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A little history on Malbec
Malbec grapes originated in France and play the starring role in the wine production of Argentina. The flavors and aromas of wines made from Malbec grapes include dark blackberry, black pepper, cherry, plums, and chocolate. Other characteristics of Malbec wines include inky-black coloring, soft or high tannins, and high acidity. It can be chewy too. It’s earthy and is great with pizza or pasta with tomato sauce, barbeque pork, roasted meats, Asian and spicy foods.
Malbec grapes are reasonably small, very dark, and juicy. Monitoring the fruit on the vines is important to ensure good concentration of flavors. Luckily, the Argentine wine industry’s almost 100% reliance on irrigation, it almost never rains, which gives the winemakers the tools they need to improve quality of the fruit.
Yet, Malbec is fairly sensitive to its climate. In cooler conditions and in Mendoza, which means in the higher the altitudes, it makes it a thick-skinned grape which develops high acidity and tannic content, leading to more robust wines. At lower the altitudes the grapes have much thinner skins, a lot more more juice, and make wines that are light-bodied and better for drinking young.
Malbec was initially one of the minor blending varieties of red Bordeaux, it now accounts for a very small percentage of local production. But its real home now is just about totally in Argentina, where after about 100 years of cultivation it has come into its own both as a pure varietal, and also gets blended with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.
As a varietal in Argentina is where Malbec flourishes and produces both complex wines and also wines of softer tannins and strong fruit flavors. I urge you to keep these in mind and enjoy these regularly for some great values and also while having some good tasty food. Some of my favorites are the 2009 LaMadrid, the 2009 Pascual Toso, the rich and supple 2008 Trapiche (Jorge Miralles Single Vineyard), the 2008 Bodega Norton Reserva and the any of the last 2 or 3 vintages of the Norton blend called Privada.
Sauternes Semillion and the Nectar of the Gods
There’s nothing like a great French Sauternes! Some call it the nectar of the gods. A lot has been written about Sauternes and how the wines can last 20 or 100 years if botrytis(noble rot) is brought into the picture. The flavors of Sauternes are of marzipan, apricots, graham crackers, mangoes, honey, nuts, orange, coconut, peach, pineapple and toast surrounded by a creamy, silky pliable and rich ingratiating texture. It’s as awesome as it sounds and after tasting it you may want to add more flavors to the list.
A Classed Growth Sauternes will improve in the bottle and should not be drunk for at least 8 to 10 years. Sauternes are usually delicious when young and it takes a lot of self-control and determination to put the wine away until it reaches its full complexity and maturity.
A Classed Growth Sauternes will improve in the bottle and should not be drunk for at least 8 to 10 years. Sauternes are usually delicious when young and it takes a lot of self-control and determination to put the wine away until it reaches its full complexity and maturity.
Semillon is the main grape in Sauternes but it is not the only great place in Bordeaux where this sweet grape grows. In fact sweet white Bordeaux grows throughout Sauternes, Barsac, Monbazillac and lesser sweet places like Cadillac and Loupiac. In the Pessac-Leognan and Graves, the Semillon wines generally have a substantial addition of Sauvignon Blanc which adds acidity and brightness to the fore.
With all this glory, you would think that Semillon is the ‘bees knees’ and is just fantastic but in reality the grape generally creates pretty dull juice even in great weather conditions. Semillon has been grown in many countries including South Africa, Argentina and all over South America but eventually it was replaced with Chardonnay as the go to grape.
With some exceptions, it seems that Semillon only grows great in Sauternes and Australia’s Hunter Valley(which actually thrives in terrible weather…go figure). Nature has made Sauternes perfectly suited for this grape. The area provides decent summers and the rivers of Garrone and Ciron provide fog during the fall, which are the conditions for the noble rot to thin the skins and deepen the sugars.
After all this, is really worth the fuss the answer is a resounding YES! What’s interesting is that Semillon is not very fruity at all. It’s concentrated and full of complex aromas and has a fresh and silky mouthfeel which make it go great with desserts especially creamy ones. It’s incredible with many cheeses including Maytag Blue, Stilton blue and Roquefort. Drizzle honey on the blue cheese and watch what happens! The new world Semillons match up well with Spicy foods and meats. With those Bordeaux Blancs try some shellfish.
Sauternes can be very expensive wines . Among the most famous are Chateau d’Yquem, Chateau Doisy Daene and Chateau Climens. A good recommendation is to try some new world Semillon; wines such as Tim Adams from Clare Valley, Australia; Le Ecole No. 41 from Washington, USA; Tyrell’s Hunter Valley, Australia and Yalumba’s Eden Valley Botrytis, Australia.
And always remember these wines are generally always drinkable immediately without delay, yet can improve with a little extra aging.
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