Christie Kiley on September 15, 2014 2 Comments Working as a sommelier at a hotel and wine bar has its perks, not sometimes, but most of the time. We are only a small boutique hotel with six rooms—we’re rated number one in the city of Buenos Aires by the way—so our wine cellar is not exactly thousands of bottles, but we are very selective in the wines we choose and as the hotel is boutique, so are our wines. Our guests love wine and naturally, when they find out that we have a wine bar they want to come and see what we have. Some want to learn more and some want to share with me what they know. It is a great exchange and the company varies, from week to week, from day to day. Oftentimes, I find myself in the best of company of people from various walks of life, from various regions of the world, with plenty of stories to share. The caliber of story which comes forth seems to be directly related to how much wine they have consumed. The more wine, the more interesting and oftentimes the more personal. Aside from the company of the guests, on occasion they like to share some wine with me they might have purchased outside the hotel, or they gift me a bottle. Tips in cash are nice, but wine is very nice too! Today, a guest leaves me with a bottle of Vicentin: Blend of Malbecs. As I was about to have a nice lunch and not to be at work for a few hours, why not crack it open? The Bodega The Vicentin family has been at work in building vineyards of quality fruit for over a century. For Bodega Vicentin, the story begins in 2009, when they gathered Mendoza’s finest winemakers, including Paul Hobbs and sourced the best fruit, with the best profile which could only have the potential of creating a great wine. They source from only the best vineyards and it is in this wine I bring you today, their blend of Malbecs that they bring you fruit, a blend of all their best vineyards from; San Carlos, Tupungato, Lujan de Cuyo and the Uco Valley. The Wine This is a blend of 100% Malbec from the vineyards of the above regions referred to as; La consulta (46%), Chacras de Coria (7%), Tupungato (16%), and Las Compuertas (31%). On first pour the wine is intensely dark, inky cherry with some violet undertones, opaque and deep. There was little or no filtering done with this wine and that is apparent, as the sediment and tartrates cling to the sides of the glass with just a little swirling. It would do no harm to decant this wine to pass it through a screen and remove the sediment if it would bother you. If you do not wish to decant, all one needs to do is to allow it to settle slightly on its side at about a forty-five degree angle a few hours or day before opening, allowing the sediment to settle at the bottom. When serving, do not pour all the wine out, just pour it out until there is some left in the shoulder of the bottle which would only amount to about a quarter of a glass. The nose is quite concentrated with cherry blossom, juicy ripe plum, deep red rose, smoky wood chips, tart black berry, blue berry, anise, cinnamon and hints of vanilla. This touch is elegantly finished thanks to nine months of aging in French oak. The wine itself on the palate is very smooth, inviting and seductive. Ripe but not over-ripe cherry and other dark red berries, plum pie with a dollop of cream come to mind. The tannins are even and very subtle and the wine’s perfume lingers in your mouth with a long and clean finish. Fall is around the corner and this is a great wine to go with any of your favorite meaty comfort foods and crockpot recipes. More Wine Reviews: Atamisque Assemblage 2008 Las Perdices 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Dolium Eco-Estate 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon San Pedro de Yacochuya Torrontés 2012
