Category: Wine

Malbec – TERRAZAS de los Andes 2010

terrazas

Another fine wine from the Mendoza region nestled in Argentina. 

       TERRAZAS  de  los  Andes    Reserva     Malbec 2010

Produced and bottled by Terrazas de los Andes, Argentina

Selected grapes of the Mendoza region terraces, found a little more than 1,000 meters above sea level,  make their way into this wine. The selectivity of this wine is probably why it is imported by the Moet Hennessy company.

Personally, this wine is almost as good as my still favorite Malbec, Bodega de ELENA. The Terrazas is kind of similar to the Elena, but I found it to be a touch lighter in body and flavor when landing on the tongue. The Terrazas is flowery and fruity. Perhaps the Terrazas could be imagined as a merlot version of the Elena if it were imagined as a cabernet of the same vinter.

The Terrazas is a good wine, reasonably priced and will be gone before the bottles of Mondavi that other people brought to the party.

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Red Rock Malbec Reserve 2010

peter pearce photo
peter pearce photo

Vinted and bottled by Red Rock winery Healdsburg, CA

                    1.888.271-9463

       This Malbec is grown here in California, not Argentina.

The flavor of this reserve wine lacks the depth of the Bodega de ELENA Malbec, which is my current favorite. It is not a bad wine, but if looking for a reasonably priced California red, I’d go Murphy-Goode Cabernet.

MURPHY-GOODE Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

               Murphy-Goode Winery        Santa Rosa, CA murphy goode

                               MURPHYGOODE.COM

 

This wine posses a heavy thick leg but lands on the taste buds

gracefully, reminding the senses of a bouquet of sweet berry flavors.

The flavor doesn’t linger long on the red carpet, before it melts away,

providing opportunity for another pleasurable taste.

For under $13. this is a pretty good wine, not so much over $15. as

you have entered a region of price where premiere tastes become more

pronounced.

Murphy-Goode cab is not a bad wine, but if you like a heavier full

flavored red wine, then the Bodega ELENA de Mendoza offers a bit more

bang for a little less bucks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Las Rocas de San Alejandro 2009

This product of Spain is a tasty red table wine.  la-roca-bottle_lar_garnachacalatayud_750_09_thumb

Las Rocas USA in Hayward, CA.

 

This is a lighter wine than the Malbec’s and Cabernet’s.

The wine has thin streaky legs. The taste immediately

reveals sweet berries and then lightly tapers with a fume

of apricot and pear. Not heavy. Not too sweet.

Great for day sipping, happy hour or with meals.  This

wine would go well with a meat, cheese and olive platter

as well as your favorite steak salad.

If you pay more than 10. it’s not a good deal. It is not the

average bottle, so be a unique wine buyer and try this.

 

 

Malbec – Bodega ELENA de Mendoza 2011

Bodega ELENA de Mendoza 2011IMG_2930

Vinted and bottled by B.E.D.M. Wines

Imported by Wine Brokers Unlimited, Hayward, CA

Product of Argentina

This is the Dudes favorite Malbec yet tasted! This is the first of the bottles

that I have opened that came with a real cork. Good 1st impression. Upon

tasting this wine, I was immediately aware that the taste game had changed.

The bar had been raised. This was serious wine.

The full bodied wine smoothly drifts over your taste buds, dangling flavors of

blackberries and plums, leaving a rejoicing smile and desire for more.

There was no crazy tinny aftertaste. This was immediately my new favorite Malbec.

If it is a dollar more than the other Malbec’s in this price range, pay it!

Get this Malbec!

(side note)  April 2013 issue of Bon Appetite magazine includes McCormick

gourmet selection recommending this wine also.

 

 

Malbec – Cupcake 2011

Grown in Mendoza, Argentina.

The Dude of Food Wine Review
Cupcake 2011

Imported by Cupcake Vineyards, Livermore, CA

Grown at 2,400 feet under the shadow of the snow covered Andes mountains,

this Mendoza region wine is more talk than action. The flavors mentioned on

the back of the label mention flavors of plums, raspberries and a dark chocolate

flour less cupcake. Really?

Priced in the reasonable to cheap category, but you get what you pay for in this case.

Prefer the Sensual or Robert Mondavi over this Cupcake.

Malbec – Redwood Creek 2011

Raised in Mendoza, Argentina

The Dude of Food wine review

Imported by Redwood Creek Winery, Modesto, CA

www.redwoodcreek.com

I wanted to like this wine but felt it was just not quite as good as the Robert Mondavi PS  ’11 or Sensual ’12. Not sure why. Same grape, same region, same year.

This wine’s taste was much like the Sensual and Mondavi but there was a slight shift that did not work in the Redwood Creek’s favor. The price is about the same so if I had my option, I’d choose the others.

Malbec – Robert Mondavi Private Selection 2011

Mendoza, Malbec  Product of Argentina

Red Wine Review
2011 Private Reserve

Imported by CWUS Imports, Acampo, CA

Another reasonably priced, Mendoza raised wine. This tastes very similar to the Sensual 2012 used as my Malbec standard to compare the other wines.

Grapey, but not overly. OK. Not sweet. Kind of flat. Short tongue life. On the heavy side ala a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Malbec – SENSUAL 2012

Malbec - Sensual 2012

Produced & bottled by Valentin Bianchi, Mendoza, Argentina

Imported by Quintessential LLC, Napa

www.quintessentialwines.com

Reasonably priced, nicely painted and cheesily named, this Mendoza raised wine is the Malbec the Dude of Food used as my standard to compare the other wines.

Grapey, but not overly. OK. Not sweet. Kind of flat. Short tongue life. On the heavy side ala a Cabernet Sauvignon.