WTN: Here and there

Whites:

2008 Anakena, Sauvignon Blanc:
13% alcohol, from Chili and about $7; smells of perm solution and tastes acidulated – other then that, it’s tolerable but barely.

Pinks:

2008 Domaine Guy Mousset, Côtes-du-Rhône Rosé:
Bright red fruit aromas with some mineral; crisp and clean in the mouth with good fruit, complexity and intensity, bone dry and fairly long. 13% alcohol and about $10 – and more than worth a try.

2007 Le Pont, Bandol Rosé:
Restrained nose; very dry almost austere in the mouth with just hints of fruit accenting a mineral/earth driven flavor profile; medium length. Much different from the preceding wine and not for everybody. But I enjoyed it – 13% alcohol and about $18.

Reds:

2007 Domaine des Versauds, Morgon:
A clean, soft gamay nose is followed by an initial taste impression of round, soft gamay fruit and then . . . nothing. Oh, it’s still wine-like but it’s lost all interest as it morphs into a sort of ultra-pasteurized, processed wine product. A very weird experience; it’s not bad, it just stops being even the least bit appealing. I think this is a Duboeuf product. Its 13% alcohol and about $14.

2007 Maipe, Malbec:
This smells dark and rich; tastes pretty much as it smells and finishes longer than I expect. There isn’t too much wood or alcohol, there’s ample flavor, most of it in the dark fruit spectrum, and the overall impression is that its hearty accompaniment. 14% alcohol.

2008 Maipe, Malbec:
Similar to the foregoing but with some volatility, some red fruit and a little more interest.

(Aside: Both of these wines lean heavily on the dark side of the grape; which is, IMO, a shame. This variety can produce such beautifully nuanced, elegant, graceful wines – almost pinot-like but with a bit more stuffing. And although neither of the Maipe’s are bad wines, they leave me thinking about Belushi’s line, “they could have given us so much more . . . but noooo!)

Best, Jim

[Jenise]

Both of these wines lean heavily on the dark side of the grape; which is, IMO, a shame. This variety can produce such beautifully nuanced, elegant, graceful wines – almost pinot-like but with a bit more stuffing.

Jim, I get the impression from people around me who frequently buy and serve Argentine malbec that this is precisely what they're interested in--that dark side. They equate darker color and bigger body with quality. Lighter weight, beautifully nuanced masterpieces like the Guggenheim at $10/bottle seem to fly under their radar.

[David M. Bueker]

I'm not really sure that it makes a lot of sense to go after lighter, more red-fruit focused flavors in Malbec. Look at the archetype of Cahors, it's anything but red fruited. We have Pinot Noir and Gamay (among others) for the red fruit focused wines. Why ask Malbec to be something it is not?

Why ask Malbec to be something it is not?

David,
Pinot noir can be elegant and lightweight or rich and firm.
Chardonnay can be steely and acidic or dense and broad.
I could go on. So could you.
IMO, the most enjoyable and food friendly malbecs I have tasted are those that are made in the lighter style. For me, the big, dark fruited ones are a winemaker settling for less than the grape can do (whether that is popular or not, is not my point).
We can disagree on that but the fact that the two styles exist makes it a matter of preference not a matter of asking the grape to do something it can't. Or shouldn't.
Best, Jim

[David M. Bueker]

I will be totally honest in saying that I like Malbec to be a big (and usually tannic) wine. Of course I like Pinot to be much more elegant which is why I am so sad about the loss of Truchot.

I will be totally honest in saying that I like Malbec to be a big (and usually tannic) wine. Of course I like Pinot to be much more elegant which is why I am so sad about the loss of Truchot.

I think the majority of malbec buyers prefer the dark, almost brooding style of that variety.
And I would not hope to convince you or them otherwise.

But one of these days I'll open one of mine for you and then we'll see what you think.
I say this with some confidence only because the vineyard that produces the malbec I'm talking about has shown me the propensity for the lighter style (and I do not mean less intense) that I prefer. Especially, the free run juice.
But then, I am told we always love the wine we make.
Best, Jim

[David M. Bueker]

But then, I am told we always love the wine we make.

I would hope so. I can imagine it would be rather dreary if it were otherwise.

Given that most of the Malbec I currently drink is Cahors, I think it's less "brooding" and more "sneering."

I thought your last note on the 08 Maipe was much more positive, actually had in my mind to pick up a bottle- how often do you see a $8-10 wine where RMP and FJC both give thumbs up!
Still will get one, I guess

I thought your last note on the 08 Maipe was much more positive, actually had in my mind to pick up a bottle- how often do you see a $8-10 wine where RMP and FJC both give thumbs up!
Still will get one, I guess

Dale,
I'll bet the last bottle was with grilled food, where I think this wine would shine.
But it was also before I tasted the lighter version I was telling Dabid about - now all malbecs seem to pale in comparison.
Subjective tasting notes are relative - who knew?
Best, Jim