W and I got married at the end of June! These are the awesome wines we served at the reception at Park Tavern – Halls of Fine Wines in Inman Park carries some of the Valdivieso wines, as well as Hop City Beer & Wine in West Midtown. Of course, your favorite wine shop could easily order them for you if you don’t want to track them down.

Valdivieso Extra Brut Champenoise Sparkling Wine, Chardonnay, 2008 Malbec

Their sparkling wine is made in the style of Champagne – toasty, yeasty, and absolutely delicious with a billion tiny bubbles! Their Chardonnay is not oaky and not buttery, just the way a good white wine should be – with the perfect amount of acid for a refreshing taste. And their Malbec… YUM! Seriously, get a case of their Malbec. It’s insanely fabulous. They have a broad variety of wines in almost every type of grape, as well as reserve labels and single vineyard labels.

Origin: Lontue Valley, Curico Valley, Chile
Next time: Get a case!

Estampa 2008 Sauv Blanc/Chard/Viognier Reserve

This wine was so yummy – the absolute perfect summer wine! This is what I drank throughout the wedding reception, in case I had any spills (you have to watch out for slightly spastic, potentially drunk huggers!). Estampa also has a delightful Carmenere Reserve (2007 vintage, blended with Cab Sauv and Cab Franc), which we didn’t serve since we already had a Malbec… but their Carmenere is one of my new favorites. It’s spurred a recent Carmenere-buying and tasting craze at my house lately – results on that soon now that I’m back to catching up on my wine blogging. Like Valdivieso, this winery also has several collections – Gold, Reserve, and Estate with lots of varietals in each line. And, they get an A+ on a really well-done English version of their website – very savvy and beautiful photos!

Origin: Colchagua Valley, Chile
Next time: Get a case!

Santa Chiara Pinot Grigio

Unfortunately, I can’t find any information about this wine online, except that it is from the Veneto region of Italy. I know it’s less than $20 retail, definitely. Good luck finding this one… If you do, get a bottle, it’s great!
Catalpa Pinot Noir

This Pinot Noir was good but I’d like to taste it again after these few months. I’m doubtful this would be a new favorite Pinot. But it was definitely tasty.

Origin: Mendoza, Argentina
Price: Approx. $12
Next time: Get a glass!

The 2008 Valle de la Puerta Torrontes shows my eagerness for springtime! I enjoy white wines during the winter with specific dishes, but I really love them only in the summer when it’s warm outside and a white wine is just so refreshing.

The La Puerta Torrontes is a delicious light-medium bodied white wine with great apricot and peachy flavors. The sweet fruit flavors are prominent, so you won’t be bothered by too much acidity or alcohol. This wine went really well with the fried, battered scallops we had as an appetizer, although I prefer grilled scallops.

Check out their website if you want to see some of the gorgeous photos of the vineyards. These grapes are grown in the Famatina Valley, which sites between two mountain ranges of the Andes, so the valley is surrounded by these beautiful mountains every way you turn. The photos are spectacular.

Origin: Famatina Valley, Argentina
Where: Muss & Turner’s
Price:$6.50 glass/$20 bottle restaurant; probably around $9-$11 retail
Next time: Get a glass!

This Finca el Origen Reserva Malbec was another star of our Superbowl Party. Not so much a wine for appetizers, this wine paired well with the turkey and veggie chilis. Bold oak, subtle tannins and fruit make this Argentinian Malbec a delicious beauty thanks to winemaker Gonzalo Bertelsen.

Check out their website, too – There’s some great information there as well as some amazing photos of the vineyards. I learned that portions of the Andes Mountains, including the location of these vineyards, was under water at one point during the formation of the continents. As such, there are a plethora of fossils to be found, particularly ammonite, a now extinct marine creature related to today’s octopus and squid. It is the shell of the ammonite creatures that inspired the beautiful spiraled logo that decorates this beautiful wine.

This winery produces a wide range of varietals, ones that I’m eager to taste after enjoying this Malbec Reserve. Keep an eye out for their Chardonnay, Viognier, Cab Sauv, Malbec, Syrah, Cab Reserve, and Malbec Grand Reserve. I’m definitely going to look out for their Cabs and Malbec Grand Reserve. It would be a fun taste test to try their Malbec, Reserve, and Grand Reserve against each other.

Interestingly enough, I’d tasted this wine before at a BBQ pairing tasting — and didn’t love this wine! I guess it’s just an example of how your opinion of a wine can vary based on the situation and tasting environment – what food it’s paired with, temperature at which the wine is served, your mood, etc.

Origin: Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $11
Next time: Get a glass!

To tag along with my Fave Red Wines of 2009, here are my star whites from this past year:

• Man Vintners Chenin Blanc – $9
• Minini Orvieto – $9
• Le Chat Rouge Chardonnay – $11
• Starborough Sauvignon Blanc – $12ish?
• Luna Argenta Prosecco (bubbly) – $12
• Kiona Vineyards Riesling – $12
• Cavas Hill Brut Rose Reserva Artesania Cava (bubbly) – $12
• Borgo Boschetto Pinot Grigio – $13
• Terra Antiga Vinho Verde – $13
• Pascual Toso “Toso” Brut (bubbly) – $13
• 071 Prosecco Veneto (bubbly) – $14
• Villa Cornaro Prosecco – $14 (this is the bubbly that went with Wyatt’s marriage proposal!)
• Fonty’s Pool Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon – $14
• Fonty’s Pool Chardonnay – $16
• Holly’s Garden Pinot Gris – $20
• Wolf Mountain Vineyards Plenitude Chardonnay-Viognier blend – $20
• Wolf Mountain Blanc de Blanc Brut (bubbly) – $25

Now that we’re a couple of months into 2010, I took a look back at the wines I tried in 2009 and present to you my list of Favorite Red Wines of 2009! Fave 2009 Whites coming soon!

• Pine & Post Cab Sauv – $9
• Simonnet-Febvre Pinot Noir – ~ $10
• Finca el Origen Malbec – $11
• Lucky Star Pinot Noir - $9
• Mark West Sonoma County Pinot Noir – $12
• Memo Montepulciano – $11
• Morande Pionero Pinot Noir – $10
• Spellbound Petite Syrah – $13
• Alexander Valley Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir – $?
• Angeline Russian River Valley Pinot Noir – $14
• Oyster Bay Pinot Noir – $15
• G5 Puerta Bonita Garnacha – $15
• Eos Estate Zinfandel and Petite Syrah – $15ish? and $16
• Bliss Cab Sauv – $15
• Chateau Fantin Bordeaux Superioeur – $16
• Big Fire Pinot Noir – $18
• Poppy Pinot Noir – $16
• Rivola Sardon de Duero Cab Sauv – $17
• Vina Robles Cav Sauv – ~ $18
• Le Signal Domaine Ligneres Carignan – $19
• Murphy-Goode Cab Sauv – $20
• Wirra Wirra Church Block Cab Sauv – $20
• Chateau Robin Cotes De Castillion – $22
• Louis M. Martini Cab Sauv – $15-$20
• L’Oustal Blanc Minervois – $21
• Twenty Rows Cab Sauv – $23
• Oberon Cab Sauv – $24
• Molnar Family Pinot Noir – $26
• Douglas Green Shiraz Reserve – $20ish?
• Obsidian Ridge Cab Sauv – $29
• Patricia Green Pinot Noir – $30
• Hartford Zinfandel – $30
• Chateau Rollan de By Medoc – $30
• Louis Latour Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot Noir – $??
• Anne Amie Pinot Noir – $??

W and I went to the weekly Muss & Turner’s wine tasting last week. Great theme – Big Burly BBQ Reds just in time for July 4th!

Here’s the lineup along with tasting notes provided at the tasting:

2008 Punto Final Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

Punto Final’s 100% Malbec comes from vines more than 50 years old whose production is less than 8 tons per acre, resulting in concentrated and flavorful fruit. This wine is untiltered in order to preserve its distinct varietal’s qualities.

Next time: Get a glass if you like middle-of-the-road Cabs and Merlots

2007 Pas A Paso, La Mancha, Spain

The Paso a Paso Tinto is 100% Tempranillo source from vineyards averaging 40 years of age. The color is a saturated purple with fragrant aromas of mineral, scorched earth, and blackberry. The wine has a big core of fruit with enough structure to evolve for many years.

Next time: I’ll pass. I’ve learned after many tasting that Tempranillo is not for me… nor was it for the other four people sharing our communal table. Just too saturated and tannic.

2006 Sierra Cantabria, Rioja, Spain

Almost all Tempranillo from Rioja. Darkly colored, the aromas are of plum, candied violet, and raspberry. It’s very generous with its flavors of plum, raspberry, red cherry, and wood smoke (from barrel aging). The Sierra Cantabria folks produce a bit more of a new world style Rioja in that it is supple and easy to drink.

Next time: I’ll pass. I very much disagree with the notes saying this wine is “easy to drink.” Again, being Tempranillo, it’s very saturated and very tannic.

2006 Clos La Chance Zinfandel, Central Coast, CA

Sweet raspberries on the nose, ripe plums and figs, along with a cinnamon spice. Dried cherries and raspberries on the palate, hints of cocoa and rosemary. The finish is long and smooth, and there is a touch of vanilla at the very end, from the oak ageing.

Next time: Get a case! A bit on the lighter side for a Zinfandel but this was fantastic! At a restaurant, expect to pay $9.50 per glass, or $36 per bottle. What a steal! If you like this one, you’ll also like Eos Estate Winery Zinfandel… more on that below (and see picture above).

2006 Juan Gil Monastrell, Jumilla, Spain

It has a very dark cherry colour with purple tones. In the nose, it has powerful aromas of red berries, toasted and smoked notes from their ageing in the oak barrels. It has good structure with ripe and sweet tannins. In the mouth, it is very long and with a perfect balance between fruit, alcohol, and the oak tones, which make it very pleasant and easy to drink.

Next time: Get a case! Seriously fabulous! Like the Clos La Chance Zinfandel above, the price is great – expect $9.50 per glass or $36 per bottle at a restaurant… when I find it retail, I’ll comment back.

This next one wasn’t part of the tasting, but Ryan recommended it based on the popularity of the Clos La Chance Zinfandel. The 2007 Eos Estate Winery Zinfandel was excellent with our meal after the wine tasting. It was absolutely perfect – striking a great middle ground of very flavorful but without knocking you down with tannins and fruit concentration. Eos is located in Paso Robles, CA, about midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles east of the coast.

Notes from their website:

Nose: The 2007 Zinfandel aromas fill the senses with the fruit of plum and dark berry pie with graham cracker crust.
Mouth: The aromas carry over onto the palate and are balanced by the acidic fruits of black cherry, raspberry and strawberry.
Finish: This wine finishes out with floral aromatics, subtle hints of oak, dry dusty earth, fresh tobacco that lingers and spices of white pepper and sage.

Next time: Get a case! Or split a case with this and the Clos La Chance Zinfandel!

Tonight’s “Summer Champagne Extravaganza” with Food 101 Morningside and Highland Wine & Crystal was so fascinating. It was really fun to try a variety of “bubblies” – sparkling wines, champgnes, proseccos, etc. and see which ones stood out as favorites. I’ll be the first to admit that I have tasted very little in this category and none of it has been anything I’d be comfortable ordering or suggesting to other people. So I admit I am almost as close to a champagne-sparkling wine newbie as you can get. One more disclaimer – I was tasting the bubblies on their own, not paired with anything, so that might make a big impact on any final decisions. With that said, here’s my (very initial) verdict.

The tasting started with the light and sweet to heavy and dry.

NV Marquis De La Tour Brut Loire France – this first tasting was one of my top 5 favorites. It was lightly sweet, not too dry and just overall very enjoyable.

NV Louis Pedrier Rose Cote D’Or Burgundy France – compared to the first one, this wine was drier than I expected. Not bad, but I still preferred the first one.

NV Torley Grande Cuvee Hungary - Wasn’t a big fan of this one. Not really sure why…

Parxet Cava Brut Cuvee 21 Spain – Another favorite!

NV Novecento Extra Brut Argentina – Another favorite!

NV Gratien & Meyer Brut Rose Saumur France – very nice, light and sweet with nice fruit (wow… I’m realizing I’m really bad at describing the differences between most of the champagnes I like.. they’re similar but they weren’t all the same… okay, gotta work on descriptions in the future!)

NV Villa Cornaro Prosecco – AWESOME!

071 Prosecco Veneto Italy – AWESOME!

NV Jeio Bisol Prosecco Brut Italy - AWESOME! and less sweet than the first two proseccos

2004 Gruet Blanc de Blancs New Mexico – a firm and solid dislike for this one. Smelled like fermented honey… think middle ages, mead.

NV Taltarni Brut Tache Victoria Australia – TOP FAVORITE OF THIS TASTING!

NV Maxim’s Brut Chigny Les Roses Champagne - Wasn’t a big fan of this one… this will become a trend… liked almost all proseccos but hardly any of the champagnes. I’m eager to discovery why I disliked champagnes… was it just the lack of food or a very beginner palate? To be determined!

NV Beaumount Crayere Brut Epernay Champagne – Just okay…

NV Mandois Brut Origine Epernay Champagne – Nope…

NV Beaumont Brut Rose Epernay Champagne – Very nice! One of the few champagnes in positive territory for me!

NV Mandois Brut Nature Epernay Champagne – Nope…

2002 Mandois 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs Epernay Champagne – Nope…

NV Maxim’s Rose Chigny Les Roses Champagne – Yes!

NV Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut Salon Sur Champagne – The driest of the bunch and apparently a stellar wine according to those in the know. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan. We’ll see if that changes over time.