Opi Malbec (2008)

June 26, 2009 — Tom & Melody

Tom chose this lusciously delicious Argentinian Malbec for our Friday evening. Malbec happens to be one of my favorite all-time reds and this one does not disappoint.  The color is deep and opaque and the nose makes me think of ripe, concord grapes. The taste is sumptuous: dark chocolate, plums and pepper. I am enjoying this wine very much.

For dinner tonight, I made homemade tacos. We haven’t had them for a long time and I had a pound of ground beef to use. I browned the ground beef and added onions and peppers and pinto beans, along with cumin, oregano, and  chili pepper. The toppings included chopped avocados, chopped onions, chopped lettuce (yes, of course from my garden), shredded cheese, sour cream and salsa.

A fun meal for a fun, Friday night!

Posted in Argentine wines, Malbec, Over $10. Tags: , , , . 2 Comments »

Ramirez de Velazco Malbec (2008)

May 22, 2009 — Tom & Melody

This Argentinian Malbec is an unusual wine.  I have to work hard to describe it because it is not your ordinary Malbec. Initially, the wine is a bit overwhelming on the finish but with decanting it mellows. The nose is strong vanilla and spice. The first taste is quite fruity but the finish is. . .vanilla taffy. That’s the best I can do. I am not terribly fond of this wine but I imagine it will be better tomorrow after it opens a bit. It’s not bad wine; it’s just not to my particular taste.

It is Friday night and Memorial weekend! What fun! I didn’t feel much like cooking tonight when I got home from work, but I had a pound of ground beef in the fridge so I went searching for an interesting recipe. I ended up making something that is smelling quite yummy. The basic gist is this: I sliced 6 golden potatoes (skins on) and mixed with cream of chicken soup, milk, sour cream, onions and parmesan cheese; I browned the ground beef and added garlic, onions and seasoning. I put the potato mixture in a casserole dish, topped with shredded cheese and then the ground beef mixture. I covered it and it has been baking for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. I am going to remove the cover and continue baking another 20 minutes and serve with a salad and a vegetable. Comfort food for the start of the weekend. Cheers!

Posted in Argentine wines, Malbec, Under $10. Tags: , , , . Leave a Comment »

Arkel Malbec (2008)

April 9, 2009 — Tom & Melody

It is a Thursday evening  – but seems like a Friday evening – because I have tomorrow (Good Friday) off from work. Woo hoo! After work, I went to my yoga class and came home feeling stretched and peaceful — what a great combination.

I started thawing chicken breasts for dinner. And got out a bag of fresh spinach and some asparagus for stir fry. . .but. . . confession. . .after our martini I said (apparently not very enthusiastically), “wow, I need to go make dinner” and Tom said, “no you don’t; put that stuff away; you can make it tomorrow.” See. this is one of the many reasons why I love him! So, I did put away the food for tomorrow’s dinner, and I picked up the phone and ordered a pizza. So, now I am relaxing with a glass of wine while someone else makes the dinner for us. What a treat!

This wine is exceptional; definitely our kind of wine. Grippy tannins, dry,  and full of berry flavors, this wine is dark red with an earthy finish. I love this wine. I need to buy more. This will be great with our pizza. . .

Posted in Argentine wines, Malbec, Over $10, Under $10. Tags: , , , . Leave a Comment »

Las Perdices Malbec (2006)

March 16, 2009 — Tom & Melody

I bought this las perdices Malbec at our local grocery store. It was on sale for $13.95.  Las Perdices Malbec is delicious and elegant. The value of this wine is tremendous; the quality is excellent. Dark-fruited and powerful, the nose is chocolate, blackberries, and cranberries. The wine is the fabric of Argentina but with the sophistication and intricacy of a French Bordeaux.

It is Monday evening and I am roasting a pork loin for dinner. (It was something I pulled out of the freezer yesterday.)  It was a beautiful day in Michigan; winter is not over but we have had a glimpse of spring!

Posted in Argentine wines, Malbec, Over $10. Tags: , , . 2 Comments »

Arkel Malbec (2008)

March 11, 2009 — Tom & Melody

It is Wednesday evening and I am back from an out-of-town trip for my job. It is good to be home, having a glass of wine, reading the paper with dinner on the stove, and music on the Bose.

Tom opened this bottle for us tonight. This is an Argentinian Malbec from the Mendoza region. According to Karen MacNeil, “. . .the wines made from Mendoza malbec have a grip, structure, and density rarely found in wines made from malbec in Bordeaux.” I would say this is an accurate description of this Arkel malbec. Full of berry flavors, this wine has a deep red color. The taste, in addition to berries, is dry and earthy. We both agree this is our kind of wine. It will go well with the pot of chili I prepared. I also purchased a loaf of sourdough bread and some sharp cheddar for our meal tonight.

It is great to be home; cheers!

Posted in Argentine wines, Malbec, Under $10. Tags: , , , . 3 Comments »

Catena Cabernet Sauvignon (2003)

March 1, 2009 — Tom & Melody

catena-cabernet-sauvignon-2003I am finishing the bottle from last night of this Catena Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 from Argentina (that we opened last night for “Open That Bottle” night).  I have been cooking all day and everything smells savoury and delicious.

I started barbecue ribs at noon today and they are in the final stage of preparation. (I start by making a spicy rub which I apply to the ribs and let sit at room temperature for an hour.) Then, into a low-temperature oven (covered in foil) for 2 hours. Then, I take the foil off and bake for another 90 minutes. After that, I brush on a generous amount of barbecue sauce and bake another 90 additional minutes. Finally, I wrap the ribs in foil and place in a paper bag, wrap the bag tightly and let the ribs rest for another hour. It’s a long, slow process and worth every bite. These are fall-off-the-bone tender, but without the grease. . .and, because I had the oven going, I also baked an acorn squash and a loaf of bread. And, for dessert, I made a double batch of brown rice pudding. Meanwhile, I have hash browns cooking in a skillet. Yes, a big dinner, but one that will be comforting and delicious. Our son, Tommy and his girlfriend, Amanda, will join us shortly for a hearty feast.

Meanwhile, this wine is even better tonight than it was last night (see yesterday’s post). Full of ripe berries with touches of tobacco and graphite. This is a keeper. Cheers!

Posted in Argentine wines, Cabernet Sauvignon, Over $10. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Catena Cabernet Sauvignon (2003)

February 28, 2009 — Tom & Melody

catena-cabernet-sauvignon-2003It is February 28 and Open Your Bottle Night. Woo hoo! We’ve been looking forward to this. We have two special bottles in our possession that we didn’t choose tonight: 1) A bottle of wine from our two sons, Tommy and Tony (we don’t want to open it until Tony is back from South Korea and we are all together), and 2) a bottle of wine from Tommy’s girlfriend, Amanda, which we don’t want to open unless Amanda is here with us to enjoy it too. So we settled on this Catena Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 from the Mendoza region of Argentina. I bought this wine for Tom for Christmas in 2007 and it, along with the other bottles I purchased, have been stored in our cool, dark basement.

In the glass, this Catena is a deep, dark-violet color with reddish hues. The nose is intense;  focused aromas of ripe raspberries and blackberries intermingled with notes of tobacco and pencil lead. The mouthfeel is muscular, full and concentrated bursting with rich blackberry and espresso. This was a great choice for Open Your Bottle Night with just the two of us. (Of course, we would have chosen something different if our boys were home, but that day will come.) I think our new cyber friends, Marty and Jeannie, would like this wine.

For dinner tonight, I had to rummage through my refrigerator and freezer. I did not go to the grocery store today because . . . well, because I went for a long run (9-miles) this morning in 14-degree weather and it was cold, which takes the wind out of your sails . . . then, after a hot shower and a little lunch, it was time for me to go to a baby shower for a friend of mine from work. By the time I got home, the day was over. So, I took some Polish kielbasa out of the freezer and some cabbage, carrots and onions out of the vegetable drawer. I started by browning the sliced kielbasa in hot olive oil until it was very brown; then, I added sliced onions and stirred those around until they, too, were brown, then added a boatload of chopped cabbage, sliced carrots and some chicken broth. It is now simmering and I am making mashed potatoes for the side. It should be a comforting, filling meal for our last day of February. Spring is near! Cheers!

Posted in Argentine wines, Cabernet Sauvignon, General, Over $10. Tags: , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Finca Dubois Bonarda (2005)

February 8, 2009 — Tom & Melody

Finca Dubois Bonarda 2005I chose this Finca Dubois Bonarda 2005 Argentine red wine for our Sunday evening. I have a pot roast in the oven that I started at 2:30 this afternoon. After browning the roast in a hot skillet, I took the roast out of the skillet just long enough to add 4 garlic cloves and a chopped onion, then I put the roast back in the pan resting on the onions and garlic, along with some chicken broth and red wine. I covered it tightly and put it in a low 250-degree oven. After about 2 hours, I added potatoes and carrots. When it is ready, I expect the meat to be tender and juicy and the vegetables to be savoury and drenched in a rich broth.

I have been saving this last bottle of Bonarda for quite awhile because it is one of my favorites. This wine is perfect for a Sunday night pot roast dinner. The wine is rich with fruit — plums and blackberry jam — along with mushrooms, tobacco and vanilla — and firm tannins, to make an absolutely luscious, satisfying quaff. Here’s to a February thaw (the temperature got up to the mid-40’s today) in Michigan!

Posted in Argentine wines, Bonarda, Over $10. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Ramirez de Velazco Malbec

February 2, 2009 — Tom & Melody

ramirez-de-velazco-malbec-2008We are having a glass of this Ramirez de Velazco Malbec 2008 on a Monday night. I have meatloaf in the oven for our dinner tonight. I think that this wine has all the qualities of a good wine; I just don’t happen to love it  like I do most of the red wines we drink. The problem for me is that both the nose and the finish have a sweet-ish, flavored coffee-like taste and aroma. I think some wine drinkers would really like this, but I do not.

It’s very unusual for me not to love a Malbec. But, I wouldn’t go out of my way for another bottle of this (although I believe we have one more bottle in our stock).

Posted in Argentine wines, Malbec, Over $10. Tags: , . Leave a Comment »

Ramirez de Velazco Malbec 2008

January 30, 2009 — Tom & Melody

ramirez-de-velazco-malbec-2008We’re have this Ramirez de Velazco Malbec 2008 and recovering from a long week.

It’s quite nice. It tastes of vanilla and light blueberry-ish fruit at the front and of mint at the back. Pleasantly dry and tannic.

Melody is cooking a pasta-and-chicken dish. It smells wonderful. The medium body will go nicely with it.

Posted in Argentine wines, Malbec, Over $10. Tags: , . 4 Comments »
« Older posts