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Store Check: Joe’s Wines & Liquor, Memphis, TN

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

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A family event brought us through Memphis, Tennessee one recent weekend, and a group dinner at Felicia Suzanne called for one special bottle of Malbec. But where to buy?

Quench, across from the Peabody Hotel, had a couple of decent mid-range Argentine reds, but nothing to write home about. A phone call to another recommended store, The Corkscrew, revealed little more than the same.

Time to consult Yelp, which revealed Joe’s Wines & Liquor, 10 minutes away in Midtown. A phone call quickly revealed this store was worth a visit.

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First of all, you have to love the retro Sputnik signage – your first clue this place is a cut above. And the Argentine red selection was very nice. While including the usual suspects like Achaval Ferrer Malbec, the always-delicious Luigi Bosca D.O.C., and Catena Alta, this proved the perfect place to explore the Terroir Series from Traphiche. These wines are designed to showcase very specific microclimates and soil.

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Our choice was the Robert Parker 94-rated Trapiche Terroir Series Finca Ambrosia, 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) which sources from Gualtallary. It was a big, bold and powerful New World red that demanded a good steak and at least a half hour of decanting. Honestly, I still found it opening up almost an hour after the cork came out.

At dinner, the wine accomplished its goal – which was to share with new friends the incredible artistry, story, taste and value of today’s Argentine malbecs. We can’t wait to try another bottle in the Terroir Series.

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Oh, and back to Joe’s. They have a super-friendly, knowledgable staff who is eager to share what they learned, and for you beer drinkers out there, a fantastic growler station which sells growlers as well as customized cans of draft with their own distinctive labels. I would characterize the wine prices as $3-5 higher than you might find at a Costco, but the convenience and expertise make Joe’s a very worthwhile visit indeed.

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95 Points! A huge score for an affordable Malbec.

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Congratulations to Tapiz for scoring an extremely impressive 95 points from James Suckling for their 2013 Alta Collection Malbec.

Tapiz used to be a great place to eat lunch in Mendoza, but not a place you would detour to for the wine. But new winemakers and a motivated team have clearly led to something special here.

Tapiz Alta Collection is widely distributed in the States, and you can often find it under $20. I would grab a bottle of this quick, before the score inflates the price. Check with Costco, who often has had this in stock.

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Puramun Reserva 2012

3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5)

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Many thanks to Vino del Sol (one of our favorite US importers) for hosting a “Surprise Argentina Tasting” tonight at the Western Market in Birmingham, AL – one of the best places to buy wines in that city.

They featured some of the excellent low-priced single vineyard wines from Bodegas Lamadrid ($14-17 ), as well as Altocedro Reserva ($38). But for us the sweet spot of the evening was the wine you see here.

Puramun Reserva ($25) comes from the Uco Valley and is the personal project from Pepe Galante, who was the chief winemaker at Catena Zapata from 1976 to 2010. So you can definitely say he has some experience with premium Argentine reds. The 100% malbec is aged for 12 months in 50% new oak and 50% second-use French oak.

Puramun means “harvest” in Mapuche, and Galante chose to have a maze (redrawn in a different shape every year) on each label, to symbolize that getting the best out of each year’s vintage is a constant challenge.

How does it taste? It’s a big, New World red, to be sure. Let’s just say it wouldn’t be Neal Martin’s cup of tea. Wine Enthusiast’s Michael Schachner gave this wine a lowly 87… he found it not as expansive as he would have liked, but I disagree – I think that score is too low – I quite enjoyed it and would drink it again. Wine Spectator gave this bottle a 90 – and I think that’s more in the ball park. That review shows a price of $39, but it was $25 at tonight’s tasting as well as online.

At that price, it’s a good bottle to take home with your next ribeye.

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Altocedro La Consulta Select Blend 2012

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

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The Uco Valley is the new frontier of Argentine winemaking, where some of the most exciting experiments are taking place. There has been much investment by domestic and foreign winemakers, and those bets are paying off. And Tiny La Consulta, which sits in the shadow of Volcano San Jose, is one of the most heralded wine growing regions in the Uco Valley right now.

So when we came across this $16.99 bottle at the Western Market in Mountain Brook, AL, one of the better wine sellers in the region, we had to check it out.

I’ve been fascinated by Argentine red blends lately. They add complexity to an already wonderful Malbec grape, and this one adds to the argument to try a blend. And a wine from this well-regarded region seemed like it would have promise.

Altocedro La Consulta Select is a blend of 42% Malbec, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Tempranillo and 9% Syrah, with restrained fruit and really nice complexity for the price.

Try it; you’ll like it.

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Great value malbec from a storied winemaker at Costco

2010 Flechas de Los Andes Gran Malbec

3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5)

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Anyone who’s enjoyed a few bottles of Argentine wine with me knows that one of my all time favorites is the Flechas de Los Andes (Arrow of the Andes) Gran Corte 2006, with a Robert Parker rating of 94. Upon opening wine is strikingly full-bodied and somewhat tannic, but after a few minutes of air it bursts with complex aromas and flavors. I liked it so much, I bought up the entire US supply!

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Flechas is part of Clos de Los Siete, a group of seven winemaking partners who all share family and business ties to superstar French consulting winemaker Michel Rolland. Five different vineyards at the foot of the Andes produce distinct brands at different price levels. Together, they have been described by WineAccess as “the most ambitious (and possibly most expensive) wine making operation on the planet.”

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So I naturally got curious when I saw another bottle from the same winemaker in my local Costco at the crazy low price of $11.99.

This is the Flechas de Los Andes Gran Malbec. Unlike the Gran Corte, which is a Malbec/Syrah/Merlot blend aged for 17 months in new French oak, the Gran Malbec is 100% Malbec grape and it’s aged for 14 months. So, a less complex wine, but it shares a lot of the same grapes and lineage.

The release price was $22. For some reason, people weren’t willing to go there. (Maybe it’s because the wine has a slightly musty scent upon first opening.) So while the Gran Malbec had an impressive Robert Parker rating of 92, it didn’t take the market by storm.

Enter Costco, the largest purchaser of fine wine in the U.S.: “How much for all those bottles you’ve got there, taking up space?” Apparently the folks at Cos de Los Siete were ready to deal. So I brought a bottle home.

It’s not as magic as the Gran Corte, to be sure. But five minutes after pouring, it’s pretty darn tasty. If you’re drinking Alamos, Cupcake, The Show, or other cheap South American reds, buy a bottle of this instead. I think you’ll like it.

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Store Check: Sherlock’s Wine Merchants, Atlanta, GA

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

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I can’t believe I’ve passed this place so many times without checking it out. Sherlock’s is the wine retailing offshoot of the Cook’s Warehouse gourmet stores.

Wow. Very knowledgable sales staff and really interesting, well curated choices.

However: expect to pay about 15% above discount prices for all this expertise. They sell the top of the line wine from Bodega TeHo at $71. (As noted in yesterday’s Store Check, the nearby Costco retails the same wine for $59.)

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They offer the same winery’s more moderately priced ZaHa at $47. Costco lists it for $39. Most other prices follow suit.

Paul Hobbs’ Bramare Cab is respectfully priced at $42. No bargain but not highway robbery, either.

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Still, it’s great to have an independent store with knowledgable advice – something you really won’t find in a big box retailer. Plus, they have fascinating, more obscure choices you won’t find on a retail shelf anywhere else in the city, including Saurus, a bottle I haven’t seen anywhere else in the US. We’ll explore their inventory further in the future.

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Store Check: Costco, Atlanta, GA

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

It’s well known that Costco is the largest retailer of high-end wines in the United States, selling over $1 Billion in product annually.

Part of how Costco achieves all those sales is by keeping the product interesting and the price right. They buy huge lots of wine from vineyards from small to large, and rotate the stock frequently.

If you see a wine at Costco that looks good, buy it that day. Do not assume it will be available on a future trip, or you are likely to be disappointed.

My travels take me to Costco locations around the country, and the stock of wines is never the same. Local buyers clearly have influence over shaping their own inventory, using localized sales data and preferences.

Here’s a look at the best values we saw at Costco’s Atlanta (Brookhaven) location last week.

Several weeks ago I raved about ZaHa, from Bodega TeHo, a world class $40 malbec with an odd label that’s one of the best wines we tried this year. We came across its $70 big brother, TeHo, at Costco for a mere $59. That’s a phenomenal buy on a wine we can’t wait to try.

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They also have Matilde La Madrid, a $56 icon wine with a 94 rating from Robert Parker. In my opinion, you wouldn’t want to drink this one today. A wine that special demands another few years of cellaring.

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Black Tears, a deep powerhouse of a wine from the people who make the Tapiz Alta Collection, is a good bet at $39.

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They have Kinien, the top of the line wine from Bodega Ruca Malen, for $36. That’s a choice you don’t see every day (we had a fabulous dinner at the winery a couple of years back.)

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I’m curious about these two moderately priced wines, Altamira and Casarena Reserva, both under $20. Never tried either but the price is right. Any comments from folks who have tried them?

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ATL Liquor Store Smackdown: Tower vs. Green’s – Who has the Malbec?

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Tower Beer, Wine & Spirits 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

Green’s Beverages 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

There are two major liquor store chains in Atlanta, and judging by the vast number of cars battling for parking spots on Valentine’s Day, both are doing gangbuster business.

Both are well priced and both offer discounts for cash. But for lovers of high-end Argentine wines, that’s where the similarities end.

Tower has a strong selection of wines from $12 to $40, including such vineyards as Achaval-Ferrer, Tikal, Luca, Bestial, and Zuccardi. They are well-chosen and well-priced, though you’re not going to find any rare or surprising choices.

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In particular, they have Michel Rolland’s very respected Yacochuya for $30, the $60 Cheval des Andes and two of Cuvelier Los Andes’ wonderful wines, the $20 Coleccion and the $35 Grand Vin, which is an extremely good price for that bottle.

Green’s on the other hand, barely passes muster. They basically have the choices you’ll find at your typical grocery store. Very limited choices above $20. If you have to shop here I would grab a bottle of the Colomè Estate.

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But they DO have the aforementioned Cheval de Andes, for about $55, five dollars less than we found it at Tower. That just may be the best price in the city – and the one reason to make a detour to Green’s. You’ll find it in the cool room with the fancy California and French icon wines, away from the main aisles of the store.

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But otherwise, if you’re looking for great everyday drinking, head for Tower.

 

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Mendel: A Winery You Should Be Getting To Know

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One of the more under-the-radar wineries you should be getting to know is Mendel Wines. They’re small but steadily gaining huge respect in the industry.

Their highest rated wine is the Finca Remota, which is $100 in the US, but Mendel Malbec is a good (and fairly widely distributed) choice in the $25 range.

In between is Mendel Unus, a delicious wine around $50 that got 93 points from Wine Enthusiast.