Friday, August 12, 2011

Bodegas El Porvenir De Los Andes "Amauta" Red Blend 2005, Cafayate/Salta (Argentina)

Today we are enjoying a delightful Argentine red blend hailing from the Cafayate Valley in Salta, one of the country's northernmost viticultural areas, at the foot of the Andes mountain range. The label depicts ancestral Inca designs, which relates to it's closeness to the areas of their great millenarian empire. The wine itself is what I would consider a quintessential New World blend. Mainly Malbec, with 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah. A practice that perhaps was first capitalized around in Italy by the savvy Tuscans and their monster blends (aptly named Super Tuscans) based on the local Sangiovese, to which they would beef up with red Bordeaux or Rhone varietals in order to create amazing complexity and of course, to sell to a wider range of consumers.

The wine is a dark ruby color with almost Port-like deep violet hues, minimal rim variation. The nose is concentrated and balanced albeit displaying more ripe fruit up front than anything else, namely cassis and blackberry; not a lot of minerality, but there are some dark chocolate and even slight black truffle nuances. The palate is rich, beyond supple and with a long lasting finish. A superb wine, more so considering the QPR or pricepoint at under 30 USD. This wine would definitely shine brighter paired with a hearty dinner : a lamb leg roast, a rich osso bucco or better yet, a braised onglet/hanger steak with a porcini demi-glace. Fuck, I'm hungry.