2008 Francois Lurton Hacienda Araucano Carmenere, Chile

Simple shades…Dark purple that lightens at the rim

Fruit fragrant…Blueberry, boysenberry, cherry vanilla

Two-toned taste…I ventured outside my usual “wine stores” and purchased this bottle at the Whole Foods around the corner from my house. They stock a lot of the same wines that I see at my local grocer, but they have a decent selection of wines I’ve never come across. Most of them are organic wines and I had a quite pleasant conversation with an organic wine drinker that was deciding whether or not to try Syrah for the first time. That’s neither here nor there but it makes for a good story for another post. On to the review. Basically this wine is what I’d call a two-tone wine all the way around. The aromas are of blueberry/boysenberry and cherry vanilla. The attack features two distinct flavors blueberry/blackberry and licorice/tobacco. I’m not saying it tastes bad; it’s just pretty simple. The mid-palate lacks any real astringency, but shows a decent amount of alcohol heat and tingle on my tongue mixed in with some very playful tannins as they bring just a hint of pucker but serve to make the mid-palate and subsequent finish taste of wood/oak/smoke. The finish is medium in length and carries those same berry flavors, mixed now with the wood/oak/smoke and finally just a dollop of chocolate and cinnamon. The wine itself feels heavy in my mouth but it’s really only a medium bodied effort with an aftertaste of oak and apple (I know that sounds weird in a red wine but that’s what’s left on my tongue between sips).

Overall, I think this is just a bit too boring for me. I’d purchased this in hopes of finding yet another intriguing glass of wine from the Carmenere grape, instead I didn’t really find anything that reminded me of what I’ve come to expect from Carmenere. It lacks the signature herbaceous, green bell pepper and black pepper savory-ness of most Carmeneres; instead showing characteristics of a full bodied Malbec. That’s not saying this is a bad wine, merely an average wine and not a clear example of what this grape usually tastes like. It gets an OK QPR, and a weak recommendation from me only if you want to try something new or are bored with your usual Malbec. If that doesn’t describe you, steer clear of this and seek out nearly any Anakena Carmenere or Chateau Los Boldos Carmenere priced over 12 dollars.

 Francois Lurton

2007 Pascual Toso Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Argentina

Colorific…Garnet red fading to a rust hued rim

Scentuous…Blackberry, boysenberry, mint, vanilla

Taste-osity…While I was out and about in part of the Phoenix Metro area that I normally don’t get to, I decided to stop into a Costco and check out their wine selection. I am glad that I stopped, I found two Argentinean Cabs, and this is the first of those. I highly advise decanting this wine for at least an hour or using a Vinturi. This wine is rather tight and quite tannic until it gets some air; but it opens up nicely once it’s been given a chance to breathe. The attack is very fruit focused with flavors of blackberry, black cherry, black plum and currant with delicate hints of oak, coffee and brown sugar in the background. These flavors while being very dominant are also rather subtle; what I mean by that is that these are very present and easily defined flavors but they are also balanced with one another and very silky on the palate. They effortlessly fade into a nicely muted mid-palate of soft tannins and gentle alcohol acidity; the first leaves the mouth feeling cool and the clean and the second sends soft tingles and heat across the tongue and gums. These textures drift away as a long finish sets in with pleasant black plum and oak flavors followed by tobacco, vanilla and black cherry and finally light tinges of anise and burnt sugar. This wine is a full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon; a true sampling of South American genius when it comes to the magic of winemaking.

Overall, this is why I enjoy South American wines so much. A perfect example of a sub-15 dollar Cabernet Sauvignon that can compete with a 20 dollar bottle. While this isn’t as complex as some wines I’ve sampled at this price, it’s more balanced and very, very smooth. I believe I paid 13 dollars for this bottle and it’s well worth that price. What makes this wine so good is how easily it sips without a pairing of food. Some Cabernet Sauvignons need food to truly make them standout, while this wine shows its quality either with food or without food. Therefore, I give this a great QPR and must recommend you purchase this particular wine immediately. I know that my local supermarket carries the Pascual Toso Cabernet Sauvignon, though not the reserve. I haven’t seen this at Total Wine & More, but it’s possible they do sell this. Either way find this wine, buy it and sit back and sip away at a wonderful bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Pascual Toso

2008 Cruz Alta Chairman’s Blend (85% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Syrah), Argentina

In living color…Deep ruby red with hints of purple throughout

Heavenly aromatics…Blackberry, boysenberry, smoke, clove

Taste sensations…I have enjoyed quite a few wines from Cruz Alta’s catalog, but I always felt they were slightly overpriced for the quality of the wine. Sure they were all good, solid wines; but I had heard them talked up as these amazing, complex wines for bargain prices. It is true that most of them fall into the value wine category, but I have enjoyed other, less expensive wines more than I enjoyed those from Cruz Alta that I had sampled. It was with all of these reservations in the back of my mind, I went out on a limb and took the advice of a Total Wine “expert wine specialist” and purchased this bottle. My palate is truly appreciative of that man’s advice. This is an immensely excellent red blend; combining elegant fruit flavors, subtle savory textures and enough heat and complexity to carry this wine through and bring me great pleasure. The attack flows over the tongue with smooth blackberry, plum, black cherry and molasses. The mid-palate carries the silky-ness of the attack with focused yet subtle tannins, delicate alcohol acidity and warmth and near perfect levels of astringency all mingled together to ground the fruit forward attack. The finish is pleasantly long, characterized by cassis, black pepper, tobacco, bittersweet chocolate and hints of wet leaves. This is a silky-smooth while at the same time somewhat “weighty”, full bodied wine. It moves from attack to mid-palate to finish like a liquid ninja gliding across the tongue and leaving faint reminders of its passing. Truly an exceptional red blend!

Overall, I have to rate this wine a good QPR. I wanted to go out on a limb and say great QPR, but it is a little pricey. However for the quality exhibited here you won’t find many other wines that can compete with this. The Anakena Ona red blend is the only one that comes to mind, all others at the 10-15 dollar mark are decidedly lacking (though still decent in and of themselves). The Kirkland Signature Rutherford Valley Meritage comes close to this wine, but doesn’t have the complexity, balance and smoothness that this wine carries. In my opinion this ties the Anakena Ona as my favorite red blend sub-20 dollars. I highly recommend this wine if you enjoy intense red wines or quality red blends from south of the border.

Revisiting an Old Friend in a New Vintage

2008 Trentatre Rosso (33.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33.3% Merlot, 33.4% Montepulciano), Italy

Color – Purple with a reddish rim

Nose – Dark brown sugar, plum, fresh pipe tobacco, gingerbread

Taste – While wandering the aisles of a Trader Joe’s that was not very close to my house I found the 2008 vintage of this wine and had to try it. Previously I’ve reviewed the 2007 and 2009 but the two closest Trader Joe’s to my house didn’t have the 2008. I’d read reviews of this vintage all of them calling this the vintage to get if you like this particular blend. On the one hand I was dubious that this would be that much better than the 2007. But on the other hand I just knew it had to be better than the 2009. I popped, poured, swirled, sniffed and sipped…and found out that if this isn’t my favorite vintage of this particular wine, it is the most balanced vintage. Let this get some air (20-30 minutes worked for me) and then take a nice swirl, sniff, sip and let the magic begin. The attack is much like the nose; dark fruit (mainly plum and cherry), brown sugar/molasses and baking spices. None of those flavors truly stand out; they merely blend together nicely and then fade into a beautifully mild-mannered mid-palate. The mid-palate really only features two things, but they work together in perfect harmony; firm tannins and tingly, biting alcohol. The alcohol lasts a little longer, staying as the mid-palate segues into the medium length finish. The tingle from the alcohol evades a long finish and mixes nicely with more fruit (plums again), berries (blackberry and maybe boysenberry) and then a mélange of tobacco, bittersweet chocolate, black pepper, dust and smoke. This is a full bodied wine, with a balanced attack, playful mid-palate and deep, dark finish. The aftertaste is one of burnt brown sugar, smoke and leather, which sounds quite harsh but in reality is extremely pleasing.

Overall, I still prefer the 2007 Trentatre Rosso over this slightly younger version. I admit this is the most balanced in flavor and texture, but it’s also a little more subdued (especially during the attack/mid-palate). The finish here is sumptuous and I would drink this wine if only to get to the finish, but the 2007 is the pick for me. This is still a good-to-great QPR (I challenge someone to recommend a 6 dollar bottle that is as complex or fulfilling as either the ‘07/’08 Trentatre Rosso. I don’t think it can be done); and would recommend this bottle over just about any other Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Malbec, Merlot, Shiraz or red blend out there at a comparable price point. Get this one if you can find it, preferably by the case.