Tag Archives: Malbec

A Cheese You Will Love: Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt Tam

628x471by Steven Doyle

What weighs five ounces, is about an inch and half tall and is no more than five weeks old?  I can only think of one thing, the MT TAM from Cowgirl Creamery. This lush heavy butter fat cheese has a soft and very edible rind, slightly oozy in the center and will make you leap like a lord. Lords do leap quite a bit, and Mt Tam may very well be the reason why.

Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt Tam is arguably the finest example of a triple cream in the United States. It has a rich and buttery flavor with a natural essence of cremini mushrooms, a certain nuttiness from the aging, topped with a delicious lemony finish that pairs ever so wonderfully with your favorite bubbles. It is a festive cheese and it clings to a festive wine. But do not fear pairing with whatever works for you.

In the past few weeks we have enjoyed the cheese with a delicious 2015 Pinot Noir from MacMurray, and more recently with a Malbec. The Malbec had an assist from particularly beautiful and plump blackberries, which were on the sour side but played well into the hands of the wine and cheese combination. The MacMurray pairs well with most anything.   Continue reading

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Review: 2011 Alamos Malbec ‘Seleccion’, Mendoza, Argentina

alamos-seleccion-malbecby Andrew Chalk

A perfect example of why Malbec is so popular with wine drinkers. A fruity aromatic nose, followed by fruit forward flavors of raspberries with hints of lead pencil and cedar. Soft, lush tannin. Long, consistent finish. The more fastidious taster will notice the nose also has black pepper and thyme and the abundant fruit in the mouth does not spoil the wine with over sweetness. Crave Recommended.

MSRP: $20 ($15-$16 at Total Wine & Goody Goody)

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Wine in Town: 2011 Trapiche Malbec ‘Oak Cask’

IMG_1592by Andrew Chalk

Argentina has redefined the consumer perception of Malbec over the last decade. Sales have boomed as consumers discovered Malbec was fruit driven and red meat friendly. A leading winery in that movement has been Trapiche, based in the center of Argentine wine making, Mendoza.

The importer sent me a bottle of the 2011 Malbec ‘Oak Cask’, one of several Malbecs in the Trapiche product line. It spends nine month in a combination of French and American oak. The result of the vinification and ageing is a wine that is ruby in color and clear in clarity. The nose has notes of cedar, wood and coffee. The taste has a perceptible residual sweetness, strawberry fruit flavors and cinnamon.  

Retail price: $10-$12

 

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