--- A Review from Vasco da Gama ---
This is an interesting blend of Malbec, Cab, and Syrah from one of the most renowned wine producers/consultants on the planet Michel Rolland. I was anxious to try this wine, and could no longer resist, so I tried this fresh out of the bottle last night - The cork and wine are both a very dark purple. This wine has a beautiful smell of vanilla, gravel, dark berries, ripe plum and licorice with a hint of smokiness (on the 2nd glass I picked up the scent of cherry blossom or cherry nibs, as well as tar). The blackberries, licorice, and dark cherries come through on the palate with good refined tannins and balanced acidity. A beautiful full bodied red with a nice long dark chocolate finish. This is a superb and complex wine to drink now, but I suspect it will only get better over the next few years into 2015 or so. Will have to try another bottle again a few years down the road to see if it doesn't have even more character to it. Although the price of $33.29 is not cheap, for the quality you are getting I would say this is great wine and an excellent value, and I like the label :-)
Price: $33.70
Score: 93
Value: 4.5/5
Region: Argentina
Grape: Malbec, Cabernet, Syrah
UPC 7798104410179
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Sounds great - but I did a little looking and discovered that the same wine sells for $18 in NH and $24 at LCBO and SAQ. Even if it is good value at $34, it's galling to have to pay almost twice what you'd pay anywhere else. Ouch.
ReplyDeleteGeesh...those are good deals...I guess one of the downfalls of living in a less populated area (and having alcohol controlled by a monopoly)
ReplyDeleteFYI...I picked up 2 more bottle for the cellar.
Anyone looking to buy one of these, please keep in mind that it is big, dry, and bold. I think N&K would call it a "manly" wine.
I haven't had the 2005, but this was a wine since 2003 or 2002 (can't remember) that I thought I would start a verical by laying down each vintage. It didn't work out that way- my tastes changed and I found myself liking more austere wines rather than big fruit driven wines. I still appreciate this wine because the mix of grapes is different. Price difference is steep.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the austere / fruit-driven issue,Kelly and I had a bottle of the Pio Cesare Fides 2003 last night. It is a beautifully balanced wine - I go so far as to say perfectly balanced. Good fruit, without being fruit driven; elegant, without being austere; enough tannins to give it structure, without excessive grip (it's not a 'manly' wine); good from the nose through the palate to the finish, without any element dominated. Scoring blind Kelly gave it a 93 - the same as when we reviewed it the first time. It's doesn't have the range and complexity of flavours that pushes a wine like the Ornato to an even higher score (don't get me wrong - it had plenty of that, just not like the Ornato), but for structure and balance it is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteThe Fides is $47 at the ANBL though- thats a real step up in price, considering its $38 across the Quebec border.
ReplyDeleteYes -- the 2003 was $39 when we bought it. The price increase is a real bummer. At $39 it is very good value, but $50 is definitely pushing it. I have one bottle, just because I like the '03 so much, but I'm not sure if I'll get more.
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