OK, so have you ever heard of a Malbec Merlot blend?
I'm certainly no wine expert but I've never seen that combination. A big bold Malbec blended with a smooth fruity Merlot - sounds interesting. It was! I found it online at about $15.00. Most of the wines that I buy online are on sale and are in the $15 - $30 range. That usually seems to translate into $60 - $120 restaurant price.
After I had already opened it I found out that Susie was making a great light chicken pasta dish, penne alfio. The recipe is on her blog at http://susiesmonthlyrecipes.blogspot.com/. YOU CAN'T DRINK A BIG BOLD MALBEC WITH PENNE ALFIO - RIGHT? Wrong! It worked great (but keep in mind that I could drink a good bottle of red wine with a bowl of Cheerios or a box of Mike & Ikes).
OK so now I'm going to venture into an area of subjectivity. The wine mavens that somewhere along the way learned a different language (e.g. - the nose of this wine is like scorched earth and jungle fruits - WHAT??) would probably say that this Argentinean red was full of very dark fruit flavors softened with vanilla and rounded out with oak. In fact the Wall Street Journal said "For a deliciously different twist on this popular favorite (Malbec), we headed to Mendoza's ultra-fashionable, high-altitude Uco Valley and local star Jose Morales. He married his most sumptuous Malbec to smooth , plummy Merlot. Just wait until you taste the steak-ready results."
To me it just tasted really good even with a chicken dish.
One does wonder what it would be like with a big filet topped with blue cheese. Yum!
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