2006 Tilia
Mendoza Argentina
Malbec Syrah
13.5% ALC by VOL

This 2006 Malbec Syrah would be a good addition to your wine cellar. Try a bottle with a hearty meat dish. Have a few friends over and let them sample a glass of this fine wine. As you are soaking in the compliments you are getting about this selection, casually mention my name and this website.

I have always liked Petite Syrah. This wine is 50% Malbec and 50% Syrah. It is dark purple in color and has lots of fruit. It also has a light taste of oak that is very pleasant. If it is possible, it is both fruity and dry. Don’t confuse fruity with sweetness as the two are different. The taste was dark cherries and plum. The retail cost per bottle is only $8.49. I bought a bottle on the recommendation of my wine retailer. I had the wine with roast beef, although you could probably have this wine with any meat dish including pot roast, steak or buffalo burgers. The following week I went back and got more and was able to get it for $7.23. How is that you ask? I got a case at the $8.49 retail price and got a 15% discount from the wine retailer. Now, since I got a case, it should tell you something about the wine and how much I liked it. What is unusual about that case of wine is that I still have some of the case left. I am saving it for special times.

As stated at the top of the review, this wine is from Argentina. The last wine that I sampled which had the Malbec grape was from Chile. I would say that the Malbec is primarily a South American grape. Although it had its beginnings in France - it is a varietal of Bordeaux. I say that Malbec is a South American grape since most of the grape root stock that was in France got destroyed because of the little phylloxera that attacked the grape vines of that time. Luckily some of the Malbec root stock was exported out of France to other countries before the phylloxera outbreak. (Phylloxera are insects that are related to aphids that feed on the roots of grape vines. The phylloxera almost wiped out all of the grape vines in Europe.)

Although I have not read anything about this wine I would say that you could buy a case and keep it around for 2 or 3 years. It needs to be properly cellared and stored horizontally in a cool, dark place. To me it is one of those wines you would grab when you had company coming over for roast beef on the rotisserie and wanted to serve a really nice red wine that you could be proud of.

From the back label: “Tilia, the Latin name for Linden, is a traditional tree throughout the wine country of Mendoza. For generations, local vineyard workers have used its flowers to make a relaxing herbal tea after a long day’s work among the vines. Tilia Malbec Syrah is made from grapes grown on the eastern slopes of the pre-Andean mountains of Mendoza. At the winery, the grapes are sorted and chosen by a group of eighteen trained winery staff before they are pressed into each Tilia cuvee’. This wine is excellent with grilled meats, full flavored pasta and roasted mushroom dishes.

It is imported by Billington Wines, Springfield, VA.

Until next time, let me know what is on your mind, and how you are doing, O.K.?

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Jim Fortune - Bella Online Wine Guy