Malbec with Kevin Hodges/Kim Klein/Mo Bev

Malbec grapes on the vine in the Cafayate wine region of Argentina. This pic also demonstrates the trellising vine training used with drip irrigation system running along the bottom. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)I am looking forward to the time when I can detect more subtlety in wines of the same style and type. Today there are 6 malbec from Argentina, all are well made, some more extracted than others. There was an overriding theme on the nose of these of bright fruit, with some showing a little more earthier style

Crios 2010,, Susanna Balbo's second label.. a lovely starter wine for people looking to try a better Malbec price than Alamos. juicy and good weight

Mapema Malbec 2009... again good juice and quality.. liked the Tempranillo they did a lot

LaPosta Pizzella Family Vineyards . thatt it the most user friendly if not ultra complex.. lots of acidity. up front fruit

Mendel Mendoza lots of extraction, color and juice. lush but not as fruity.. just a little more terroir to it.

Ben marco 2009 with 8% bonarda. dark color, vanilla and loads of dark berry fruit

Luca 2009 best of the bunch. Lots of layers of flavors that take there time to open up.hits all the right notes, good acidity to it ... not showing a lot of alcohol..

craig rohner/major brands/cellar selections

This is a locator map showing Santa Barbara County in Southern California. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Cover of Fess Parker2010 Epiphany Grenache Blanc Santa Barbara County .. what i was expecting was a viscous, aromatic white wine, what came out was much more Viognier like, very sweet and tropical fruit. with a little bitterness on the finish.too sweet and not enough subtlety

2007 Epiphany Gypsy Santa Barbara.. Epiphany a label from the Fess Parker family of wines, with more emphasis on rhone varietals. this was a grenache/syrah et al blend that was highly extracted almost to the point of jammy that finished kind of clunky.

2007 Vina Eguia Reserve Rioja 2007  smells like a pencil box.. sawdust... one would almost assume it was cabernet and not tempranillo.. very extracted in a new world style.. juicy. hopefully the wood calms down in the next months.

bernie from pinnacle and wines

Hopler Pinot Blanc 2009 Austria... creamy on the front with just the right amount of minerality

Peay Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2009 fruit forward nose, juicy and a little clunky on the finish but pleasant, good with food I am sure.

Bedrock Sherman & Hookers Shebang NV4  they changed the bottle from 1L to traditional 750ml size. loads of berry and juicy dark fruit.. great pizza wine

Biale Party Line Zinfandel 2010 California... lots of fruit on the nose, some coffee and dark berry on the palate.. not as jammy as some cali zin can be.

Bennett Lane Maximus 2006 Napa disjointed and not unpleasant just not really showing fruit well. may be in a dumb phase or just over the hill

tony fabiano with crimson wine group. mo bev and kim klein

Image of Domaine Alfred Winery via Snoothmostly known for Pine Ridge

Forefront Sauv Blanc 2010.. soft and herbal.. stainless steel.. pleasant enough. not too grassy

Chamisal Estate Pinot Noir ripe and rich and a little hot on the palate...used to be known as Domaine Alfred.

Chamisal Stainless Chardonnay 2009. such a ripe wine that still gets creamy without use of oak and malolactic fermentation

Forefront Pinot Noir 2010 a little rough on the palate.. tar and tobacco.. and dried fruits.. could probably use some food to showcase.

Trisaetum winery oregon scott nagle/major brands

Pinot noir grapes in early October in Oregon that have essentially completed the veraison process and fully changed color. These grapes are nearly completely ripe and will be harvested soon. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)A property that had been a hazelnut farm in oregon has been switched to grapes middle of the last decade. Named for the two children of the couple that own the vineyards.

Trisae Pinot Noir 2009.. twist top. more affordable. concentrated fruit. a little coffee, mocha on the finish

Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir 2010 coolest vintage in oregon ever until the 2011. lots of spice on the nose a little earthiness and cranberry... very pleasant

coast range pinot noir 2009 only 159 cases produced. rich and robust for pinot noir.. long finish if not a little rough on the palate

estates reserve pinot noir 2010  light and smooth.. almost like butter literally, thought the omami tastebuds were in overdrive.. pretty aromatics.

vine connections wine dinner at piropos

Wine Cat (Photo credit: tab2space)Argentine wine reegions. Español: Regiones vitivinicolas de Argentina. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)What better setting for argentine wines than at an argentine dinner with argentine beef and empanados All of these wines come from the Salta region of Argentina which till now has not been well represented in the market.(sp) hermanos (brothers) finca las Nubes (of the clouds) and Coquena (dont know) torrontes to start.. all as good as the others. typical soft aromatic nose, touch of sweetness.

2011 Hermanos cab/merlot blend didnt really impress but

2011 Hermanos Malbec/tannat blend was a hit.. pretty nose. a little aggresive on the palate but good with beef. very ripe

2010 Coqueria malbec would have surprised, very cab like. loads of tannin

2010 Finca Las Nubes Malbec another beautiful rose and spice nose and great food wine

2006 Dominga Molina Rupestre Red Blend.. MMT Malbec, Merlot and Tannat. dense color, intense flavors of dark berry and leathery tannins.. my favorite of the tasting to be sure. as much age as it had it could still age

2010 Bodega tacuil RD Malbec/Cabernet rose was plummy and tobacco... no oak was used in this wine.surprisingly

Bodega Tacuil 33 de davalos Dark intense color.. plum and blue berry. full bodied and lush.. second favorite but a little pricey  33 was the name of the ranch owned by the owners uncle

Bodega Tacuil Vinas De Davalos 2010 dark dark roasted coffee and meats.. almost reminds of a cote rotie... lots of depth and character.

bernie from pinnacle and wines

Oak wine barrels stacked upon galet rocks in amidst a vineyard in the Southern Rhone Valley wine region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape in France. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)More 2010 rhone wines..,mostly Chateauneuf du Pape

Dom. Tour Sant Michel 2010 two sisters cuvee dark color in the glass...as most all the wines have.. lots of extraction. cranberry and tart fruit on the palate.. a little offputting

Lafond Roc Epine CDP 2010... maybe one of the best of the 10 tried.. lush forward fruit.. a pretty tar and smoky finish

Saint Michel Cuvee of the Vatican.. 2010 more of an alcohol front.. gamey and not as complex

Feminessance from Michel CDP  .. easy and light.. could say feminine in style

Font de Michelle CDP 2010 nice grip from fruit tannin. soft finish

Chateau Sixtine Cuvee de Vatican 2010.. purple on the glass.. porty almost on the nose, lush fruit and also hot from the alcohol

Cote de l"ange CDP 2010  concentrated, soft and juicy

Cote Rotie Ogier d'amouis pepper notes on the nose, juicy in body but it didnt turn the corner for me like I was hoping.. looking for more gamey and bacon and smoke

Maritime wie trading collective with Edwin Olivieri/garco

Image of Graham Beck via SnoothGraham Beck Sparkling Brut NV South Africa.. blended from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. very soft and fizzy.. good value for the price..

MudHouse Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand 2010. South Island specific winery. true to the region nose of cat pee on the evergreen tree.. the mouth was a little different.. less grapefruit and more soft. softer side of sauv blanc.. more food friendly

Graham Beck Gamekeepers Reserve Chenin Blanc 2008.. loads of minerality.. almost loire in style but not that sharp.  a little tropical fruit on the finish.. another soft wine

Mud House Pinot Noir 2010 Central Otago. the southernmost wine growing region in the world. dark fruits on the palate but again a softness that would be good for beginners to Pinot Noir. more experience pinot drinkers may find it too unchallenging

Graham Beck Game Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2008  pretty fruity nose, soft and a little gamey on the finish.. gamey in a good way.. would work well with wild game or tougher meats. acidity was good.. a little high in alcohol but not annoyingly so

Skyleaf riesling 2009 New Zealand.. lots of slate and mineral and the beginning of petroleum. again with the softer style of riesling.. not german and not american... interesting

chris Rowe/ old bridge cellars/garco

2009 Plantagenet Omrah Chardonnay.. unoaked Australian sweet smoky nose creamy and no oak... interesting

2010 Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir australia light color and flavors.. quick finish

2009 Sticky Beak Pinot noir Russian River . lots of upfront notes.. good acidity.. a little more body than the first wine'

2009 Sticky beak Cabernet Sauvignon lots of berry flavors.. soft tannins.. mocha/chocolate overtones.. not bad for the money

2005 d"arenberg d'arrys Original some fruit..starting to fade.. a little off flavors..over the hill i think

Poggioondo Bianco 2011.. a blend of italian white varietals.. mineral and yet creamy.. good depth.

Poggiotondo Rosso 2010  light without the Italian stink. easy drinking red for pasta etc

Kilikanoon Killermans Run Shiraz grenache 2009.. juicy and oaky..  a little flabby as australians can be. vanilla from the oak

Kilikanoon Killermans Run Shiraz 2008 lots of ripe fruit.. juicy and soft tannins. very drinkable

bernie from pinnacle and wines

wines from a grand tasting.

vernay Condrieu 2010  obvious viognier nose, a little softer and uninspiring

Verney Condrieu L'enfer 2010  golden color, amazingly smoky and honeyed. soft and creamy.. really pretty wine again viognier

Brunel Les Cailloux Chateauneuf 2010 high alcohol and extraction.. lots of color

Bosquet des Papes Chateauneuf 2010  dark dark color.. again high alcohol levels.. dark raspberry fruit. good tannin

Tour Saint Michel Chateauneuf 2010  more fruit forward.. not as structured and a little simpler. a little bit of a meaty finish

Charbonniere Chateauneuf 2010.. my favorite of this tasting. huge color and flavor.. still juicy but seemingly a more structure to the overall flavor. more mocha and white pepper on the finish

terra firma with marian/ Rose 2011

Image via WikipediaReserve se la Saurine Rose 2011.. light salmon color.. light delicate red fruits.. quick finish. good value

Chusclan Cotes du Rhone 2011 Rose  dark strawberry rose.. juicier than the first.. more fruit forward and user friendly.. nice hint of sweetness

Vin de Provence di Aix 2011 fresh, vibrate and surprisingly mouth filling for the color.