~$US10, 100% Tempranillo, Argentina

I’ve been feeling the need to expand the old palate and try more wines from the Southern Hemisphere - looking for oddball wines that represent good value and aren’t overtly spoofalated. At first glance, this could easily be mistaken for a Spanish Tempranillo - but alas, it’s from Argentina, the land of Beef, Malbec and Torrontes. And priced at under $10, it had my attention.

In the glass, the La Linda was a crazy dark magenta, with a decent level of transparency, which was an auspicious sign that maybe this wasn’t overly extracted and jammed. The nose was definitely a fruit fest - a glass full of berries with dash of vanilla. Decadent, it smelled like it could be heading the wrong direction, but the palate really pulled this wine into a good place. A punchy acidity and an intriguing bittersweet tang on the back-end really surprised me. It was more medium-bodied and leaner than the nose let on, which gave it a refreshing quality - one to enjoy with food (pork?) or on it’s own. Beyond the fruit some cedar and pepper-spice added dimension. Curious cool. A slight edge of stiff tannins packaged the whole deal quickly but nicely.

Overall, a great change-of-pace-weeknight red or party wine. It didn’t bring too much oak, extraction, single-dimensionality, or the funk as some cheaper Spanish Tempranillos can - instead showed a clean balance of sexy fruit, an elegant palate, and slightly off-beat swagger that made it a joy to toss back another glass.

~$16US, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza, Argentina

I’ve been on an Olde World tear lately, and wanted to see what I’d been missing. We fired up a big rib steak, some sweet potato fries and popped this Cabernet, crafted by Napa Valley guru Paul Hobbs in Mendoza.

Dang. This is a huge, juicy, polished and decadent wine. Pure pleasure. Berry assault - cherries, sweet ripe blueberries exploding. Mocha and vanilla, some spicy clove and cinnamon. Rich and ripe and bringing some alcoholic heat and more than a little oak. Nice touch of bitterness to keep this from getting cloying in the finish. The bottle must have had a hole in the bottom, it emptied so quickly. Simply delicious - this is a great value compared to what $40+ buys you in Napa, and is nothing Old World fans should be ashamed to try and enjoy.

~$15US   40% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 20% Syrah, Mendoza, Argentina

This didn’t live up to the hype (Michel Rolland at the helm here, the controversial Bordeaux-magician), at least to my palate. Initially, a mix of black fruits backed by overt wood and rough-as-sandpaper tannins.  After hours of decanting and tasting, the fruit faded but the oak and tannins remained. There seemed to be good potential on the initial tastes, but after time, the wine became more disjointed, awkward, and stiff. Perhaps it will age more gracefully in bottle than it did in the decanter, but for me, this is a major pass.

~$15-20US 100% Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina
Color: Rich Purple
Nose: Wild berries, sage, shawarma spice, sumac
Palate: Explosive and powerful, tremendous balance of big fruit and clean acidity, sweetness and meatiness (lamb?).
Finish: Apple cider tartness, medium length, grape Lik-M-Aid

Wow - this is one exciting wine. Stylistically fruit forward, but the fruit was surrounded by a baroque assortment of spices, herbs, and second- and third-tier aromatics. A dichotomy - sweet and tart, candied and earthy, familiar and exotic. No tannins to speak of  - the acid playing a much more important role in the framework and overall structure - making this a  versatile food-wine. I’d love to try it alongside middle-eastern fair.