Buenaventura
Descarriados Gran Malbec
Now this is a great Malbec from Mendoza and worthy of a few bottles in anyone’s Cellar, cupboard or under the stairs. Dry, bold but smooth with grippy tannins. Black plum, blackcurrant, oak and earthy hints make its a wine to sip and ideally have with a stew or strong cheeses it’s quite wonderful.
At about £10 a bottle it’s excellent value
Made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot this red wine from the Maipo Valley has lots going on. Dry and rich it’s boldness would make this best with red meat. That said there are plenty of flavours of blackcurrent with cherry and hints of raspberry, with a little chocolate and vanilla in the background. The oak is a little heavy for me but that’s more personal.
At £15 a bottle it’s a bit pricy but worth a try.
Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Escudo Rojo, Grand Reserve, 2020, Chile
Videla Aranda, Malbec, 2021, Mendoza, Argentina
Videla Aranda, Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina is a pretty good red wine. Its typical of the style snd quality of of a mass produced malbdc from Mendoza and that’s not a bad thing. Dry, smooth, reasonable tannins with decent length. There’s blackcurrant, redcurrant and notes of oak, and vanilla. It’s a wine to just drink and enjoy and not think to much about. At £7.50 on a mix 6 bottle offer at Majestic Wines It’s very good value and worth a few bottles in the wine store.
Altar Uco, Edad Moderna Blend, 2022, Argentina
This red Bordeaux blend from Altar Uco in Mendoza is rather good. There’s lots in this dry red wine with firm tannins and plenty of black fruit with tobacco, leather, oak, coffee and a slight earthy undertone all integrated very well.
With Cab Sav, Cab Franc, Merlot and Malbec it makes the most of each grapes strengths. That said at £17 a bottle it’s not cheap, that’s a shame.
This is my first Colombian wine and Vina Sicilia has done a good job on it. It’s dry with good fruit concentration and decent length. Black cherry and plum are your primary flavours with hints of oak and raspberry poking through. It’s not a subtle red wine but it would be a good pairing for a BBQ or Sunday roast beef dinner. At about £12 a bottle it’s OK value.
Mascota, Unanime, Merlot, 2018, Mendoza, Argentina
Argentinian makes a fantastic wine and this Merlot from Mascota is quite divine. Dry with plenty of red fruit with blueberry as well, chocolate and black pepper under pin the flavours. I wouldn’t say it was particularly complex but there’s definitely good structure here and a very long finish which makes this a superb wine for approximately £15 a bottle.
Tesco, Finest Malbec, 2021, Mendoza, Argentina
Tesco sell a lot of wine do some of it will be terrible and some of it will be great. This is the latter. Excellent black fruit flavours and aromas with good length and firm bit not overly harsh tannins. Pair with a stew or steak for a great combination. Oh with discounts it was under £5, every little helps 😉
Colchester Cellar Club Chilean wine tasting
Local wine clubs are great places to meet interesting people who love wine and try interesting wines. The Colchester Cellar Club is no exception. Friendly and relaxed it has a number of tastings each year on various themes. This time it was Chilean wines.
Below are my tastings notes
Lapostolle Alexandre 2019 Chardonnay at £22 a bottle.
Full on lemon, ripe citrus, nose of oak and smoke, high acid, long length, best with fish or a zesty salad.
Errazuriz wild ferment Chardonnay 2018 at £14 a bottle
Light lemon with lime hints and pink grapefruit,
Morande One to One Gewurtraminer 2018 at £9 a bottle
Perfumed nose, sweet with hints of rose. Med body with very long length. Light notes of lemon and hints of grapefruit and honey.
Morande One to One Pais 2016 at £9 a bottle
Nose of toffee and a hint of tune sweets. Light with red fruit with reserved tannins very much like a good beaujolais.
Mayu Appassimentto Carmenere 2017 at £13 a bottle
Rich black fruit nose, feeds into the flavours. Sweetness to the fruits, firm but soft tannins, so we’ll balanced and integrated with hints of smoke and oak, good solid length. Excellent
LFE 900 Single Vineyard Blend 2014 at £17 a bottle
Smokey, oaky nose with violets and hints of menthol, dry black fruits, spice hint. Very smooth, firm but well integrated tannins. Rather good.
Vik Milla Cala 2019 at £32 a bottle
Fresh red fruit , light nose and body, some spice and a little black fruit . High acidity, Overpriced but very nice.
Purple Angel Carmenere 2018 at £70 a bottle
Fresh menthol on the nose with black fruit. Spice and red and black fruits, firm but balanced tannins with dryness, clear and left on the lees but a lift is used to stir the lees. Its very nice but over priced.
LFE Late Harvest Viogner/Sauvignon Blanc 2017 at £7 a bottle,
Solid desert wine, not sticky but nice fresh flavours, ripe ctritus with good length. For the price this is outstanding. Its not complex but thats what most people need at the end of a meal.
Los Haroldos, Blend, 2020, Argentina
Primarily a blend of Cab Sav and Malbec this house blend has great fruit concentration with red and black fruit in bucket loads. Bold and dry with firm tannins makes this a sipping wine or a wine with food. Usual steak or stew dishes or good strong cheeses to balance those tannins. At about £10 a bottle it’s good value.
Chile produces great red wines and this Carmenere is a great example. Its bold, dry withĺ great length and softness that gives a feeling of exceptional quality, but at £15 a bottle it’s amazing value. There is tons of flavour with black fruits, plums, cherry and hits of tobacco, oak, vanilla, pepper and hints of coffee and mint.