Wine of the Week: 2010 Tikal Patriota

“Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They’re hallmarks of a pretentious ass.” – David Ogilvy

That's good advice and part of the reason why you'll never see me using words like those to describe the great wines I find, wines that give the consumer [vino-sapiens like me] a real bang for the buck like the one above.

Now about this fantastic wine from Mendoza, I really enjoyed the 2010 vintage so much more than their 2009, making the case for vintage variation. But that said, this 2010 which you will find in good abundance at places like Costco here in San Diego, selling for just under $17 is a terrific value. I scored this wine 90 points, this is that Tuesday wine you've been looking for, so get after it.

It's a delightful blend of Malbec and 40% Bonarda. Right now you may be thinking uh, what the bleep is Bonarda, one thing for sure it's not a grape found in the ordinary everyday vernacular of the garden-variety vino-sapiens. It's an Italian grape that found a home in Argentina. If you like to read more about it, just click here.

This wine has a lot to offer but is best uncorked the day before and left in the pantry overnight with the cork out [trust me]. You find that this wine has some chalk [picture a couple old-school erasers being beaten together], it has some pretty hardy tannins and it does an earthy and black licorice thing, while at the same time slapping you alongside the head with crates of ripe blueberry and blackberry pie character, full-bodied and a lively finish.

So you want to do some pairing, huh, okay I can make a recommendation in that department as well. You could go for things like barbecue ribs, elk-burger, and fries So as you can see from this description, this wine is a smooth wine pairing champ, the sky is the limit nearly. Until next folks remember to sip long and prosper cheers!