I was at work on the day that the newsletter came, but Kim and our friend Sharlou ran right out and brought back bottles of the Malbec and Merlot. When I got home, we tried both and were most impressed (Kim said that Tom had a worried look on his face when she took them to the counter; knowing our tastes, he wasn’t at all sure that we’d like these, but I guess we’re full of surprises.)

And speaking of surprises, imagine mine when I realized that I had these wines on the very shelves of the retail wine department that I'd only recently taken charge of! What’s more, I had two vintages of the Malbec, so I brought all four home, and we tried them again, one on one, over consecutive evenings. I don’t know about “blockbuster classed growth Bordeaux,” but these are certainly solid wines that perform very well at the prices listed.

2001 Salentein Mendoza Malbec, $18 – 19, 13.5% alc.: Ruby dark garnet, fading to pink at the rim; flavors and aromas show a bit of the barnyard and a kiss of sweet oak over black currant and blackberry, shaded with a hint of smoke and undertones of leather, tobacco and vegetal forest floor. There’s an earthy core of rich fruit here, and the wine shows none of the “plump” character of the ’03 Clos de los Siete; rather, it’s nicely structured and balanced, finishing fairly long, and making for a pleasurable glass of wine already, with the promise of at least a few years improvement down the road.

2002 Salentein Mendoza Malbec, $18 – 19, 14.5% alc.: Inky garnet in color, noticeably darker than the ’01, with a rich core of red and black currants and berries accented with some animal fur, earth, tar, a little underbrush and a note of chocolate; it shows more weight than the previous vintage, but again, stops short of the plumpness of the Clos de los Siete. Very smooth and lush, with deceptive structure, it opens quickly in the glass, becoming ever more harmonious, and like the ’01, shows promise for future development. I actually preferred the earlier model slightly; that one’s a little leaner, and comes off with a more honest personality (meaning it may have been a little less manipulated, or it may have simply been a slightly less productive vintage, although you couldn’t tell that from the following two selections).

2001 Salentein Mendoza Merlot, $18 – 19, 14.5% alc.: A deep dark garnet, fading to pink at the rim; not much nose at first, but the deep, muscular flavors feature a big smooch of oak over deep, dark berries and black currants, along with undertones of coffee and dark chocolate. Aromatics emerge slowly, echoing the flavors for a change, with an increasingly dominant note of sea air. Medium full to full bodied, with impressive concentration and structure, promising at least a few years of improvement, yet drinking very well already, finishing with good length, and if it’s not overly complex, what’s here is solid. Like all of the Salenteins, we tasted this thrice, with pretty consistent impressions; however, Kim was a little put off with the well – oaked nature of this one on the second go – round, and when we opened the third a week or so afterwards, I got a similar impression. It’d be interesting to see what a few years in the cellar would do to this.

2001 Salentein Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon, $18 – 19, 14% alc.: My favorite of these offerings from Salentein, this deep, dark garnet is a lean, mean claret machine, giving up a big, rich black currant and blackberry nose, with undertones of spicy sweet oak. It shows pure, rich Cabernet character, and as it opens, a note of cedar and hints of wood smoke emerge to add complexity and interest. Sleek, smooth, medium full to full bodied, with deceptive structure that bodes well for aging and development, and a long lovely finish, this is enjoyable now for its concentration and intensity, rather than the complexity that’s sure to develop with some time in the cellar. Tasted along side the Merlot, this is noticeably less overtly oaked than that wine, and indeed, it’s the one that I’ll lay down for a few years.

Salentein Wines imported by The San Francisco Wine Exchange, The San Francisco, CA

2002 Picchetti Mendocino Merlot Yorkville Highlands, $23.99, 14.2% alc.: Ruby garnet in color, this gives up a somewhat noncommittal nose of a little sweet oak, some red berries and currants and a hint of rotting vegetation that dissipates quickly. It’s something else in the mouth however, taking on a ripe, not – quite – candied character on a medium full bodied frame, showing plenty of red currant, raspberry and black cherry over an earthy base. Some moderate tannins should take this safely down the road for at least a few years, and some air definitely helps it now. The fruit is a bit sweeter than I usually care for, but I’ll be damned if I don’t like it anyway, since the earthy tannins provide the bass notes to anchor the wine solidly. With swirlatude, the aromatics gradually emerge to catch up with the flavors, all with just the right kiss of sweet oak. Good wine here, at a fair price, with enough going on for it to rise above the sea of insipid, wimpy Merlot coming out of California these days.

1999 Picchetti Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, $39.99, 14.1% alc.: Dark garnet from rim to rim, with a fair amount of sweet oak and cinnamon dominating the dark cherry – berry aromatics; things even out a little more on the palate, with black currants and berries coming to the fore, while the spicy wood plays a supporting role. Flavors show earthy undertones as well, with good structure and a fairly long finish. The oak gives the impression of being American in origin, and is stylistically somewhat reminiscent of the better – known neighbor further up the road on Monte Bello Ridge, if not so adroitly handled (this one also gives a hint of sour milk, an obvious oak by – product, which I’ve never detected in any Mr. Ridge). The deep, dark Cabernet character comes out more and more as the wine opens with air, with the oak receding in the flavors, and it becomes increasingly obvious that, while it continually improves, it’s nowhere near its optimum drinking window. All in all, there are more positives than negatives here, and I’d like to taste this again on its 10th birthday to see how it’s coming along and how well the oak integrates, but it’s a little overpriced for what’s in the bottle, IMO.

2000 Picchetti California Red Table Wine “Pavone,” $23.99, 14.1% alc.: Ruby dark garnet in color, with effusive sweet oak and sweet spice aromatics that are almost, but not quite menthol – like, over a variety of red currants, berries and cherries; flavors resonate and expand sans menthol on a medium full bodied frame, with some subtle brambly undertones, medium tannins, good acids and a fairly long finish. More oak than I care for at this point, but with substantial air, the rich fruit steps forth to assert itself over the retreating wood, so decant this for a spell, or sit on some for a few years, and decant it to allow the stink to blow off.  "Primarily a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot."

Reporting from Day-twah,