Wine Review: Amalaya 2010 Red Wine Blend, Argentina

This wine is a blend of primarily Malbec 75%, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah and 5% Tannat. The wine is a wonderful dark ruby color. The nose is filled with ripe dark fruit aromas of black cherries and raspberries and hints of cocoa. The palate has those ripe dark fruit flavors, which makes this wine approachable to drink alone or to be paired with food. The palate also has hints of dusty cocoa, and a hint of lead, which gives this juicy red wine some structure. There are also notes of white pepper on the finish. The tannins are smooth, making this an easy wine to sip while cooking dinner. This wine would be great with a slow cooked pork roast with a few sage leaves in the pan. It would also pair well with barbecue ribs glazed with a sweet and smokey barbecue sauce. Grilled burgers, and pork chops, especially on a charcoal grill would be an excellent pairing along with mild cheeses. Note: This wine was a sample provided by the Hess Family http://www.hess-family.com/wineries.html. SRP $17.00