Virtually comfortable
April 27, 2008Tonight’s the night for electronic quaffing around the Web as we celebrate our comfort wines with the likes of Alder at Vinography and Joel at Wine Life Today. This post will be linked from a few other places, but let’s get on with the subject.The wine that’s evening out my odds at the moment is Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec 2005. I have a friend of long standing who is Argentina bound shortly, and tonight I offer a toast to his trip being safe and comfortable.
I first encountered this wine in a divey restaurant bar that retails it for about $6 a glass (close to the bottle price). This same joint offers a laughable $32 steak special and “Cajun” food right down to the turducken Thanksgiving special. It’s usually riven with Yankees fans, but it’s become a favorite meeting spot for me and one of my theater pals, who is part of the Red Sox Nation.
Although Malbecs can strut their satin stuff for the big bucks (face it, we all do), this one is humble but satisfying. A little plummy with some blackberry on the nose, the tannins have assertive structure but are not overpowering,. It spent 12 months in oak, but doesn’t sport the vanilla bombast that can result from careless winemaking. To add to the comfort zone, I suggest flannel pajamas, burrito leftovers and split pea soup with Tabasco as food pairings to savor.
That’s how we’re rolling tonight.
