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2006 Luca Chardonnay Altos de Mendoza, 13.9% alc., $30:
Medium straw, bordering on pale gold in color, with ripe pear, pineapple and
sweet pea flavors and aromas; not terribly complex, but not excessively oaked
either. Full bodied, with good weight, balanced acids and good length, making
for a solid, if overpriced Chardonnay. I can’t help but shake my head at one
well-placed critic who characterized this as “… blows away most white Burgundies
and California Chardonnays at twice the price.”
Find this wine We've had mixed impressions of Vineyards Brands' Chilean Cono Sur project; they do nice things with most of their whites and some of their reds, but some of the latter are mucked up with too much oak. We like the wines of VB’s Argentine project Dona Paula pretty much across the board, however, as they show much more consistency. 2007 Dona Paula Lujan de Cuyo Estate Chardonnay, 13.5% alc., $16: Pale to medium straw in color, with straightforward, somewhat steely Chardonnay flavors and aromas of apple, pear and a hint of canned peas. Full bodied, with balanced acidity and good length; serviceable and well made. Find this wine 2007 Dona Paula Lujan de Cuyo Estate Malbec, 14% alc., $16: Deep, dark color, with coffee and toast in good proportion to the black currant and cocoa flavors and aromas; the toast and coffee becomes more accentuated as it opens with air, dominating but not overwhelming the character of the wine. This can use a good five years in the cellar, but that’s not to say it’s not already quite approachable. Not my favorite style of red wine, but undeniably well made. Find this wine Dona Paula Tupungato Estate Merlot 2006, 14% alc., $16: Rich dark color; coffee, smoke and toast accent the rich red and black berry and currant core of fruit. With good weight, concentration and structure, this is drinking well now, with the potential to age and improve for two, three or maybe even five years. Just enough toast and coffee; any more and I probably wouldn’t care for this. A nice Merlot at a fair price that likes a little air. Find this wine  2007 Dona Paula Lujan de Cuyo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% alc., $16: Inky
color, fading to purple-pink at the rim; sea air and cedar on the nose, with
more of the same along with black currant, mocha and soft leather on the palate.
Smooth and harmonious, yet deceptively well structured for three to five years
of development and improvement. The cedar, leather and mocha set the tone for
the character of this nice wine.
Find this wine2006 Dona Paula Lujan de Cuyo Estate Shiraz-Malbec, 14% alc., $16: Good dark color, with what is by now the requisite toast and coffee character, though not as dominant as with many of the others noted here. Full bodied, with a rich core of dark plum and berry, with smooth texture and good structure and length. A solid red blend that performs more than just yeoman's duty with a variety of grilled red meats. Find this wine 2007 Dona Paula Los Cardos Lujan de Cuyo Sauvignon Blanc, 13% alc., $10: Medium straw color, with boxwood, grapefruit and gooseberry on the nose, which echo and expand on the palate; decent depth and intensity, with good acidity. A good everyday Sauvignon and a nice match for whole wheat spaghetti with Swiss chard, lentils, lemon juice and olive oil. Find this wine 2007 Dona Paula Los Cardos Lujan de Cuyo Chardonnay, 13.5% alc., $10: Pale gold color, with sweet pea and pear flavors and aromas shaded with a hint of citrus-lime, well integrated oak and a steely undertone; not delicate by any means, but shows a certain refined character that belies its price tag. The wine’s personality seems to be an extension of the color, as it tastes golden. Full bodied, but not at all heavy, with good acids, depth and length; all in all, a pretty Chardonnay. Find this wine 2007 Dona Paula Los Cardos Tupungato Merlot, 14% alc., $10: Deep, dark color, fading to purple-pink at the rim; moderate char-toast over decent red and black currant and berry. Fairly rich and round, with oak that plays its role without killing the wine. Good depth and structure, and while it doesn’t quite have the impact of the following wine, it does what it’s supposed to. The cynic in me wants to say not bad for Merlot, and the kinder, gentler guy says pretty much the same thing. Find this wine  2007 Dona Paula Los Cardos Lujan de Cuyo Malbec, 14% alc., $10: Youthful
dark garnet color, fading to purple-pink at the rim; spice, spice and candied
red berries on the nose and on the palate, with subtle hints of coffee and
toast; any more of the latter two qualities and I might not care for it, but as
is, it’s nice. With good, weight and balance, this is structured for at least a
few years of development and maybe a few more to hold after that. Fairly rich
and ripe, with some oak, but nothing excessive. Good QPR here.
Find this wine2007 Dona Paula Los Cardos Lujan de Cuyo Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% alc., $10: Deep, dark color, with ripe, round fruit, more red than black; soft cocoa, balsa and leather shades the red currant, plum and berry flavors and aromas. Good weight, structure and length, and if it’s not all that typical of the variety (nothing about it screams “Cabernet” to me), it’s easy to enjoy and pairs nicely with grilled organic beef hamburgers with Dijon mustard and horseradish. Find this wine 2006 Dona Paula Los Cardos Lujan de Cuyo Syrah, 13.5% alc., $10: Deep purple garnet color, fading to pink at the rim; nice, rich dark plum and mulberry flavors and aromas are graced with restrained toasty oak and coffee. Full bodied, well structured and earthy at its core, and it all comes together nicely on the palate. Good now, with at least two to three years of aging potential. Find this wine Imported by Vineyards Brands, Inc., Birmingham. AL Our friend Jerome Smith, of
Select Fine Wine, wanted our opinion on some of that
company’s Argentine and Chilean selections, so we tried them and found all four
to offer solid QPR.
geo t.
Other Recent Wine Explorations
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10 from Arcadian
Back to the Underground Index
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We
have a tongue-in-cheek descriptor for a certain style of wine here at
Gang Central, that being “breakfast wine.” We call them that because they
show definite flavors and aromas reminiscent of coffee and toast, no doubt from
the specific char put on the oak barrels used to ferment and age the wines.
These traits seem to be especially prominent in wines from Argentina and
Chile, and we’ve had the opportunity to try a number of them lately. Now,
we’re not really suggesting that you drink these wines with or for breakfast,
but we suppose you can if you want! Please note that there are some whites
included in our report, because after all, they were included in the samples we
received, and it only seems right to do so. 
