The Bodega Salentein Wine Cathedral

HE SAYS: Our other stop in the Uco Valley was at nearby Bodega Salentein. This is also a new winery, an endeavor by a large Dutch company. They also spent about 5 years building this massive winery, and constructed a large art museum, sculpture garden and restaurant up front.

In addition, they have a lodge and chapel on site. The massive winery building is in back, and it was shaped in the form of a cross with two levels to allow for gravity flow of the wines from the stainless steel fermentation tanks into the aging barrels.   Their facilities are quite impressive, and our tour guide, Luciano, was really informative and good-natured.

The restaurant had fine food, but unfortunately tasting was limited to the two wines they poured. Admission was about $12 US for the pair of us and included admission to the wonderful art museum, so a very worthwhile visit.

SHE SAYS: Remember how I wrote in our first Argentina wine country post that only silly people try to visit 4 Mendoza wineries in one day and we are those silly people?  This is that day.  My husband is an admirable Olympic wine taster, I am a humble amateur.  I love this bodega, but I am not in on this tasting.

They call this bodega  The Wine Cathedral and for those of you who are making wine your new religion, this is the temple at which you will want to worship.  Wry and beautiful at the same time is the tasting room with a counter hewn from rustic limestone that looks like a sacrificial altar.  “You will sacrifice everything for the vine.  Everything. Mwa, ha, ha!!!!”   In a pinch, when the chapel is full, they can say Mass in the tasting room.

The first generation of my Italian family who lived in Argentina was in the construction business. (something about getting on the wrong boat?  Ah well…)  Anway,  Uncle Louie owned a marble and stone quarry and so my exposure to and appreciation of stone work  is a little more intense than the average person.  This bodega has some extraordinary stone work as well as a deep appreciation of the earth and a duplication of classical architecture to create that feeling of homage and mystery as you travel through the experience.    They even have a glass enclosed cross section of the bodega’s earth as a piece of artwork on one wall so you can see some of the details of the soil.  These people rock.

The structure is beautiful and gave us numerous unique photos which we will share with you here as soon as the wordpress photo uploader starts working again.  There seems to be a glitch tonight.  Sorry for the delay.

The art gallery is indeed fabulous and the food in the cafe – outstanding.  The best roasted vegetables I’ve ever had.  I have no idea why, but they were incredible.   Another item to take note of at the winery is the gift shop.  Winery gifts shops can be so much “the same” after a while.  This was not the case at Bodega Salentein.  Some very unique wine maps, descriptions of the grapes of Argentina, gorgeous leather goods and excellent books.  Be sure to allow time for the shop.

2006 Salentein Sauvignon Blanc – HE SAYS: This was the only Sauvignon Blanc I was able to taste in Argentina and it was really quite nice. Great balance of citrus flavors, with the complexity of a chardonnay. It spent six months in French oak and would make a great food wine. 15     SHE SAYS: I’m going shopping, honey.  See you later.

2004 Salentein Pinot Noir – HE SAYS: This was the only Pinot Noir I was able to taste in Argentina and it too was really quite nice. It was grown in the highest vineyard they have, over a mile high elevation. It showed off bright fruits of cherry, strawberry and raspberry, along with nuances of violet and rose petals. Barrel aged for about a year, then bottle aged for half a year. Not much tannin, so you’d want to drink soon. Very tasty 16
SHE SAYS: I’m back!  Thanks for the credit card! )

Carl Tashian's Wine Flavor Visualization

SHE SAYS: It is magnificent to cross boundaries of many sorts.  An  NYU Grad student, Carl Tashian has taken to cross the boundaries between two senses — taste and sight, to create a visual representation of how wine tastes. — W-hat??

“Preposterous!” you say?  Ney, possible and beautiful to boot.   Take a look.   http://tashian.com/wine-flavors/ Notice how each line curves, is not straight.  See that?  Yes!  Exactly like your thoughts after a few sips.  I smell a Nobel Peace Prize in his future.   Anyone who can do this, can certainly bring us world peace.
“Peace Through Wine”   Yes.  This is your mantra for the weekend.

SHE Says: When HE finds out I posted this, he might make me take it down, but it’s my favorite holiday HALLOWEEN and I wanted to be sure you know that there’s a wine to match!

Vampire Wine

VAMPIRE WINE - Believe it or not, Vampire wine used to come from Transylvania.  Seriously? Seriously. Right in the center of Romania the finest wines in the world were produced a loooong time ago.   Legend has it that the wine from Transylvania was so good that the Romans stole many of the vines and replanted them in Italy.  Those Romans…  Years later, (can someone do the math for me?)  some very clever Americans imported the wine from Transylvania and branded it Vampire Wine.  I LOVED it.  Reds so dark  you could pretend it really was blood.  And what a great gift at Halloween time.  Perfect.

Alas, no more.   Now they are just another vineyard in Paso Robles.   No problems, Paso Robles wines are outstanding – it’s just not Transylvania.  The vampire from Paso Robles? Ok, I’m trying.  They are still enjoying the Vampire theme and extending their brand like any good American would.   I haven’t tasted it yet, so I can’t  vouch for the taste,  but I can definitely vouch for the fun.  So give it a go!  Take a few bottles to your favorite Halloween party! You’ll be the coolest ghoul in the room.

Wines from Transylvania

TRANSYLVANIA WINES: Romanian wines are ultra-dramatic, so if you’d like to check out real wines from Translyvania, click here:  
They’re “bloody good”.    Romania is on our list for next year, so we will report back first hand.

He Said "Que bella!" She Said, "Que freddo!" The Vineyards at Andeluna Cellars

HE SAYS:  On the second day of our wine travels in Mendoza, we drove down to the Uco Valley. It was about a one hour drive from our lodge, part of it over some rolling hills.
The Uco Valley is higher elevation – the snow-capped Andes Mountains tower right there to the West. It is the highest altitude of the growing regions in Mendoza, and the area is more undeveloped so that seems to be where most of the new vineyard and winery expansion is occurring. Andeluna (meaning Andes moon) is a beautiful new winery, built by H. Ward Lay, of the Lay potato chip family. It took about five years to build this winery, but they did a fantastic job creating a contemporary version of an old Argentina ranch (estancia).

Their winemaker, Silvio Alberto, was named “outstanding young winemaker of the year,” and he crafts the wines, and gets input from famed consulting enologist Michel Rolland.

The lovely Gisela

Andeluna does charge for touring and tasting, but we got a great private tour from Gisela, a very personable young lady. Outside in the vineyard she explained how they manage the vines to have a specific number of spurs and clusters, and then how they go through and thin the clusters by 60-70% to concentrate the flavors in the grapes that do remain. I had the giant tasting room all to myself, as my wife thought 10:30 in the morning is too early to drink wine. Nonsense!
SHE SAYS: Shall we be accurate?  I was in the tasting room, too.  You were just in a world of your own and forgot I was there. And pretty cute you were, too.

2007 Andeluna Cellars Winemaker’s Selection Torrontés
HE SAYS: This was my first chance in Argentina to taste a Torrontés, which is the only wine considered to be 100% Argentinian. I really enjoyed this wine, which reminds me of a cross between a viognier and sauvignon blanc. The Andeluna Torrontés had nice fragrant nose and yet was very crisp and clean with grapefruit and tropical fruit flavors. This wine, with grapes from the Tupungato area, didn’t see any oak, and was very nicely balanced – a terrific food wine. 15  SHE SAYS: 10:30 in the morning  is too early to drink wine.

He Said "Wine. She Said "Coffee."

2005 Andeluna Cellars Reserve Chardonnay –
HE SAYS:  Half of the wine was aged for a year in American and French oak, while the rest stayed in stainless steel. This chardonnay had a nice, clear golden color and honeysuckle nose. It was nice and clean with a touch of oak amongst the citrus and vanilla flavors. It still had enough acid to go with food. Very tasty. 15+   SHE SAYS: Thx for the coffee.

2005 Andeluna Cellars Reserve Merlot –

She Said, "You're tasting how many wines?"

HE SAYS: This was a very nice Merlot, with a deep and dark rose nose. It was soft, with dark berry and touches of cinnamon and cocoa flavors. It had a good body and nice balance, with the fruit emerging from the medium tannins. It was aged for a year in French (80%) and American (20%) oak, then aged six more months in the bottle. I suggest aging it another 3-5 years. 15
SHE SAYS: 10:45 in the morning  is still too early for wine.

2005 Andeluna Cellars Reserve Malbec–
HE SAYS: Great purple color on this Malbec. It was dryer than the Merlot, with earthy berry and cherry flavors. Nice finish, but medium high tannins masked the fruit somewhat. 15
SHE SAYS: I love you, Malbec – but even 11:00 in the morning is too early.

2004 Andeluna Cellars Reserve Cabernet –
HE SAYS: This is a big wine, but the tannins were so strong that much of the fruit was masked. There were chocolate essences to it, but it definitely needs more bottle time to soften the tannins and let the flavors emerge. Hard to figure out at the moment. 14+
SHE SAYS: Ok, Ok, I’ll try it.  :-*/  !*!   I was right.  It’s just too early.

2003 Andeluna Cellars Grand Reserve Pasionada –
HE SAYS: A terrific Bordeaux-style blend, comprised of 35% Merlot, 35% Cab; 20% Malbec and 10% Cab Franc. (The proportions change each year, depending on the quality of the grape. In contrast, the ’04 is 49% Malbec, 26% Merlot, 17% Cab and 8% Cab Franc.) The wine was aged in new French (85%) and American (15%) oak for 18 months, and then aged for 8 more months in the bottle. This was a truly terrific and elegant wine, with great full flavors of cherry and berry and a touch of cocoa. The tannins were medium, so it could sit for a bit. By far, it was the best of the red wines by Andeluna and is worth seeking out. 16+
SHE SAYS: I believe you.

HE SAYS: Our second visit in Luján de Cuyo was at Bodega Carmelo Patti, another boutique winery. Carmelo comes from the old school of wine making and clearly enjoys what he is doing. He’s very warm and friendly and a gracious host. He doesn’t speak much English – and we didn’t speak much Spanish – but we managed to understand most of what he was saying because of the context.  (SHE INTERJECTS: he used a little Italian to make it easier on me.)

Carmelo basically runs a one-man operation, doing most of the work himself and hiring help at harvest season and when it’s time to bottle the wine.  So he oversees the vineyards, winemaking, bottling and even acts as tour guide. He showed us his cement fermentation tanks and barrel and bottle storage areas and and gave us a terrific barrel sample.
And how many red wine specialists do you know who also make a fine sparkling wine from pinot noir and chardonnay in the method champenoise, but we didn’t get to sample that. The tasting was free and it was definitely worth a visit.

SHE SAYS: What a doll.  If you are in Mendoza area, you absolutely MUST visit Carmello Patti.  Charming, funny and very, very gracious.  He acts as if he’s known you his entire life.  He has Spanish & Italian heritage and all the gracious qualities of both cultures live in Carmello.

Every fantasy you’ve ever had about touring an old, classic wine-making facility will come true here.  Walking down dark narrow hallways, sounds of your footsteps on cement walkways in those hallways, colors of cabernet, putty, beiges, golds, wood accents, the sounds of the master winemaker talking to you in another language, the smell of the oak barrels, a little taste from the barrel - if this is a dream do NOT wake me up – repeat – do NOT wake me up.

2003 Carmelo Patti Cabernet Sauvignon –
HE SAYS: This wine is just being released after about four years of aging. It has a big nose and medium body, with a bit of acid and tannin. He recommended drinking it by 2013. 14+
SHE SAYS:

2004 Carmelo Patti Malbec –
HE SAYS: A big and fruity Malbec that was aged 40% in French oak and 60% in concrete. It has medium high tannin, so it needs some age to soften. But once again, Carmelo said to drink it by 2013. Very good. 15
SHE SAYS:  Aging in concrete – you must see this.  You must.

2002 Carmelo Patti Gran Assemblage – Carmelo makes this wine only in years where the quality of the grapes merit it. So he’s produced an ’02, ’03, ’04 and ’08 recently. Carmelo wrote that it was 47% Cab, 24% Malbec, 19% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. Well, that comes out to just 98%, and frankly my Spanish was too basic to inquire about the missing 2%. Regardless, what’s in the bottle is terrific. The Gran Assemblage is a BIG and bold wine. Berry and cherry flavors predominate. Very complex with medium high tannins and a decent kick of acid still. It ages one year in oak and 4 years in the bottle, and he says once again to drink by 2013. 16

Clos de Chacras – Vineyard and Winery

Clos de Chacras Gran-Estirpe Malbec

SHE SAYS: Want to feel really good?  Like you are in love?   Then click the link right here and go to the Clos de Chacras website.  Listen to the music while you read what we’ve written about this Bodega.
HE SAYS: This is another boutique winery in the city of Chacras de Coria in the Luján de Cuyo area.   Bautista Gargantini was one of the fathers of the Argentine wine industry in Mendoza.  By 1911, their winery ranked as one of the world’s leading producers. In 1921 they opened a facility in Chacras de Coria, but it was later sold.   Then in 1987, Bautista’s granddaughter Silvia Gargantini, and her husband, Alejandro Genoud, purchased it.  Some remodeling and updating was required, but beyond that the approval process took an astounding 17 years and they just reopened in 2003.   Well, it was well worth the wait.

Clos de Chacras - The gate to the barrel rooms.

SHE SAYS: It’s not very often that someone has the patience to wait for 17 years to create  something they love, but here you will see and feel the value of those 17 years.  The preservation of their history and the permanence of their long-term choices for the life of their winery are seen and felt in every corner.

Clos de Chacras tour. The cement fermentation tanks.

HE SAYS: We were lucky again and received a private tour of their old wine-making facility and saw some of the new improvements. Their old cement fermentation tanks are located underground, and the original gate that is reflected on their bottles is still there in the bottle storage area.

Clos de Chacras

They have long-term contracts to purchase grapes from the nearby Maipú area and the La Consulta and La Carrodilla areas in the Uco Valley. They make two lines – Cavas de Crianza, with Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet varietals, plus a blend of the three – and Gran Estirpe, their premium Malbec wine. We paid about about $10 US each for the tour and tasting, which included cheese and crackers.

SHE SAYS: The 2004 Gran Estirpe is why we are here.  When we tasted the Gran Estirpe at Vines of Mendoza, we knew we had to visit Clos de Chacras.  Seek the Gran Estirpe.  

2006 Cavas de Crianza Malbec –
HE SAYS: Gorgeously purple colored Malbec from the Maipú region, with fruity and soft flavors. It shows great balance and is very smooth and has a wonderful mouth feel. This sold for about $30 Argentine pesos, or less than about $10 U.S. This is a great wine and a tremendous value. 15+

SHE SAYS: This is our forth winery of the day.  I can tell you this one is beautiful, but I have no more words than that.

2005 Cavas de Crianza Cabernet –
HE SAYS: This also comes from Maipú and was deep and dark, with an earthy component to it. It is very good and very complex. It can age for about 5 or 6 years they think. Also a great value at around $10. 15
SHE SAYS: This one makes me cry.  In a good way.

2005 Cavas de Crianza Blend –
HE SAYS: A blend of 40% Malbec and 30% each of Cab and Merlot. It was nice, had medium tannins, but was not as distinguished as the Cab or Malbec. As I recall, the blend costs just a bit more. 14
SHE SAYS: I am tired. I will trust you on this one.

2004 Gran Estirpe Malbec –
HE SAYS: We tasted this through the Vines of Mendoza. The grapes for this Malbec come from 100-year-old vines in Lunlunta (Maipú) in the Luján de Cuyo area. It has brilliant purple color and a full mouth feel, soft and warm like a warm brie. This Malbec has merlot and cabernet and was one of the best malbecs I tasted. They only produced 6,100 bottles and it has won a few awards, so it is well worth seeking out. Really delicious. 16+
SHE SAYS: Seek the Gran Estirpe.  Since they make only 6,000 bottles, this will not be a part of your scheduled tasting.  Just buy a bottle and take it home with you.  You will have no regrets.

The Gran Estirpe aging in bottles.

Montes, Sauvignon Blanc, Ltd. Selection

HE and SHE both say: Well, here we are, in South America again. Only figuratively speaking this time. A Chilean Sauvignon Blanc we picked up at Costco for about $10.  It was made by Montes, a pioneer in the Chilean wine industry, and the writeup seemed promising, so let’s give it a shot.
2008 Montes – Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda Vineyard, Leyda Valley, Chile, Limited Selection — (a very long name) –

After we’ve been drinking the wine for a few minutes . . .

HE SAYS: Smell it — what do you get?

SHE SAYS: Occasionally I breathe wine up through my nose!  (Purely by accident. Just thought you should know.)

HE SAYS: Uh, OK.  What do you taste? I taste a distinct citrus fruit. (And then he looks at SHE daring her to guess which citrus.)

SHE SAYS: (Visibly sorting through her limited mental notes on citrus) I’m going to guess. . . that the citrus you taste . . . must be . . . lemon?

HE SAYS: Grapefruit.

SHE SAYS: Ha, ha, ha!!!! So wrong again!  ( She lets one of her famous laughs rip through the night air and slaps the table.)

HE SAYS: This is a very nice sauv blanc. The nose was maybe a bit of butterscotch and grass.  Taste is grapefruit and light tropical flavors, nicely balanced with a crisp amount of acid. A good food wine, especially with shellfish. Quite nice, especially for the price.  Score: 15

SHE SAYS: This is a happy, friendly wine! Welcome to my summer table any day.  It would even be great with breakfast.

HE says: About Montes Premium Wines.  Aurelio Montes pioneered much of the quality production in Chile.  His Montes Alpha M line of premium red wines from the Apalta Valley garnered great accolades and really put Chilean wines on the map (and table) for the rest of the world. This Sauvignon Blanc is from the Leyda Valley in Chile, which is a new Denomination of Origen, about 6 miles from the Pacific Ocean.  This wine is fermented in stainless steel and has never touched oak.

SHE SAYS: They have a picture of a llama on their site, so I can’t wait to visit.  Can we consider a llama instead of a dog?

Programs for children recovering from trauma.

Look at you…always looking for ways to do  double duty with your wine time, good for you!  The Peacock Foundation Annual Wine Tasting Fun-Raiser is coming up at CBS Studios in Studio City, CA    Sat. Sept. 12, 2009  5-7pm
Single Tickets $40 / Pair of tickets $70  CLICK HERE for TIX
Donate, swirl, sip and repeat when you can.  And watch a CBS show to show your thanks for their support.

HE and SHE both say: This is a very special wine that we share with you.    Melville Winery is a favorite spot of ours.  Melville Winery is located in the Santa Rita Hills of Lompoc, California, in the Santa Ynez Valley.  Got all that?   Hills, Valley, Saints, California, Mediterranean architecture . . . traces of heaven, right?   We’ve had a bottle of 2005 Melville every August  for the last three years and every year it gets better.  Find some if you can.

Melville Winery

Do we have an ulterior motive?  Indeed we do.  We are sharing our joy with you.  2005 Melville wines were in the oak barrels Aug.  2006  when we celebrated our marriage with a wedding reception in the barrel room at Melville Winery.  There were only 30 of us, but it felt like 300 and  there was a ton of  love, joy, dancing, good karma and laughter seeping into the barrels and  “terroir” of Melville that day.  When the 2005 wines were released, we bought a case — half pinot noir, half syrah — with the idea that we’d drink a bottle each year to celebrate our anniversary.  When we decided we wanted to be married longer than 12 years, we went shopping for more.  Uh, oh.

Now, back to the 2005 Melville Estate Pinot Noir, Verna’s

SHE drank her 2005 Melville Pinot with perfectly grilled lamb chops (medium rare, thank you), mashed potatoes, roasted heirloom tomatoes with eggplant, and Parma ham with melon and figs.   HE drank his 2005 Melville Pinot with that same tremendous Parma ham, melon and fig appetizer — a pairing made in heaven — and veal saltimbocca topped with more Parma ham.  Simply delicious.

HE SAYS: This wine was unbelievably good. From the very first smell to the glory of that first taste, all the way to the last swallow, this wine was outstanding.  Beautiful color, with a lovely rose petal and violet scented nose, with a touch of mustiness.  In the mouth, a most delicious bowl of strawberries and cherries. Very soft and well balanced, a real treat.  We tasted this wine at Melville in May ‘07 and my notes say “tasty, nice body, good balance” — a respectable 14+ in my ratings.  No doubt the occasion and symbolism of the wine played a part, but this wine has grown up and developed into a seriously terrific wine.  It was truly one of the finest California or Oregon pinot noirs I have ever tasted.  It could be peaking now — gonna have to wait another year and see.  A thundering 18+!
SHE SAYS: Wow.  An 18+  Melville, are you reading?  I hope he describes me like that someday.  So to this lovely Pinot Noir, I say, “Mmmmmm. You are so sexy the way you sneak in and light my fire.  Thank you!”

HE SAYS: One more note on Melville wines — I generally prefer their main line from Verna’s for pinot and syrah versus their Santa Rita Hills and other single vineyard designations.  I find the fruit more forward and approachable in the Verna’s, which comes from their ranch in Los Alamos.  Regardless, they consistently make very nice wines and their winery setting is just gorgeous.  And if you’re in the neighborhood, be sure to check out Babcock right next door.  SHE SAYS: That is way too much information for me.  I just drink it.

HE and SHE both say: If you can find any 2005 Melville wines that were in the barrels that summer, we say pay whatever they want, just buy it!

Haliya Mango and Black Plum wine by VuQo

SHE says: Attending any number of studio openings and other entertainment events, I notice they are generous – even in the midst of a deep recession.   It’s networking and it’s part of the job of an actress/producer.  The job of the meeting planners is to make each one unique and out here they are good. Really good.  Imagine my surprise when at one event I see  “Light Fruit Wines from the Philippines”.  What? Really? Yes.    Fruit wines.   Mango wine and Black Plum wine from brand Haliya.  Haliya Light Fruit Wines is produced by VuQo Inc.  VuQo gave us a bottle of Mango wine and Black Plum wine to bring home and we began to plan a tasting.

HE is begging off of this one.  He is a grape devotee of a few decades and he is a faithful type of man.  Although he tried the Mango wine and Plum wine and he gave a little smile / shrug, I think that means he’s not going to let these light fruit wines join him in his wine scoring club.  Although I’m still learning “man language,” I’m pretty sure that’s what that smile / shrug means.  That’s OK.  I had a great time.

SHE continues:  Visit Haliya Wines website.  It’s beautiful. It’s a teeny bit of paradise with flowers, birds and fruits.  Really lovely.   You’ll meet the Goddess Haliya and her mythology on one page, and learn to make a wish just before you sip your Haliya wine.   And now on to the tasting.

We paired the Haliya fruit wines with food from Malaysia.  Philippine food tends to be too sweet for us, so we decided on Malaysian.  Curry and chicken, and a cousin of pad thai.  We wanted to give the wine the best possible chance of being itself.

Mango Wine: To smell the aroma is to feel heaven. It smells just like fresh mango

Serve the delightful Mango Wine with after dinner sweets!

with a bit of alcohol behind it.   I tasted it with our light dinner and that’s just not fair to the mango wine.  When I paired the mango wine with actual fresh mango for desert  — I loved it.  It’s a unique experience to taste fresh mango and mango wine at the same time.  Can I confess?  I wanted to pour the mango wine over the fresh mango, dive in and then eat and drink my way out.   My guess is it will also go well with numerous fruits and light appetizers.   This wine is your friend you can have the most fun with,  so do be careful.  The taste does not linger in your mouth and my concern is, like that most fun friend you had in high school, she may not know when to stop.   The taste is exquisite, but again, the taste does not linger in your mouth, so that means you want to taste again.  And again.  Please drink responsibly.   Personally, I would like to have the aroma in an air freshener every morning.   It’s beautiful.  Hope they invent that soon.

Black Plum Wine: Another great aroma, but more forte.  Smells a bit like vermouth.  Even though we paired it with lighter food, again the food seemed to compete with the wine – and who needs competition at dinner time, right?   I took another stab at this wine with chocolate, plain ol’ American red plums and a bit of banana.  Sounds like a strange concoction, but yum.   Again, the taste does not stick around for long (unlike that guy who never takes no for an answer) so I am slightly worried that you’ll keep drinking and drinking even though you have church in the morning…so please try to control yourself.
And what was my wish before taking my sips?  You know better than that - wishes stay secret.   Visit Haliya Wines for yourself, make a wish, take a sip and give them a try with appetizers, fruit, chocolate and even light cheeses and let us know your tastes!