The other day over a quick and simple lunch of salad, along with freshly baked walnut bread and cheese. I popped open a bottle of Tilia Bonarda from the Mendoza region of Argentina....It's a Malbec. And it's very good.
With as 13.9 percent alcohol content, the wine has nuances of cherry, dark cassis, and is slighty dry but juicy. It could use a bit of airing to let out its complex body. Two small glasses with the salad, bread and brie let to a nap with the cat for a few winks!
Then yesterday I got some mountain gorgonzola from Murray's Cheese Shop, bringing it up to my mom's home. We brought it up to room temperature, then nestled the cheese in the nooks and crannies of my newly baked Vermont Sourdough. The intense marriage of wine and cheese so complimented each other, I finished up the last drops from the bottle, noting that this is a wine to remember and at a reasonable eight dollars and change. A worthwhile pick with value in taste and the wallet!
@ around $8 a bottle, this is a wonderful representation of the lower elevation vineyards of Mendoza Cuyo.
I really enjoy this wine and recommend Crios de Susana Balbo syrah/bonarda blend. Less oak, less tannin structure and brighter juicier fruits and acidity.
FYI the Tilia isn't a Malbec, but Bonarda is the varietal (Charbono in California).
http://tiliawines.com.ar/en/ourwines/bonarda/2008
Cheers,
Posted by: JLEW | June 02, 2011 at 07:29 PM