Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Wine Review: Alamos 2008 Malbec


"Dude... you gotta smell this stuff."

"Oh man! That's the chronic!"

"Damn straight... This is some serious stuff."

"Yo. When we gonna hit that bud?"

"Woah man - I ain't your bud."

"No dude... when are we gonna hit that bud... you know, that ganja?"

"Dude... this isn't weed. It just smells like it."

Yep. Alamos' 2008 Malbec is crafted from grapes in Argentina; is available in most grocery stores; has a pretty purple color; and, yes... it smells like ganja.

No... this has nothing to do with the fact that I tried this wine on 4/20.

Let's cut straight to the chase here... I poured this stuff in the glass, swirled it a bit and took a sniff. My first reaction was "oh that's awkward... what is that smell?" And then it came to me. A green cloud enveloped me and I was transported back to those crazy heady days in college... We were on the road, in my '79 Chevette... where we were headed didn't really matter. We would just enjoy the drive. Tom Petty crackled through in mono on the AM radio. A cigarette butt smoldered in the ashtray. And the car... well, it stunk. It stunk like the worst kind of seeds and stems and funky green herb you ever smelled. A reeking ganja stench - pungent and stale - is forever infused in the fabric of that little death trap of a car. And it will remain in my memory forever.

Yep. That's what this smelled like. I literally took a whiff and said "dude... smells like ganja." This stuff is very earthy... very herby... very crunchy.

So what about the taste? Well the mouthfeel is fairly good. It is a wee bit astringent and acidic. Overall this wine lacks the kind of fruit flavors I like to note - but does have a bit of blackberry and cassis coming through the herb. Primarily the palate is assaulted with tobacco and herb. The finish is rather short and has a green, somewhat limey zing.

CONCLUSION

Pass this one up. The whole ganja lime zing is extremely awkward.

2.5 of 5 glasses



1 comment:

  1. **NOTE - I want to clarify the whole ganja thing. It DID reek like mary jane when I had it last night. I corked the bottle after tasting. When I got home today I uncorked and let the wine sit to breathe a few more hours. I just took another whiff. The weed stink is gone. There is a rather sweet, grape-juicy smell to this wine now. The flavor has also improved. Though it is not particularly exciting, at least it is no longer offensive.

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