Oh what a night of wine drinking

Had a bunch of good friends over last night to watch the Colts/Broncos game, among others, and we opened up a few bottles of wine. After a nice Ehrenfelser that I previously reviewed on my Mt. Boucherie post, we got into the red.

We started with the one on the left of this picture:

Bleasdale 2009 Tempranillo Malbec, Australia  $23.99

We've been looking for a good Malbec and I think we found it. OK, OK, not a pure Malbec, in fact it's 70% Tempranillo, but it's close enough right?

Vibrant and alive, with notes of berries, flowers and a touch of spice. The palate is warmly greeted with smooth hints of white chocolate and cherries. The finish is long and inviting. An excellent wine.

Rating: 89

After that, we moved from Australia to the Burgundy appellation of France, and a naughty little Pinot:

Louis Jadot 2009 Pinot Noir ($26.99, at BC Liquor Stores)

Aromas of cherry with just a hint of spice, this wine is on the dryer side with a nice balanced acidity and soft tannins. It paired brilliantly with the pea and asparagus risotto we were serving around the time this wine made it's appearance.

Rating: 90





And if that wasn't enough, we had to get into one more terrific bottle that I had purchased the day before from Sardis Park VQA:

Cedarcreek 2007 Platinum Meritage

A blend of the usual 5 grapes (77% Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon), this hard to find wine (in fact the 2009 vintage is sold out at the winery, so we didn't even get to taste it during our tour) was a perfect topper to a terrific evening. At $45 it's not cheap, but it's certainly worth the money.

The nose might notice a little coffee to go with the berries, and when this wine hits your palate, the black fruits and just the right amount of spice will deliver everything you want including a long, lingering finish. Remarkable.

Rating: 92