by Andrew Chalk
As we look to the new year for more excitement and rejuvenation, Andrew has a nice list of wines to start your 2015 off right.
2011 Col Solare Red Wine, Red Mountain, Washington. $75
This wine of the product of a collaboration between the Marchesi Antinori of Tuscany and Chateau Ste. Michelle of Washington State. It is as blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec.
Although a Bordeaux blend this would never be taken as an old world wine. It is firmly fruit-driven and ripe, luscious fruit at that. It needs to be aged 5-10 years for best enjoyment but can be drunk today if infanticide is one of your sidelines.
2012 Bodegas Bilbainas Vina Zaco Rioja Tempranillo $15.
Color: Deep ruby with an opaque core and translucent rim
Nose: Blackberries. Plums. Raspberries. Fresh fruit. Hints of neutral oak but this wine likely saw little or none.
Taste: Chewy tannins. Medium acid. Mocha, coffee, blackberry.
Medium minus finish.
A simple but pleasant red wine to quaff with friends or accompany barbecue.
2011 Rutini Encuentro Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina $19.
Classic purple, full-bodied Argentinean Malbec. Lots of forward black fruit. Can be drunk now or kept for 5+ years. Best with red meat.
Two Soaves…
2013 Rocca Sveva Soave DOC Classico. $12
Light straw color. Nose of peanut shells, no oak. Simple flavors and medium acid. Medium finish. Clean tree-fruit taste. Apples, white peaches, hints of lemon.
2012 Bolla Tufaie Soave Superiore DOCG Classico. $14.
Hints of gold in the color. Nose has earthy smell. More going on than in the first wine. In the mouth and the immediate impression versus the first example is that this is a wine of much more presence. Heavier mouth feel. Richer, more complex palate. Cantaloupe, lime, ripe peaches. A better value than the first wine
