The blend: 58% tempranillo, 29% merlot, 13% cabernet sauvignon
Why you should buy it: ‘Cuz it’s made from the best of the best grapes from Julian Chivite’s Senorio de Arinzano winery in Aberin (Navarra region).
What it tastes like: The black fruit comes at you and comes at you hard. There’s a smokiness to it as well, along with some hints of licorice.
What to serve it with: A Portobello mushroom burger prepared on a barbecue (click here for a recipe)
Say this and sound smart: The Senorio de Arinzano estate was designed by famed architect Rafael Moneo, the man behind the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.
The price: $47
Imbiber rating: 90
Don Miguel Gascon Malbec 2006
The blend: 100% Malbec
What you should know about it: It’s made in Argentina, and Malbec is the single most important grape in Argentina.
What it tastes like: There's coffee, cherry, plum and blueberry flavor in there.
What to serve it with: It’s a versatile wine that pairs well with virtually anything.
Say this and sound smart: The Malbec grape arrived in Argentina from France in 1852
The price: $12
Imbiber rating: 88
Tenuta di Arceno PrimaVoce 2004
The blend: 85% merlot, 15% cabernet sauvignon
Why you should buy it: Because the ’04 merlot grape
crop in Tuscany was exceptional. The PrimaVoce is a
Super Tuscan, and super things are cool. Superman.
Super Bowl. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. See
what I mean?
What it tastes like: Have you ever enjoyed a Right
Bank Bordeaux? This tastes like one of those. Think
chocolate-covered cherries on a bed of roses.
What to serve it with: Sausage. Lots and lots of
sausage. I’m talking “crowd at a UFC championship
fight” amounts of sausage.
Say this and sound smart: “PrimaVoce means ‘first
voice’ in an opera.”
The price: $20
Website: www.tenutadiarceno.com
The grape: Take a guess.
Why you should buy it: Because malbecs made in America (this one’s from Monterey County) are a rare breed indeed, and Lockwood’s inaugural vintage knocked our socks off. The lesson here – don’t buy cheap socks. Get the good ones with the strong elastic.
What it tastes like: Blueberries sprayed with firm tannin sauce (if such a thing existed).
What to serve it with: We had the Lockwood malbec with a grilled cheese sandwich and it was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Say this and sound smart: The idea that palladium or titanium might catalyze fusion stems from the special ability of these metals to absorb large quantities of hydrogen (including its deuterium isotope), the hope being that deuterium atoms would be close enough together to induce fusion at ordinary temperatures.
The price: $14
Website: www.lockwood-wine.com
RED by St. Francis 2004
Why you should buy it: Because it's a really tasty table wine at a great price. Plus, it's got a cool label ... twelve of them, actually.
The blend: 60% merlot, 29% cabernet sauvignon, 7% cab franc, 4% zinfandel
What it tastes like: It's got a strong red wine quality to it
What to serve it with: Braised short ribs, pasta puttanesca, pizzetta, lasagna. Perfect for a laid-back dinner with friends.
Say this and sound smart: Having the fewest wants, I am nearest to the gods.
The price: $13
