Notes from the Usual Suspects' Malbec lunch at Elebert's Steak Room. 2 flights of wine. France first followed by Argentina.
While most of the wines were in the over $20.00 range, we started with a more modest $12.00 Filius Reserve Malbec 2006 from Lulunta, Argentina. Lightish, spicy, leathery, sweet. Smoky. Some menthol on the nose after some minutes in the glass. Good value.
Lester also brought The Ned Sauvignon Blanc 2007 from Marlborough, a very good SB Ive had several times before but we decided to get right to the reds.
Now for the more serious stuff.
France:
Chateau Lamartine Expression 2005 - Very dark. Spicy nose. Quite dry and very rich. Dried herbs and coffee. Excellent wine in a traditional style. Should improve with more time in the bottle. It would be nice to revisit this in 3 years or so. Some thought it had more sweetness than the other wines but I couldn't detect that.
Chateau du Cedre "Le Cedre" 2005 - Inky. Mint and caramel. Very sweet fruit. Rich and concentrated. Coffee. Very tannic. The sweetness gives this a New World character. Could use more time to tame the tannins. A very good wine but I thought it was overly sweet.
Croix du Mayne 2001 - One of my favorite wines from a few years back when this was available for a modest price in the local supermarket. Much lighter than the other wines thus showing its age. Meaty nose. Still a bit of tannin. Sweet fruit but a dry finish. After about 30 minutes in the glass it started to get pruney. I thought this was at peak but on reflection, I would have to agree with the others that this is past peak and should be consumed soon.
Argentina:
Terrazas de los Andes Afincado Malbec 2003 - Deep cherry on the rim. Otherwise quite dark. Ripe, sweet fruit. Berry syrup weight and flavor. Good length. Seems quite ready now and not sure more improvement will be forthcoming as it already has an attractive softness to it. Excellent.
Trapiche Vina Victorio Coletto 2004 - A bottle nearly as big and heavy as a magnum. Inky black. Powerful, slightly hot nose. Very deep flavor and a spicy finish. A little unbalanced now but has the stuffing to improve and integrate in the bottle. Would be nice to revisit this in 2 years or so. Judgment reserved.
Bonus wines:
Jojo was unable to bring the promised Cobos from the Paul Hobbs Argentina project but I think the substitute bottle he brought more than made up for it.
Flor de PIngus Ribera del Duero 1996 - Beautiful nose. Soft, sweet fruit but there is a streak of acidity that provides freshness and balance to the fruit. Good complexity. Very slight barnyard after about 30 minutes in the glass. Excellent wine.
Chateau Doisy-Vedrines Sauternes 2005 - Classic sweet Sauternes nose. Medium weight. Burnt sugar. Creme caramel, pineapple and peach. Silky, attractive, precocious wine that's very charming now. Not sure if this is built for aging but why wait? Very good.
Can't wait for next week's Tokaji Essencia dinner!