Price: $10.00
Varietal: 76% Zinfandel, 9% Carignane, 8% Petite Sirah, 7% Mixed Blacks
Region: California
Website: www.ravenswood-wine.com
Tad’s Rating: 
Like it
Patrick’s Rating: Like it
Animation Station: www.animationstation.info
Crash! Bang! Pow!: www.crashbangpow.com
These are 3 of the best wines I have sampled in 2010! Anyone who doesn’t think Malbec can make a worldclass wine think again.
Visit their website: www.achaval-ferrer.com/
2004 Achaval-Ferrer Malbec Finca Mirador – Argentina, Mendoza (2/25/2010)
Dark purple. Very elegant nose with coffee, cranberries, boysenberries, and spices. On the palate this has come around on day 2 with coffee, boysenberries, raspberries, minerals and a vary of spices. Medium finish and balanced. On the finish a nice pepper quality is revealed. Great wine! (94 pts.)
2004 Achaval-Ferrer Malbec Finca Altamira – Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco, La Consulta (3/2/2010)
Decanted 2 hours. Dark purple. Nose is amazing with floral, blueberries, perfume, and subtle spices. The palate is showing blueberries, spices, floral and earth. Medium finish and this wine is extremely balanced. This is the best South American Wine I have ever tasted! Thank you Parker Board for the $40 a bottle price!!!!! (96 pts.)
2006 Achaval-Ferrer Malbec Finca Altamira - Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco, La Consulta (1/30/2010)
Dark purple. Nose was amazing with floral, blackberry, coffee beans, blueberries. A chewy wine with amazing structure. The palate had an array of flavors featuring floral, blackberries, coffee beans, dust and cherries. Long concentrated finish and drinking really well right now. This is the best Malbec I have tasted to date. (95 pts.)
In this episode Patrick and I discuss one of our favorite wines, and a wine that has become known as “America’s wine:” Zinfandel.
One thing many wine drinkers do not do is really look at a young wines ability to transform over the course of a few days. The 2004 Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Quet was not a good wine on day one or two but really opened up for business on day three and four. Had I drank the bottle on the in first couple of days I would have not been a buyer of the wine, but seeing the potential I will buy a few more and cellar for five plus years.
Region: France > Rhône > Southern Rhône > Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Color: Medium color
Date Tasted: 2/19/2010
Nose: Spice, raspberries, and earth
Taste: On the palate spice, leather, spice, and some sweet fruit
Finish: Finish is really disappointing
Evaluation: I hope this improves the next day (88 pts.)
Date Tasted: 2/20/2010
Nose: Tar, leather, spices, and floral
Taste: Palate shows heavy spices which throw off the wines overall balance
Finish: Medium finish
Evaluation: Really not my style. It is better then day one (88 pts.)
Date Tasted: 2/22/2010
Nose: Aromas of white pepper, garrique, spices, raspberries and truffles
Taste: On the palate dirt, spices, garrique, pepper, raspberries and leather
Finish: Medium finish that is much less tannic then day one
Evaluation: The wine has really opened up and I really like the wine. I am always amazed and the transformation of good wine. (92 pts.)
Have fun experimenting with wine!
Cheers,
John Glas
Wineglas
Today we step out of our comfort zone and sample a Chardonnay, but not your standard Chardonnay, an unoaked Chardonnay.
Price: $13.00
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Region: California > Mendocino County
Website: www.toadhollow.com
Tad’s Rating: 
Drinkable
Patrick’s Rating: Drinkable
Unoaked Chardonnay: www.unoakedchardonnay.com
Animation Station: www.animationstation.info
Crash! Bang! Pow!: www.crashbangpow.com
