The Cellar: Budget Blended Wines
Friday, October 07, 2011
Ever since the early days of winemaking, vintners have been experimenting with blends. While not always popular with American wine consumers, blends, especially those from such places as Bordeaux and the Rhone, make some of the world’s best and most sought-after wines.
Blending the juice made from two or more grape varietals might sound easy but the truth is that not all varietals go together. Besides from a few places red and white grape varietals are rarely blended together, neither are grapes whose weight, texture or flavors could cause conflict with one another. Everyone knows that Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend well together, but how do you think a Malbec/Syrah blend would taste? Well, you are about to find out. Today’s episode of The Cellar is about alternative blends that not only work, but are great values and under $20.
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2010 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier, California
This week’s fist wine is a very popular white blend from California. It is made from 79% Chenin-Blanc, a versatile medium-bodied varietal known for its honey flavors and 21% Viognier, an aromatic full-bodied varietal that
often produces wines with peach and apricots flavors. Blended together the two varietals produce a smorgasbord of flavors ranging from honeyed tropical fruit to apricot and peach and even hints of apples and pears, all wrapped in a crisp and delicious package. This wine has seen no oak – all the weight and flavors are derived from the grapes. Both the ’09 and ’10 vintage were awarded 90 points from Robert Parker and one can see why.
For those of you who like aromatic and intensely flavored medium-plus bodied white wines that are ever so lightly slightly off-dry (meaning ever so slightly sweet), look for the easy drinking 2010 Chenin-Blanc/Viognier blend from Pine Ridge. This wine has a little bit of everything going on for it (i.e. sweetness/acidity/weight/
This week’s second wine is another Robert Parker favorite. It comes from Argentina and is a blend based on, not surprisingly, Malbec. Sourced from three different family vineyards all located in the Mondoza wine
2009 La Posta Cocina Tinto, Mendoza, Argentina
Malbec is known for producing soft and juicy wines filled with blackberry flavors. Combined with the chocolate and spice notes from the Syrah and the strawberry and raspberry flavors from the Bonarda, this wine is quite the fruit bomb. Wrapped beautifully in an oak frame the 2009 Cocina from La Posta is downright delicious, especially to those of you who normally enjoy full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignons.
Steffen Rasch CSW is ready to answer any wine-related questions, comments or concerns you may have. Feel free to email him at [email protected]. And as always, don’t forget to follow GoLocalProv’s Wine Cellar on Facebook.
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