Wine Quickie: Amalaya Blanco 2018

This refreshing white is 85% Torrontés and 15% Riesling out of Salta, Argentina. It's medium bodied with a silky mouthfeel, vibrant acidity, and features white flowers, peaches, pears, lemon zest, grass, and seasalt. The Torrontés is the clearly the dominant grape in overall profile but the Riesling really rounds it out to make it a very satisfying crowd-pleaser. Thumbs up!

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Wine Review: Colomé Estate Torrontés 2018

Malbec World Day is on the 17th of April and I've got five wines from Argentina to review leading up to the big day. I'll be doing full reviews on Colomé wines with their 2018 Estate Torrontés (which I'm reviewing right now), their 2016 Estate Malbec, and their 2017 Auténtico Malbec. And I'll also be doing some quickie reviews of Amalaya wines, starting their 2018 Blanco and ending with their 2017 Malbec on Malbec World Day itself. Both Colomé and Amalaya are owned by Hess Family Wine Estates.

Bodega Colomé is one of the oldest working wineries in Argentina, and home to the highest vineyards in the word (expect for recent plantings in Tibet). Based in the Calchaqui Valley, high in the Salta region of northwestern Argentina, Colomé was established in 1831, with vineyards planted at high elevations on original rootstock imported from Bordeaux. Vines from these historic plantings are still bearing fruit today.

The 2018 Estate Torrontés  is 100% Torrontés from the La Brava Vineyard estate at 5,500 feet above sea level in the Upper Calchaqui Valleys of Salta, Argentina. Everything was done in stainless steel and it spent 3 months aging in the bottle before release. I reviewed the 2015 vintage back in 2016.

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Wine Review: Colomé Torrontés 2015

Hey, guys. I am... exhausted. It's the end of the summer and summer is the uber-crazy busy season here on Cape Cod so I'm just beat up from the last few months. I'm coming home and falling asleep on the couch while reading a book before it's my six year old daughter's bed time. Like, literally I'm never more happy than when I'm reading about astrophysics and evolution and I can't even stay awake for it. How can you fall asleep to Richard freakin Dawkins? He's captivating.

But this has been a normal occurrence for me at end of the summer for the last few years. I get run down and I'm not myself. I'm closer to 40 than 30 now. Things hurt. Gas runs out. As the great Bernie Mac said: "I'm tired, America. My body weary."

So I apologize but the next few reviews will probably be pretty short and blunt. But, on the bright side, there's a good chance you'll be spared from my usual shenanigans.

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April Wine Pick: Zolo 2013 Torrontés

This WINE PICK of the month was written for the Luke's of Cape Cod website.

Torrontés is unique to Argentina and it's kind of a fascinating grape family with historic roots. The three Torrontés varieties are all crosses of the Mission grape, which the Conquistadors and monks brought over to the Americas, and Muscat of Alexandria, perhaps the oldest wine grape on Earth.

Unfortunately most Torrontés available lack personality. When done right, as Argentineans know, it's nothing but personality. Zolo makes theirs from the Torrontés Riojano variety, and it's the epitome of Torrontés done right.

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