Of Flank Steak and Malbec: 2009 Lamadrid Malbec

 Last weekend we opened our final bottle of the month,  Lamadrid's 2009 Malbec from the Argelo region of Argentina.  We opened this bottle to go with a nice flank steak and a great little home-grown side dish.  Like the last Cab I reviewed, this wine was a little lighter than most that we've enjoyed, but thankfully still worked very well with dinner.

The Lamadrid had a great full nose loaded with berries and spice.  This was an exceedingly smooth wine that had great notes of blackberry, raspberry, and cassis at the front of the palate.  As the Malbec progressed more spice made its presence known. The Lamadrid offered a languid finish with supple tannins rounding out this flavorful wine.  While not as full bodied as a most Malbecs, this was not a drawback thanks to the great flavor and easy drinkability of this wine.

We paired the Lamadrid Malbec with a flank steak, which I've really enjoyed cooking because they're so versatile and flavorful.  I paired the flanks steak with some tomatoes and basil from our garden, and topped them off with homemade mozzarella. The whole affair was then drizzled with a chimichurri sauce cobbled together from herbs from the garden.  The steak and Malbec were a perfect pairing with the richness of the flank steak working well with the ripe berry and spice of the wine.  The fruit in the wine cut through the acidic sauce nicely and offered a great counterpoint. 

I picked up the 2009 Lamadrid Malbec at H.E.B. Central Market on one of our trips north last year.  It was $14 at Central Market.  I've seen it occasionally here in Brownsville at the H.E.B. on 802 and Paredes Line.  You can find out more about Lamadrid and their wines at:  http://www.vinodelsol.com/thewineries/lamadrid.html

90+ Cellars Malbec: Big, Bold, & Delicious

First off, thank you Rhiannon Cizon for this great wine.  Pris' employee Rhiannon brought us a bottle of the 90+ Cellars 2009 Malbec for Thanksgiving dinner last year.  We already had our wine selections for the meal made so we set it aside for future consumption.  This last weekend we decided to open it up to pair it with a couple of NY Strips that I grilled up.

This Argentinean offering from the Mendoza region was one of the better wines we've had lately.  The first thing that hit was a nose full of bold dark berries.  On the palate this wine was loaded with smooth layers of blackberry, cherry, and blueberry.  Further down the palate spicy notes emerge to compliment the ripe fruit.  The Malbec had a big full finish mellowed somewhat by supple tannins. 

As stated earlier, the 90+ Cellars Malbec was opened to pair with a couple of steaks.  As usual, rich Argentine wine and beef were a perfect compliment.  This Malbec was well balanced and incredibly smooth.  This wine went great with the steak, but was exceedingly easy to drink all on its own the following night.

From what I can tell from its website, the 90+ Cellars brand similar to the Cameron Hughes in that they take wines from all over the world and bottle them under their own label.  We didn't buy this wine, so I'm not sure what the actual price is, but its listed for under $20 on the internet, and that is a great deal for this fantastic wine.  Its my understanding that Rhi picked up this wine at Feldman's Market Center here in Brownsville, and I'll definitely be looking for it on my next trip there.  For more information on 90+ Cellars' wines you can visit: http://www.ninetypluscellars.com/

Christmas Dinner with Alma Andina

For Christmas Eve I planned out a nice little dinner of prime rib, sautéed asparagus, and mashed potatoes.  Despite a little hiccup with the freshness of the asparagus, the meal turned out well.  To go with our pre-celebration dining Pris selected a bottle of Alma Andina 2010 Malbec-Bonarda blend.  This ripe red from Argentina was a great compliment to this meal and our Christmas meal the following day.

The first thing you notice about the Alma Andina is the deep rich purple color, and immediately after that the ripe nose hits.  Exceptionally ripe blueberries and raspberries with an undercurrent of spice and vanilla assail the nose and give a hint of what was to come on the palate.  Rich raspberry, blackberry, and subtle oak all mingle on the palate.  The wine is full bodied but not overpowering or dry thanks to the blending of the Bonarda with the Malbec. This blend, while full flavored, offered soft tannins for a nice mellow finish that faded easily.

Pris was afraid the wine was going to over power the meal, but thanks to the mellowing effect of the Bonarda grapes this did not happen.  It turned out the wine went quite well with the rime rib and the balsamic vinaigrette I made for the salad.  While this was good to find out, what was really pleasant to discover was how well the wine paired with tamales on Christmas day.  The rich fruit in the wine was a great compliment to the spice and cornmeal in the tamales.  Pairing local foods with wine has generally been a touch difficult, but this is definitely one I would recommend to go with pork, chicken, and bean tamales covered in salsa.

The 2010 Alma Andina Malbec-Bonarda was another selection from the Wall Street Journal Wine Club.  At $12 a bottle its a pretty good everyday wine, even after you factor in the shipping costs.  You can find out more about this wine at: www.wsjwine.com

Bodegas Norton Big Malbec

Friday night Pris and I cracked open a bottle of Bodegas Norton 2007 Reserva Malbec to go with our meal from Gazpachos.  We picked an Argentine wine to go with the chimichurri rich meal.  The Malbec also went well with Pris' birthday meal today.

Norton's Reserva Malbec was a great rich red.  The nose is big, but not overwhelming.  Ripe plum and currant lead the olfactory charge with just a touch of spice.  This Malbec is robust and flavorful with good amounts of sweet raspberry.  The full fruit is mellowed with nice undercurrents of espresso and spice.  Despite this being a big wine, it has supple tannins the allow for  a nice mellow finish.

This big slightly spicy wine went exceedingly well with both our meals.  Of course Pris' birthday meal was flank steak with chimichurri, herbed roasted potatoes, and salad with balsamic vinaigrette.  The sweetness and spiciness were great counterpoints to the sharpness of the chimichurri and salad dressing.  The Norton was as big a hit as the meal.  While Pris and enjoyed the Norton Malbec for its fullness, my parents relished its sweetness.  Of course expect this from a wine ranked number 90 on the top 100 wines of 2010 that also scored  90 points by Wine Spectator.

The Bodegas Norton 2007 Reserva Malbec it a good wine for anytime, but especially for when you're enjoying rich food or tangy vinaigrettes.  We bought the Norton at  H.E.B. for $11.  At this price this wine is a great everyday wine.  You can find out more about Bodegas Norton and their wines at:  http://www.norton.com.ar/

Back to Basics with Alamos Malbec

Even though we loaded up on meals while in San Antonio, I finally broke down and cooked a quick meal last Wednesday.   The prepared meals from Central Market are great, but there's something nice about grilling up your own hunk of beef.  To go with the sirloin we opened up a bottle of Alamos 2009 Malbec.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, you can't go wrong pairing beef and Argentine wine.

The Alamos Malbec is your typical big bold Malbec.  The nose was all dark berry and currant.  While the wine mellowed as it breathed, the bouquet stayed nice and full and bold.  On the palate this Malbec all bold and tannic.  Dark berries and cherries with hints of leather and tobacco flow nicely with each other across the palate.  As the wine goes down the boldness asserts itself.  Towards the mid-palate you start to get a nice touch of spice.  The Malbec finishes strong and full with audacious tannins.

It pretty much goes without saying that the wine and steak went great together.  We got the 2009 Alamos Malbec from our friend Isaac Guerra as an apartment warming gift.  Pris thinks it came from Jones Liquor before that though.  We have a 2010 we picked up, but that one is going to cellar for a bit. For more information about the Alamos Malbec you can visit: http://alamoswines.com/en/