Greetings from Vintage Connections!

An old (and interesting) vine at Mantawny, ready for bud break

 Septima Malbec 2009

This bold dark red 100% malbec comes from Bodega Septima in Mendoza, Argentina. 

Deep purple/red in color it has aromas of dark red cherries with hints of raspberry and vanilla.  It has full, mouth filling flavors of plums and raspberries with hints of licorice and mocha.  This malbec has a long and lingering finish (I had to keep reminding myself to take another sip!).  It was aged for 6 months in American oak barrels. 

Though not a complex wine, we found this malbec to be a good representative of malbec wines.  Excellent with grilled steak, and we as we found out last night, even with homemade pizza.  Of the two Septima wines we're featuring in our blog this week, this was Lisa's favorite.  Alcohol is 14% by volume.  PLCB product code is 6895 and is available at most PA Wine and Spirit Stores (on sale for now) for $8.99 a bottle.  Wine Spectator rated this wine at 87 points.  THIS IS A GREAT VALUE!

Septima Syrah 2007

 

This rich, dark red 100% syrah also comes from Bodega Septima in Mendoza, Argentina.  The deep dark red color has hints of "carmine and purple".  It has aromas of  dark red fruits, caramel and chocolate with hints of  toast and licorice.  It is full bodied with flavors of  figs and chestnuts with spicy notes.   To Lisa, this wine was still a little young with the tannins still too strong.  Dean felt it was just right and was his favorite of the two Bodega Septima wines.  It has a long, satisfying finish.  This syrah was aged for 5 months in French and American oak barrels then aged for 5months in the bottle before being released.  Alcohol is 14 % by volume.  Excellent with many bold foods, even pizza!  PLCB product code is 8904 and is available at most PA Wine and Spirit stores for $11.99 (on sale for now) a bottle. Another great value!

 

Upcoming Events

Blair Vinyards is hosting
Unleashed on Saturday May 14^th & Sunday May 15^th at their location at 99 Dietrich Valley Road, Kutztown.  Unleashed supports the Berks Humane Society, will have vendors on site, the Pet Adoption Vehicle from the Humane Society, food, music and wine.  This event is a pet friendly event, but dogs must be leashed (despite the title of the event).  Blair's event calendar is full of fun, wine activities.

Calvaresi Winery 's  SPRING WINE FESTIVAL is Sunday - May 15, 2011
1:00 - 5:00 pm, Rain or Shine.  Enjoy award winning wines, along with the "Fabulous Tom Miller" singing the songs of 'Elvis' and other great oldies!

Fun Fact

Malbec grape is a very thin-skinned grape and requires more heat to ripen than cabernet sauvignon or merlot, making Mendoza Argentina an excellent venue for this varietal (wikipedia).