Ladies and Gentlemen we are about to be the greatest nation on earth.
2012 is America’s year. With your all-out effort, we are about to create a global power-shift, tilting the decanter towards us and letting the nectar of the gods flow. You see, we are set to become the greatest wine consuming nation on earth… by volume.
So come on, it’s January 10 – time to break that New Year’s resolution and debauch yourself. Let’s all jump off the wagon, get Hammurabi-ed, and make bad decisions together. As your coach and cheer leader I am willing to help, and I don’t come empty handed.
I bring you Malbec.
Yes Malbec, that grape of Argentina that is perfect for this unusually warm winter we are having. Made by Jeff Mausbach this Malbec, TintoNegro, showcases the best of what Malbec can be.
You don’t know Jeff and that’s ok. Working for two decades at Catena Zapata, Argentina’s most renowned winery, he’s got unparalleled experience making great Malbec. Recently striking out on his own TintoNegro is a combination of great Malbec fruit from long term friends and Catena’s storied wine-making techniques.
Grown in Argentina’s premier districts of Lujan de Cuyo and Uco Valley, TintoNegro opens with a wide template of expressive flavors. Lujan de Cuyo brings dark fruit aromas to the wine – black cherry, over-ripe blackberry and a savory lingering note of freshly roasted coffee. Uco Valley is higher, with a greater daytime temperature swing, and this preserves the freshness of the wine, giving a gentle aromatic lift to all of Cuyo’s dark fruit aromas, drawing in strawberry like overtones.
Jeff then uses a slow, cool fermentation combined with gentle pump-overs of the juice to eliminate bitter harsh tannins and leaving an opulent, soft texture. The result is a wine whose finish lingers with flavors of chocolate, caramel and hints of graphite. While it drinks beautifully now, it will age at least five more years in your cellar.
But I don’t want you to wait five years to drink this. Like Army posters of yore, America Wants You to pound as much of this as you can, and straight away. This is no time for excuses. There’s no “I” in team and you’re not a punter: get out your glass, get off the wagon, and figure out what is under the table.
Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country – let’s make 2012 a great year for America – with Tinto Negro Malbec!
2010 TintoNegro Malbec
Suggested List Price: $12.99
Sale Price: $7.99
And what Malbec is made better by an awesome burger?
Buffalo, Blue Cheese, Walnut, and Pear Burgers
We will be tasting this wine Friday along with a selection of five other wines. Stop in and join us!
All orders must be secured with a name, credit card number, and phone number. All orders will be available at the time of purchase.
When the wine is ordered your credit card will be charged. The wine will be held in climate controlled conditions until you are ready to pick it up, free of charge. Offer is good while supplies last.
Ben Christiansen wrote this article and Tim Hansen edited it.
Bottled tag: dark, robustly fruited Malbec. Serve with boldly flavored red meat. Drink now until 2017.
Notes From the Cellar: In 2009 Waterford wine took you “back into the black” with Maipe Malbec and allusions to AC/DC. We’re still fans of AC/DC as well as Maipe. If you still have any of the 2007 Maipe Malbec you are in for a treat: on the nose aromas of raisin, fig, mocha, bittersweet chocolate mix with a touch of black pepper. Nicely evolved, smelling harmonious, nothing out of place, nothing coarse. What a prize to find in the cellar! Palate is much brighter fruit than expected, much more cherry than fig. Lively finish, a touch of lingering tannins. What a delight!
