Producer: Valentin Bianchi
Wine: Valentin Malbec
Vintage: 2004
Appellation: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Wine Type: Red
Varietal: Malbec
Grade: B+
Designation: Cheap and Good
Price: $8

Ever wondered what a gaucho drinks out of their bota bag while riding their pony on the Patagonia pampas down Argentina way? It might be water, could be Gatorade, perhaps Diet Coke, possibly some kind of fu-fu latte, or, as I’m inclined to believe, a macho Malbec. And, if they’re a little short of dinero, they might be drinking this Valentin Malbec. Much of Argentina’s wine heritage can be traced to the Italian immigrants that have flocked to the South American country in the last two centuries. Valentin Bianchi arrived in Argentina in 1910 and worked towards his dream to own vineyards and make wine. He started down that path in 1928 in Mendoza and it continues today under the following Bianchi generations. This 2004 Malbec is a great deal. It’s a medium-bodied red with ripe fruit and good balance. Its central theme is plum and raspberry fruit, both in aromas and flavors. There are also soft floral flavors, some pepper, and then a creamy toffee and butterscotch finish that is silky and smooth. A good food wine with good acidity for balance. Hey, this wine is a good deal. Fill up the bota and ride, “Giddyup.”

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Producer: Martinelli Winery
Wine: Jackass Vineyard Zinfandel
Vintage: 2002
Appellation: Russian River Valley
Country: USA
Wine Type: Red
Varietal: Zinfandel
Grade: A-
Designation: Must Drink
Price: $50

Do you like high drama red wines? Ones that are big and make you think you were on the sidewalk beneath the Empire State Building when King Kong belly-flopped off the top? You might want to consider grabbing a Jackass Vineyard Zinfandel from Martinelli. Take note that the Jackass Vineyard has a more upscale sibling, Jackass Hill, with more limited production and will cost a notch higher. That extra notch may be negligible and superfluous since these Martinelli’s wine list members suck them up in a New York nanosecond. This is the type of ultra-ripe and over-the-top red that wine drinkers either criticize or praise wholeheartedly. If you want a low alcohol wine, this 16.5% Zin is not your cup of tea and just looking at the label will probably make you dizzy. That being said, this Jackass is a hoot. It’s a dark black-purple color that carries a heady nose of plums, currants, blueberries and blackberries in an alcohol bath. It’s intense and uncompromising on the palate with rustic layers of plums, figs, and berry flavors that are propped up with earthy bits of soil, twigs, herbs, and smoke. The concentrated wine takes on an overripe raisin effect in the lengthy and complex finish, which is virile with tannins chasing after the fruit. Unfined and unfiltered you’ll probably run into some sediment. No second-guessing this Zinfandel, it’s a bull in the china shop. Best thing to do is to get a grip and go along for the ride. Delicious now, but it will age well for several years.

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Producer: Domaine de la Verde
Wine: Vacqueyras
Vintage: 2001
Appellation: Vacqueyras
Country: France
Wine Type: Red
Varietal: Grenache 65%, Syrah 25%, Mourvèdre 10%
Grade: B
Designation: Excellent Value
Price: $14

An interesting note to this medium-bodied red from the Southern Rhone is that it never said, “Bon jour” to an oak barrel. Vacqueyras is a Southern Rhone Village located in a region halfway between Gigondas and Chateauneuf-du-Pape, a good area for wines like this. The lush red wine is cordial, friendly, but a touch reserved in the introduction. But it’s French, so that’s not a surprise. There’s not hearty bear hug in greeting but the continental softer handshake followed by a polite air kiss on both cheeks. It’s dark in color with a kicked back nose of plums, dried mushrooms, and earth. It shows plum and raspberry fruit flavors on the palate with licorice, herbs, and a viscous jammy texture. Sturdy, it delivers a contextually round mouth with velvet tannins. The finish is remarkably transparent and bids farewell with barely a nod and whisper of, “Au revoir.” Oak might have added a little more punch and pizzazz.

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Producer: Bodega Catena Zapata
Wine: Alamos Chardonnay
Vintage: 2004
Country: Argentina
Appellation: Mendoza
Wine Type: White
Varietal: Chardonnay
Grade: B+
Designation: Cheap and Good
Price: $8

Nicolás Catena is the Master of the Argentina Wine Universe. Trust me, he knows what he’s doing. Catena is behind much of the growth in Argentina’s wine reputation. His quest for quality, creativity, scientific exploration, and vineyard management has helped build one of the strongest houses in Argentina and Mendoza. The Bodega exports four different lines of wine with the Alamos brand being it’s low-priced, high-value wines, and that is what they are. Their 2004 Chardonnay has a generous nose of tropical and citrus fruit aromas with floral scents to entice. There is a smooth body with broad flavors of pineapple, banana, pears that are resolved with vanilla and spice from toasted oak. Well-balanced and bright, fresh, and then is capped off with crisp acidity and a lengthy finish. For the price this is an outstanding, expressive, and delicious Chardonnay that more than satisfies. A quaffer for the crowd. Viva Catena!

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