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While many people have picked up a bottle of Catena or Norton on occasion in their local HEB or Costco, there are a number of less ubiquitous wines from these regions selling at great prices that are well worth your time. Given the cold weather, we've focused today on big red wines from La Posta and BenMarco - two producers doing consistently solid work at the $20 and under price point.
The La Posta label has a very unique point of view: the importers searched Argentina for family vineyards with distinct personalities, then began making a line of wines under the La Posta moniker adding the family name to the label to denote the heritage and history of the grapes. Winemaker Luis Reginato was in Austin recently pouring these wines at Whole Foods, and mentioned that La Posta is an especially fulfilling project due to both the value for money provided and the character of the family vineyards he's working with to make the wines.
BenMarco is a different sort of family story - a tribute to a father from his son. Viticulturist Pedro Marchevsky named the label BenMarco (meaning "son of Marcus") to honor the wine growing education imparted by his family. His work with winemaker Susana Balbo produces a Malbec, a Cabernet, and a higher-end Meritage that reflect the distinct flavors of a region that is delivering many wines with real personality and terroir at quite reasonable pricing.
Tasting notes:
BenMarco Cabernet Mendoza 2008 ($20) - The wine has a classic Cabernet nose of black fruits with a little pine mixed in for good measure. The night we tried it, it was fairly tight and restrained, but some decanting brought flavors of fig, tea, and blackberries. The acidity is light, it's medium bodied, and some Merlot in the blend softens the edges. All told, this could use a little cellar time, but is very nice after a couple of hours of decanting.
BenMarco Malbec Mendoza 2008 ($20) - This is all about blueberries, blackberries, vanilla, and smoke - it's classy, but on the riper side of the Malbec scale. It's also easy to see when drinking this wine why Malbec is such a crowd-pleaser these days. The wine is very dark in color, with light to moderate acidity and some noticeable tannin - a light decant is probably appropriate right now.
La Posta Bonarda Estela Armando 2007 ($16) - Deceptively dark in color, this medium-bodied red is fresh, with raspberry, cherry, and tea flavors that straddle the line between a ripe Pinot Noir and a rustic California Zinfandel. The nose and aromatics are a highlight, with some coffee, vanilla, and mint in the mix. The wine is food-friendly with a clean finish, and is a solid buy for new world wine lovers looking for a new grape to explore.
La Posta Malbec Angel Paulucci 2007 ($17) - This is one mysterious Malbec. It's a brooding wine that is a little tough to describe, with a cinammon color and some lively acidity for backbone. On the palate, you'll get moderate tannin due to the youth, with some pepper, plum, and raspberry flavors. The oak is present but moderate, and the nose (similar to the Bonarda) carries some mint along with a forest floor type-aroma.
Each of these wines should move your holiday red table wine quality from "pleasant" up to "conversation piece" at a reasonable cost, so why not explore something different this winter?
All items mentioned in this piece are currently available at SPEC's and other local retailers. Disclosure: These wines were received as a press sample.
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