Finca Los Primos (wines under $10)

Another rainy weekend in YVR (Vancouver), and little to do but clean the house, build a fire and drink some wine. Well, maybe not that bad of a weekend after all!

I had walked past Finca Los Primos many times in the Argentinean aisle many times in the wine store... I'm not one to usually buy $10 wines. It's not that I don't love a good deal, because I most assuredly do, it's just that I hate spending $10 and then finding out I bought cooking wine. In fact, my dear old Dad would say "Don't buy cooking wine that you can't drink whilst you cook.". Good advice Dad.

I adore Argentinean wines; they are rich, full-bodied, and intense value for the money. I could sing the praises of many wineries from there right now - but I'll talk about Finca instead. All I can say is how much I would love to go there and visit the Bianchi family (www.vbianchi.com ), and try the wines they don't export to Canada. I have the feeling that in the USA, these wines would retail about $4-$5. Maximum.

2009 Finca Los Primos Syrah (San Rafael, Argentina) $10 *NMCT (not my cuppa tea)

• deep, rich garnet color
• thin, acidic blackberry notes on the nose - some terroir
• moderate acids, moderate chewy tannins, fruit forward with back palate of chalk & blackberry... spicy finish
• this wine gets better the longer you leave it open. Do yourself a favor and open it the day before you plan to drink it

2009 Finca Los Primos Malbec (San Rafael, Argentina) $10 *good value

• deep ruby/garnet color
• surprising well balanced nose of blackberry/cherry, light red currant, oak, terroir
• moderate- acids, moderate+ reasonably smooth tannins, flavors of cherry, oak, leather, tobacco, even a touch of floral
• I opened this wine 2 days ago the put the top back on. Taste and nose have soften, richened - I would and will gladly drink this wine now. 2 days ago I would have cooked with it only under duress

2008Finca Los Primos Cabernet Sauvignon (San Rafael, Argentina) $10 *good value

• deepest richest black garnet color
• nose of chalky terroir, old leathery oak, pencil shavings, dusty plums
• moderate- acids, moderate+ slightly chewy tannins, big palate full of red berries, some black fruit, the oak really showing throughout... alcohol is a touch warm, but also is 14% - don't serve with spicy food or the alcohol will seem even hotter
• totally decent wine! I have to thank John Schreiner (www.johnschreiner.blogspot.com ) who often will leave a less expensive wine open for a few days to see what develops. Smart man!

If this is a sample of what I can buy in BC (with it's huge liquor taxes) for $10, then I really do need to go to San Rafael!

hamburger wine

What is Cabernet Sauvignon and what does is have to do with hamburgers?

Cab Sauv is one of the most windely planted grapes in the world, and makes everything from table wine to Bordeaux blends "par excellence"... it is also b-t-w a relatively new varietal, only being created in the 17th century by chance.

The following is my notes on an inexpensive Cab Sauv, or, hamburger wine as my esteemed father would say.

WINE A

clear visual

• light garnet centre (indicating little age)
• basically no rim (re-enforcing supposition#1)
• moderate legs (indicating moderate alcohol of 13%+)

clean nose, moderately intense notes of

• light barnyard
• plums / black fruits
• light floral background

clean palate, 0 dryness, moderate+ acid, moderate+ tannin, moderately intense flavors of

• red berries
• grapes!

moderate- body, moderate+ alcohol (13.5%), decent length

And so - it is what it is. Clean, simple, unassuming - this wine doesn't pretend to be what it is not. True enough, it starts to get a little boring after awhile - but this is a drinking wine, not a tasting wine!

non-vintage, Copper Moon, Cabernet Sauvignon, BC **buy this at $9.50 **

Sauvignon again

so I jump from one extreme to the other (more-or-less).

There is a winemaker in BC who produces very drinkable wines at a ridiculously low price (for BC) - around $10 a bottle. Ok, maybe they aren't the most interesting wines you'll ever drink, but they are well constructed (for the price) and very true to varietal type.

WINE A

clear visual

• ultra pale straw notes

clean nose, moderately intense notes of

• vanilla
• straw
• lemon

clean palate, 0 dryness, moderate++ acid, 0 tannin, moderately intense flavors of

• lemon
• green apple
• barest hint of vanilla

moderate body, moderate alcohol (12.5%), decent length

This is the wine you buy for your 20 year old sibling. This is the wine when 20 people come over for a bbq. This is your decent BC table wine. It doesn't try to be more, and does a great job at it. The difference in $10 between this and Monkey Bay is all the difference in the world - but you don't want to spend $20 all the time. The vanilla in this, by-the-way, I'm certain comes from the American oak chips they use.

non-vintage, Copper Moon, Sauvignon Blanc, BC **wow deal at $9.50**

pain in my Neck?

well well...

New owners have taken over the "Neck of the Woods" winery (Okanagan, BC) and I was able to taste their 2006 Merlot today.

WINE A
clear visual, moderate intense; light garnet

clean smell, full intensity; barnyard smells (yes I know that sounds a bit gross, but it's just individual taste and I actually like it), Russian tea, leather, dark chocolate, over-ripe plums

00 dryness, moderate++ acid, moderate+ tannin; green cherries, leather, mushrooms, dark chocolate

moderate- body

moderate+ alcohol (almost 13%)

decent length (6 seconds+)

Neck of the Woods, 2006 Merlot, $10

So I would say that either I tasted an off bottle (it didn't taste corked) or this wine is poorly balanced... the acids are overbearing and in my mind spoil the nuances that come accross so well in the nose. There were alot of tannins, which to me mean that someone built this wine to last, but if it's like this after 3 years I honestly don't know how much potential there is for it.

This wine used to be $17, and has been reduced to $10. Even at that price, I won't be buying it.

you say Syrah, I say Shiraz

another day, another wine...

todays self-taught lesson is: DON'T BE INFLUENCED BY THE LABEL.

That is to say, don't be influenced by a $50 label, a $9 label, a well known winery or someone you've never heard of. And so, today I bought a BC bottled Shiraz @ $8.50 and an Argentinian Syrah @ $18 (both tasted blind: DJ, Will, Sebastian, and any other sommelier reading this)

A
clear wine, light ruby color
intense nose, aroma of leather, smoke, oak & even a bit of cedar
0 dryness, moderate- acid, moderate+ tannin, fruit forward flavors with apple, smoke & caramel, long finish

This is an easy drinking wine, without a great deal of structure. It drinks like a Syrah should, but doesn't have much in the way of complexity

B
clear wine, deep ruby color
mild nose, aromas of chocolate, cherry and oak
00 dryness, moderate+ acid, moderate+ tannin, intense flavors immediately of cherry, blackberry and black peppercorn, long finish

This is not an easy drinking wine. I wish the nose matched the mouth a bit more, but was overwhelmed with the rich flavors.

WINE A $8.50, non-vintage , Copper Moon (cellared in BC) Shiraz
WINE B $18 , 2006 Riservado, Don Miguel Gascon (Mendoza, Argentina) Syrah

And so I learned two lessons today. The first lesson was learned before, but worth revisiting: just because a wine is $8, that doesn't mean it can't be a decent drink (the inverse is also true). The second lesson is that at this point I really enjoy easy drinking wines.

There is nothing wrong with this! As my Dad says, "there are hamburger wines and steak wines". At this point, I can really enjoy, and even savor, a well-made hamburger wine. What I want, is to be able to do the same with a steak wine. An osso bucco wine. A venison occo bucco topped with black tuffle wine.

That's why I'm in school. Wish me luck!