Today we are going to do a wine review for a wine that you cannot buy at the market or the store. It is not under nine dollars like some the wines we have talked about in the past. My In-laws live in Temecula, CA which has a number of wineries, which means we spend a lot of time out here visiting.
Being a lover of wine, we have visited a number of the local wineries to see what they had to offer. In general I would say that the wines of this region are hit or miss. There are a lot of big commercial wineries here and their grounds rival anything I have ever seen in terms of beauty. But those big wineries just don’t have the consistent quality, especially within a reasonable price range, that we are looking for.
But there are small wineries in this region that seem to put all of their effort and emphasis on the wine instead of the Marketing.
Baily’s winery one of those wineries. And I can honestly say that I put my money where my mouth is in this case because we have been members of this winery for some time now.
2011 Malbec Review
I have always likes the Malbec Grape, it’s a varietal that can be drank by itself but is definitely more at home with a nice piece of meat. My introduction to this varietal was during my trips to Argentina and Chile. The former being the epicenter of the varietal in the modern era.
When I first saw this bottle I was a bit skeptical / snobby. I had never had California Malbec that I had really liked and didn’t think this would be any different. Boy was I wrong!
The Nose
- The Nose has an interesting mix of strong earth tones with a deep rich berry note
- You get full experience right out of the bottle, the nose is just as consistent on the first pour as it is 30 minutes later on the decanter
Tasting Notes
- The overall taste of the wine is dry with but very smooth
- The berry flavor you get in the nose translates to smooth subtle blackberry jam flavor. It is not in your face however and the traditional Malbec Tannic dryness subdues the berry flavor.
- You get a slight hint of the berries but it is by no means a fruit bomb.
Pairs well with
This wine begs to be paired with a nice big steak or other piece of meat. It also pairs fabulously with smoked foods.
I highly recommend trying this bottle out. It’s not too expensive, about $25 for the bottle and it is well worth the price of admission.
You also couldn’t be buying from a greater group of people. The winery is full of friendly knowledgeable people. Here is the link where you can check them out.
If you buy it, let me know what you think!
