It’s kind of cool…for the past several days, we’ve been tasting and writing about wines from places other than California.  It’s amazing to sip wines from Spain, Italy, France, South Africa, Australia. . .and other wine growing regions.  This blog has helped us expand our tastes, grow our library of wines and improved our abilities to sample and note good wines and not-so-good wines!

On a separate note, just when we thought it was safe to go into the water–because it was getting warm and that’s what we DO this time of year–Mother Nature threw a curve ball at us today with a windy, blustery day and falling temperatures.  When Jean got ready for an early trip into Austin this morning, the temperature was 66 degrees…when Brian got ready for work and trekked to the office, the temperature was 59 degrees, and when we both checked the temperature prior to starting tonight’s blog, it was 49 degrees with a forecast of 39 in our part of the world.  We laugh because we’re chilled, but we know that August isn’t that far away and neither is the high temperatures that comes with the dog days.  So, we’re content to listen to the howling wind, see the clouds moving at a blistering pace, and know that it’s going to be chillier than normal for a couple of days.  Uncomfortable?  You bet.  Can we live with it?  Without a question!

And so 120 days from today will be Day 364–which means we’ll be on the eve of our final blog in our year long quest.  We anticipate a very fast summer, so if we stop and sound a little nostalgic…it’s only because we’re still not believing how fast the year has gone by.  To complicate matters is tonight’s wine is a 2011 Tilia. . .oh, it’s from Argentina!  Oh, it’s a MALBEC!  Yeah, we know, but this wine has some chops.  This wine is LESS than $10 a bottle and is rated at 90 points by Robert Parker.  Let us be perfectly clear. . .a $10 bottle of wine—from Mendoza, Argentina. . . .90 points!  How is this possible???  The 2011 Tilia Malbec, from Eastern Mendoza and Uco Valley aged in oak for six to nine months; has an attractive, comparatively complex bouquet of blackberry, crushed stone and black pepper. The palate is medium-bodied with tense, edgy tannins on the entry that counterpoise the tight ball of blackberry, briary and minerals with style. This is an excellent wine for the money.  What we like is this Tilia Malbec has a dark, blackish purple color. The nose offers ripe black fruits, black pepper spice and floral notes. The mouthfeel is full yet soft and supple, with black raspberry and currant flavors mingled with notes of sweet spice and a touch of leather. The finish is long and persistent with soft, sweet tannins.

Yep. . .the weather may change in five minutes around here but finding a 90 point Argentine Malbec under $10 a bottle and we’ll call the deal even.  Bundle up. . .if that’s your choice or turn on the furnace on LAST time, but stay warm and enjoy your favorite wine responsibly, and remember to recycle whenever possible.