These reviews are based on samples provided by Taste-Vino.com or an organization representing them.
Taste-Vino.com’s world is centered around finding wines from South America and bringing them to your dinner table. These wines aren’t just the usual Malbec from Argentina. A quick review of their current offerings include everything from Pinot Noirs from Uruguay to Sauvignon Blancs from Chile, to sparkling wines also from Uruguay, and everything in between. Looking for something different, very different? How about a Tannat Rose? That’s not something you’ll see listed on a typical website or on a store shelf.
Per the company’s website:
We search out and find the absolute best wines from the top producers and regions in South America and bring them home for you. To be considered for TasteVino, each wine must be downright delicious, offer fantastic value and come from a family-owned winery practicing sustainable viticulture and fair trade.
More information is available at http://www.taste-vino.com/index.cfm
This post will center around two wines made from grapes you may not be familiar with, a white Torrontés and a red Bonarda both from Argentina.
2009 Finca Algarve Torrontés Cinco Sentidos – SRP $15.00
Torrontés is THE white wine of Argentina. This is the most widely planted white wine grape growing in Argentina. Even though you may see wines labeled as Torrontés from Spain, these are genetically different grapes.
At its best, wines made from the Torrontés grape are fresh, aromatic wines with moderate acidity, smooth texture and mouth feel and have distinctive peach and apricot aromas on the nose. Torrontés wines are generally made for early drinking.
About the winery
Since 1955 our company has followed the noble tradition of high quality winemaking. This path of history finds us today enjoying what we love best and know most about: making wines that can evoke thousands of moments and transmit numerous life experiences.
When virgin valleys are found untainted, everything unfolds as a great possibility…. Our ancestor came to these lands and made them the perfect place for growing vines. Thus, they’ve worked bravely night and day to grow these varietals, which today bring out the best attributes these terroirs can offer.
Our vineyards are located towards the West of the Argentinean territory, in the province of Mendoza, a most privileged location at 850 meters above sea level. Our lands sit at the banks of the MendozaRiver, bringing out a silty loam alluvial soil of deep character, in a dry region with little rainfall and clearly marked seasons.
During the summer, skies are clear and bathed with warm sunlight, which bring about an optimum maturity in grapes and the character and personality that best describe our wines at Cinco Sentidos.
At present, laborious hands work our 100 hectares all along the year to get the most out of the soil and vineyards, and translate it into high quality product.
In this way, our past and present have blended with the sole purpose of working the land to awaken our five senses through our wines Cinco Sentidos, to transmit numerous experiences and evoke thousands of moments.
More information available at:
http://www.cinco-sentidos.com.ar/index.php
My Tasting Note
The wine is a light, glistening yellow color. The very fresh and inviting nose features line, lemon zest, minerals, orange blossoms, lemon grass, and spice. This is dry with a light body and crisp acidity. On the palate lemon and lime with solid minerality take center stage with some nice spice and a slight herbal note in the background. The finish has very nice length with the spicy citrus, minerals, and herbal note lingering very nicely. If it was April, I would be grabbing a case of this wine to enjoy with lighter dinners on the deck. Outstanding. (91 pts)
2008 Serrera Bonarda – SRP $20.00
Bonarda is the name for the grape variety known as Charbono in California. The grape is from the Savoie region of France. It is the second most commonly grown variety in Argentina. The wine made from Charbono/Bonarda tends to be dark, with medium to high tannins and acidity.
About the winery – Their Philosophy
In winemaking, just like happens in life, there are no recipes. Each wine is the expression of different ways and styles, different moments and opportunities, different dreams and ideals. Many types of wines result from these combinations, they are as diverse as the women and men of this world.
The only, absolute and supreme norm for winemaking should be nobility. That state which gives the chosen the ability of maintaining without alteration the principal virtues of its essence. A quality that we try to cultivate in our lives just like in our wines, because it proves to be the only characteristic capable of maintaining the true virtue of grapes.
My Tasting Note
The wine is a deep garnet color. The deep and dark nose features plums, black raspberry, baking spices, eucalyptus, scorched earth, smoke, and cocoa powder. This is medium to full body with rustic, slightly chalky tannins and good acidity. The palate has earthy, spicy, red and black fruit, with some herbal tinged eucalyptus. The finish has decent length with plums, raspberries, and minerals and slightly chalky tannins. This wine needs a piece of juicy meat to help smooth out the tannins on the backend and finish. (87 pts)
***** Special Offers *****
It sounds like the 2008 Serrera Bonarda is either sold out or very close to gone. Taste-Vino has a special offer on the new 2009 vintage of their “Reserva”. Buy a 6 pack for $120 and get free shipping. Offer valid through December 13, 2012. Additional information available at:
http://hosted-p0.vresp.com/356487/d9bf3f0897/ARCHIVE
Taste-Vino.com also has a wine club that gets you 20% off the listed prices and discounted shipping for orders over $200. More information is available at:
One of the wineries the company deals with, Pueblo del Sol Wines from Uruguay has recently announced, “Globally renowned wine consultant Paul Hobbs has signed on to be the exclusive consulting winemaker”.
Remember to support your local wine store!
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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines. I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar. I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com. Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear. There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.
Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase. I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive. I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount. Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges. None of the prices include the sales tax.
All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.
Cheers!
November 27, 2012
Cliff
Cliff's Wine Picks 