Top Wine Picks from Kate.
Sean Minor "Four Bears" 2009 Carneros Pinot Noir;
All of the fruit for Sean Minor's "4 Bears" Pinot Noir comes from Carneros, one of the world's top regions for the varietal. A balanced, blue-fruited Pinot with hints of earth and spice and an undercurrent of vanilla that doesn't accost you at the register.
Kate tells me she loves this wine for its simple texture. She describes it as soft, mild, subtle, and easy to drink.
Familiglia Meschini 2010 Torrontes;
Loads of tropical fruit make this amazing sparkling wine fresh and clean and perfect for tapas, Thai, and seafood. Think about getting some take out from you favorite Thai restaurant or perhaps pan searing some scallops at home and finishing it with stewed curried vegetables...of course opening a bottle of Meschini Torantes completes the dinner.
Kate loves the light sweetness of this one and discribes the effervecence as "little bubbles".
Doña Paula Estate Malbec 2008 - on sale 12.99
This wine is grown at very high altitude above the Mendoza county, which minimizes yield and improves the wines' concentration and quality. The wine carries a bouquet of spice, herbs and purple fruit and has a mouth-filling rich finish.
Wine Advocate gave the Doña Paula Malbec a rating of 88 points, writing "Dona Paula’s 2008 Estate Malbec is purple-colored with a pleasing bouquet of spice box, incense, and black cherry. This leads to a medium to full-bodied, plush wine with layered black cherry and blueberry flavors, light tannin, good concentration, and a fruit-filled finish." They suggest that this wine has the stuffing to age well.
A smokier, spicy finish of this rich, complex and still youthful Malbec makes the Dona Paula fantastic for pairing with a hearty red meat such as steak.
Also check out this page for my thoughts on the Ique Malbec, another of my favorite wines made from this prized Argentinian varietal.