March 24th, 2009 by Jeff

Region:

Mendoza, Argentina

Blend:

• 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
• 50% Cab Franc
• 15% Merlot
• 5% Petit Verdot.

Nose:

There is nothing particularly interesting about the nose…it was kind of shy.

Palette:

This wine is huge in the mouth.  Tannins are present but very round and soft.  Plummy rich fruit, vanilla, and a velvety soft mid-palette.  The finish is surprisingly short for what I was expecting in a wine of this pedigree.  There is not exactly any “waves of flavor.”

Synopsis:

I opened this wine and poured it into a glass at 9:00AM and let it sit until 12:30PM per the wine rep’s instructions.   It really didn’t do much for me.   I then left some for the next evening.  It seemed to have a dryer texture, the spice started to show a little, and the complexity improved…but nothing mind-blowing.  In truth, it turned out to be a huge disappointment.  This wine retails for about $35 and I expected a lot more “value” from a wine from Argentina.

I think the wine rep was anticipating a great review, and I was expecting something pretty impressive.  But  frankly, I’m shocked by the price of this good, but far from great wine.

One positive comment:  the empty bottle weighs about 3lbs….really good glass!

The Som Rating: 5/10 Scarlett Johansson Heads