ruby in color, this wine was not shy either. The nose was a huge fruitfest, with blueberry and cherry coming forth. There was a lot of smoke on the palate here, too, even more than the Cab. The taste of big, dark berries swam around in a setting that resembled a wood fire. The finish was long and luxurious.
