Burnet Ridge Purple Trillium 2006

This Ohio made wine is a wonderful mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. It's a spicy little red that has obvious red currant and cedar tones. The spice hits you as you swallow and, unlike some wines that disappear right away, this wine lingers on the back of your tongue as the bite slowly dissipates. All of these factors make it complex and delightful, especially when you find that it is being produced right in the middle of the country.

Burnet Ridge is a winery located near Cincinnati, Ohio and is a product of many years of wine-perfecting by owner Chip Emmerich. His wines are aged in mostly new American oak from the Ozarks in Southwestern Missouri.

I like this wine and would drink it often, though at around $26 a bottle, I'll just have to enjoy this bottle for as long as I can.

Tenuta di Trinoro Le Cupule 2005

This Italian red is a fruity, smooth wine with (according to Anthony) very light tannis that start the front of your tongue and slowly recede down the center. Hints of dark cherry, black raspberries and currants linger. My very uneducated pallet just thought it was smooth, not too spicy, not very tannon-y, but flavorful, and would go very well with the rest of the flourless chocolate torte he brought home for me. :)

Le Cupule is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cesanese, and Uva di Troia. I was familiar with the first 3 but had never heard of the others - so I did a little research. According to Wikipedia :), Petit Verdot is a red wine grape that is often used to add small amounts of tannin, colour, and flavour to a blend - probably making it responsible for the very slight bite in this wine? The Cesanese grape is grown primarily in the Lazio region of Italy and is of very old origin, many believing it can be traced back to Roman times (kind of cool!). And the Uva di Troia is from the Puglia region of Italy and is likely named after the town of Troia - founded by the Greek Diomedes!

Another thing I thought was interesting about this wine is that it is aged for 12 months in French barriques and then for 10 months in cement. I was like cement? I'm not sure how I feel about that. To which Anthony pointed out that the Roman's used cement to ferment wine 2000 years ago. Apparently, wine that spends some of its time in cement seems to come out more crisp and clean with clear undertones.

If you can find a bottle, they seem to run around $30. We just finished Anthony's last one. :( 

Llama Malbec 2008

Wow. It's been a year since I last posted to this blog. Ahh, how I've missed it. It's definitely time to get back. And this Malbec seems like a great start.

I was very surprised to realize that I've never written about a Malbec before. Maybe it's because I can never quite decide how I feel about them. My father seems to prefer the Argentine Malbec's, of which this is one, and I do think he'd enjoy this bottle.

Malbec is a thin-skinned grape, which needs more sun and heat than other varieties. It is described as having a plum-like flavor and its intensity and color makes it ideal for combining with Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. Though originally grown in France, Malbec is now becoming very popular as an Argentine varietal.

This Llama Malbec 2008 is from the Mendoza region of Argentina, which is supposed to produce something like 60% of Argentina's wines. What I thought was interesting about this wine is that the grapes are grown at the base of the Aconcagua mountains, which means pollution-free air, with clean, melting snow for irrigation, and it is also harvested by hand.  Even more interesting is that apparently the Argentine Malbecs are "unfiltered and unstabilized in the traditional artisan style to preserve subtle aromas and flavors, while promoting richness, body and color." I'm always interested in trying wines that are created in the old ways.

As far as the flavor goes, it is tannon-y, and plumy, and a little spicy, though not overly so. I did like that it doesn't linger in your mouth, but leaves it crisp and clean. And I suppose my now empty glass speaks for itself!

It ranges around $16/bottle, so not too bad. Anthony also brought home a bottle of the San Polo Mozzopane Sant' Antimo. Yum! His guests bring him the best stuff!