Wine Club 58: Argentina & A Happy Accident

Date: November 14th, 2013
Host: Kim
Served: Cheesy rye toasts appetizer, grilled flank steak with chimichurri, chickpea salad with parmesan and herbs, grilled scallions

Terra Rosa Malbec 2010 (Mendoza, Argentina) 14.5% alcohol, $12 at Waterford

Kim says (19): Skip the bleu cheese crust or bearnaise sauce... do it the Argentinian way and top your steak with chimichurri, a sauce basically consisting of olive oil, vinegar and parsley. Add in whatever herbs might strike your fancy (garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, a spritz of lime juice) and you have a light and healthy alternative! And Christine really set the stage with this wine, which went great with the meal- a very deep color with vibrant edges. Aroma of jam but not sweet... maybe cranberries and cinnamon? Slightly thin body but perfect tannins! Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

Christine says (16.5): Very deep purple color. Smelled like peppercorns, jammy fruit, blueberry poptart. Taste of acid, tannins, sous bois and black fruit. Medium-long finish. Still, tasted a bit thin and you definitely get the alcohol. I liked it better than the 2011 TintoNegro I brought last time.

Andrea says (17): A dark burgandy color, almost opaque but more clear on the edges. Smelled of blackberry, cherry, chocolate, brown sugar and alcohol when it was swirled. The first thing I noticed about the wine was the tannins. It really coated my tongue and stuck to my palette. It had nice acid and was more tart than I had expected from the smell.  Very rich flavor, with blackberry and cranberry flavors. Good, I would drink it again. I liked it with the steak.


Domaine Jean Royer Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2011 (France) 15.5% alcohol, $27 on sale at Waterford

Kim says (17): Christine calls her reaction, "initial shock." If I were her, I think I would have cried. Upon finding out that she had accidentally uncorked a $40+ bottle of wine that she was very much looking forward to trying several years from now, she quickly recovered and we were all able to benefit from the mix up. This wine was a very elegant color, smelled of cocoa and had a complex finish... but that might have just been alcohol. Both of these wines went great with the steak!

Christine says (18.5): After I got over the initial shock that when I stopped at home to pick up wine for Kim's, I had grabbed this wine instead of the less-expensive Côtes du Rhône I'd planned to bring, it was time to just relax and enjoy it. The wine was ruby, with garnet edges. Smelled like fruit: cherry, raspberry, plus cocoa and cedary spice. A warm smell. Big taste! Well balanced, evergreeny (like wintergreen) and a long finish with fruit in the finish. It was really good. I probably would've shared the bottle with my same BFFs anyhow...I just planned to do it in about 3 years. Luckily, Waterford still had the wine on sale, so I was able to buy a replacement. It was very good with the meal: will definitely serve the second bottle with steak.

Andrea says (18): Poor Christine, I was sick when she realized she'd grabbed the wrong wine. But the wine was delicious and went great with the steak. I was glad to hear she was able to procure another bottle. This wine had more of a brick red or blood color, and more transparent than the first wine. The smell was very rich and subtle - Chocolate, dusty, minerals and anise. After swirled I could smell alcohol, licorice, raspberry and jam. The first thing I noticed when I tasted it was the nice body. Smooth, rich, sweeter than expected, tasted like strawberry! Again, great with the steak.