Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Bodega Don Cristobal 2007 1492 Red (Argentina)

Every time I see a bottle like this for this price, I think about where I live (in Ontario) and my ass gets sore. Let me explain. A few weeks ago I walked into Champane Wine Cellars in Michigan, and asked my buddy Dave about this email I received from the store, something about recession buster wine for as little as $1.99 ... I thought to myself, "a bottle of wine for a buck ninety-nine, it's gotta be the worst crap on the planet." So Dave walked me over to the section where cut-boxes of wine sat on wheeled steel racks, he admitted that some stuff was not the best, especially on the real low end, but they went to some of their suppliers and were able to get some considerably good deals, especially at the high end of these recession wines (they top out at $3.99). This one, he told me, delivered big 'oh' for little dough. And you know what, I agree. It's a 50% Merlot, 35% Bonarda, 15% Sangiovese blend, that delivers quite a pleasant punch. The nose was intriguing with floral, blueberry, blackberry, sweet vanilla and spice; while the palate offered the simplicity of blackberry and spice notes along with some tannin bite. I'd even be tempted to lie this one down for a few years just to see what happens - heck, it's only $3.99. So why does my ass hurt when I see wine like this at these prices? Because I did some checking on the LCBO website and saw the same company's 2008 Verdelho for $12.95, and I just know the red has gone through at some point around the same price point ... I think you can now make the connection as to why a certain part of my anatomy hurts. Cheers.

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