Pircas Negras Malbec 2008

Served With: Stir-Fry

Five Things: bramble, black cherry, dusky purple, strawberry, medium finish

COO: La Rioja, Argentina

Notes: I decided to take another flyer with this paring; taking a mellow organic malbec from Argentina and putting it against a moderately spicy stir-fry. The earthiness of the malbec muted some of the spiciness from the stir-fry, but didn't really sparkle overall. Still, on the whole, this fared better than the viognier/stroganoff pairing from last night.

Website: La Riojana Co-op

Rating: Good

Tags: Pircas Negras, Malbec, 2008, La Rioja, Argentina

Seven Artisians Meritage 2006

Served With: Barbecue

Five Things: magenta, smoke, damask rose, black cherry, solid tannins

COO: Suisun Valley, California

Notes: A blend of 89.5% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 0.25% Malbec, and 0.25% Petite Verdot, this wine has some solid structure behind it and enough acidity to cut through the smokey slabs of barbecue.

Website: Seven Artisians

Rating: Very Good

Tags: Suisun Valley, California, Mertiage, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petite Verdot, 2006

Favorite Wines of 2009

To give you a better idea of what kind of wines I drink, here's a short list (in no particular order) of my favorite wines that were opened in 2009.

Reverie Estate Cabernet Franc 2001
(Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain district, California)

Fort Ross Pinot Noir 2004
(Sonoma, California)

Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir 2004
(Willamette Valley, Oregon)

Montoya Petite Sirah 2006
(Paso Robles, California)

Peirano Estate Petite Sirah 2006
(Lodi, California)

Cave de Ribeauville Gewurztraminer 2007
(Alsace, France)

Hofer Gruner Veltliner 2007
(Austria)

Holy Cow Merlot 2006
(Columbia Valley, Washington)

Sergio Mottura Orvieto Tragugnano 2007
(Italy)

Owen Roe Sinister Hand 2007
(Columbia Valley, Washington)

Terrazas Malbec 2007
(Mendoza, Argentina)

Hitching Post Fiddlestix Pinot Noir 2003
(Santa Rita Hills, California)

Chateau Fortia Cuvee du Baron 2004
(Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France)

Miguel Torres Manso de Velasco 2004
(Valle de Curicó, Chile)

Primaterra Primitivo 2007
(Puglia, Italy)

Monterey Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2007
(Santa Lucia Highlands, California)

Max Ferd. Richter Riesling 2007
(Mosel, Germany)

Laurello Cabernet Franc 2007
(Grand River Valley, Ohio)

Familia Zuccardi Vida Organica Torrontes 2008
(Mendoza, Argentina)

Mas de Gourgonnier 2006
(les Baux de Provence, France)

Tiziano Gold Chianti Classico 2005
(Tuscany, Italy)

Cooper Mountain Cooper Hill Pinot Noir 2007
(Willamette Valley, Oregon)

Tablas Creek Vineyard Cotes de Tablas Blanc 2003
(Paso Robles, California)

20 Bees Ice Bees Cabernet Franc 2005
(Niagra Penisula, Canada)

Villa Teresa Prosecco Veneto
(Italy)

Coturri Chauvet East Block Zinfandel 2005
(Sonoma, California)

Alvear Solera 1927 Pedro Ximenez
(Spain)

Peltier Station USB Zinfandel
(Lodi, California)

Grahams Six Grapes Reserve Porto
(Portugal)

Tags: cabernet franc, pinot noir, petite sirah, gewurztraminer, gruner veltliner, merlot, malbec, chateauneuf-du-pape, primitivo, chianti, port, sherry, xeres, pedro jiminez, zinfandel, organic, biodynamic