2008 Sophenia Reserve Chardonnay

Its always a good night when our neighbors, Chris and Dan, stop by to see if we want to join them for dinner. Chris said stop by in about an hour and bring some wine. We are having pork and chicken cutlets with ratatouille as a side.

I looked in the cellar and found this chardonnay. I hadn't had it before, but I thought we'd give it a shot.

The color was a light golden yellow and the aromas were not that pronounced. I smelled some red apples, yeast and maybe a little oak and vanilla.

The flavors were very subdued, but it had good integration of fruit. The apples and maybe mango were well balanced by a little oak. I do not like over oaked wines, but this was well done and the oak played a minor role and did not dominate.

Honestly, there was nothing that really jumped out about this wine other than it was really good. I kept looking for something, but in the end maybe the best compliment you can give is that you wish you had a second bottle to open.

Purchased for $16.99.

2008 Maipe Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2008 Maipe Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautiful deep ruby color.

The aromas when opened smelled very French. Kind of musty and a lot of earth. I really did not get much else and I thought the nose wasn't very pleasant. After about 40 minutes though, things changed. The fruit started to come forward and the earthiness took a supporting role to the cassis and plums and other red fruits. It became very nice.

The immediate flavors when the bottle was opened were closed. Did not like this at all. No fruit. However, just like the aromas...with air this really turned around. The red fruits became pronounced supported by good earthiness. The tannin structure was also very good. It was smooth, but had enough that I think this would age easy for another few years.

If you haven't had Argentine Cabernet give this one a shot...just make sure you open it an hour before you plan on drinking it. The cost was $13.99 and I think it blows away anything domestically in that price range. I think you'd have to pay double to get something comparable from California.

2008 Alta Vista Classic Torrontes

Okay, I'm a couple of days behind on writing, but I have been tasting. I'm also happy to be tasting wines from Argentina this week. The country tends to be export heavy on Malbec, but they also make other varietals very well...cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and torrontes.

Sunday was a beautiful day and our friends Zach and Lindsey invited us to spend the day with them at Zach's parent's pool. We had been drinking beer and cocktails most of the day, but when it was time to put the chicken on the grill we all decided wine would be a better option. Luckily I had been to the store on the way over and had a bottle for the occasion.

Torrontes is a grape native to Argentina and fills that country's need for a light summer-time white. Nothing outrageously complex, but perfect when the temperature gets above 85.

The color of the wine was pale straw. The aromas were very floral with a lot of pear as well.

The taste was light and crisp. Good acidity, but not biting like a sauvignon blanc. The pear components really shine and I thought maybe there was some honeysuckle.

That's enough analysis for this wine. It's $10.99 retail and its fun to drink. I think it should be in your summer rotation...break away from chardonnay and sauvignon blanc and try something new.