Bacon, tire rubber, pine tar and black cherry aromas set the stage for heady black plum, smoked meat and spice flavors. This is a stylish, serious red for the price; it has balance and structure as well as integrity and personality.
— M.S.
(2/1/2007)
Black cherry, citrus peel and a touch of charcoal and grilled meat make for a solid nose. Ripe blackberry and dark plum work the palate, while coffee, licorice and spice grace the firm, grabby, mildly tannic finish.
— M.S.
(12/1/2006)
Creamy and rooty at first, and then smokier and darker as it settles. For young Malbec it displays both a jammy fruit side and an acidic center. So there’s both ripeness and heft but also a piercing sizzle. Perfectly good for parties and less-serious imbibing.
— M.S.
(11/1/2008)
Candied blueberry and syrupy aromas jump from the glass. The palate, however, is tangy and underdeveloped, with herbal, sharp flavors of boysenberry and black raspberry. Not a lot to the finish other than heat and licorice.
— M.S.
(8/1/2011)
Apple cider and caramel on the nose, and that aromatic combo doesn’t stir much interest. Tastes like mulled cider, while the finish is thick with caramel and toffee. A heavy, oily Chardonnay that could use better balance and flavors.
— M.S.
(11/1/2006)
Two vintages ago this wine rated the same, so we can say that improvement and evolution are not evident. This wine is tan in color and heavy, with strange butterscotch aromas that seem foreign and artificial. Forced oak flavors and a resiny mouthfeel are also drawbacks.
— M.S.
(11/1/2008)
Smells like floor polish at first. Gets better with time, but still a weak wine of juicy acids, too much oak, not enough fruit and a grating finish. Does nothing to move the dial forward in terms of Argentine Chardonnay.
— M.S.
(5/1/2011)