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Wine is Bottled Poetry Malbec was one of the original big red wine grapes of Bordeaux, though never as widely planted as some of the other grapes of the region like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Today, it is the premier grape of Argentina, the fifth largest wine producing country in the world. And, Argentine wines are taking the U.S. by storm. In 1995 less than 250,000 cases were imported into the United States; last year the number hit over 3 million, with the majority of it being Malbec. Malbec is a hearty red that is big! Big color, big aroma, big flavors. The Malbec grape loves the sun, and needs lots of it. The wine has sun
ripened flavors filled with plum, berries, currants and cassis, with hints of pepper and sweet spice that match well with dishes that the American palate loves, like Bar B-Q, grilled meats and spicy Mexican food. A new importer to the market building their business on Malbec, as well as some other favorites, is Bottled Poetry Imports. Started by former Dallas based investment banker Stewart Elliott Jr., Bottled Poetry focuses on importing high quality, small production and handcrafted Argentine wines from family owned wineries. The prominent region in Argentina producing wine is Mendoza, and the majority of Bottled Poetry’s wine comes from this beautiful section of the world. All of their client wineries are boutique in nature, producing from 300 to 5000 cases of wine a year, and all are family owned. The respect for family and tradition is prevalent in both the processes they go through with the wine, and the flavors that are produced. Latin heritage is forged with strong family bonds, and in the Argentine wineries everyone in the family is involved. Mr. Elliott t has already seen great success introducing these wines to some of Dallas’ best restaurants. Bob’s Steak and Chop, Steel, Ounce, Capital Grill, Tucker, and La Duni all carry selections from his growing portfolio. These great Dallas venues are recognizing the ease Bottled Poetry wines have pairing with their specific cuisines, as well as the quality that goes into making the wine Mr. Elliott imports. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Elliott, and the great delight to taste some of Bottled Poetry’s wine. My first question upon meeting Mr. Elliott was how he came up with the name, Bottled Poetry. In the 1880s, author Robert Louis Stevenson observed that “Wine is bottled poetry.” Mr. Elliott believes in this sentiment, enough to name his company after it. I personally have to agree. This is especially poignant because of Mr. Elliott’s deep passion for Argentine wine and the culture of the area. A frequent traveler to the country, and specifically the Mendoza region at the foot of the Andes Mountains on the west side of Argentina, he has fallen in love with the people, the country, the tradition and obviously the wine. We started our tasting with his whites. Bottled Poetry will only carry three whites in their portfolio, a Chardonnay, a Torrontes, and a Chardonnay/ Viognier blend. We were able to try them all. The Unoaked Lorca Fantasia Chardonnay was a beautiful honey color with lovely floral and honeysuckle aromas, and crisp tropical fruit flavors, like mango and pineapple with the slightest acidity on the palate. Since the wine does not touch oak it keeps a lively characteristic that is not weighted down with buttery flavors that oak often gives Chardonnay. The grape is truly the focus in this wine. The next white we tried was the Lorca Fantasia Torrontes. Torrontes is the signature white wine of Argentina and wow, what a nose. The Lorca Chardonnay was floral, but this Torrontes was like walking through the most delectable field of wild flowers. With strong floral aromas I expected a very sweet wine. Imagine my surprise to taste a dry, clean palate with a nice lingering finish. This would have been the perfect match to spicy Mexican or wasabi influenced Asian foods. The Cavas de Santos Chardonnay/ Viognier blend also had some floral undertones on the nose, but it was much softer and had elements of apricots and peaches as well. The blend is 60% Chardonnay and 40% Viognier. The Viognier grape is filled with light floral, apricot and peach undertones. Blended with the Chardonnay and then French Oak aged, this wine has rich with honey, peach and banana flavors, and a perfect blend of acidity and freshness. After our whites we moved to the lightest red of Bottled Poetry’s collection, the Bonarda grape. Bonarda is the most widely planted grape varietal in Argentina. The Huarpe Lancatay Bonarda was a perfect red to start with as it was relatively subtle in structure, to the point that it could be served chilled. There was a slight earthiness on the nose, along with plum and strawberry. The flavors were rich with spice and jammy plums. The Lancatay name is a salute to the Mendoza region, meaning “mountains.” We then moved on to some bolder wines, including a Las Perdises Cabernet Sauvignon, Las Perdises Reserva Blend, Lorca Poetico Cabernet Sauvignon and the Lorca Poetico Malbec. The Las Perdises Cabernet and Lorca Poetico Cabernet were probably my two favorites of the evening, and though they were both made from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape they were very very different. The Las Perdises is French and American Oak aged for 6 months, so it coated the inside of your mouth with velvety cassis and cherry flavors, with hints of spice and vanilla, maybe even a little tobacco. The Lorca Poetico on the other hand was subtle yet very supple and elegant. Though predominantly made from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, there is a bit of Malbec included in the wine to round out the edges a bit. The wine is aged for a year in French Oak, and almost a year in the bottle so the tannins in the wine are not as prevalent, which helps soften the flavors with silky smoothness on the palate. Poetico is a perfect name for this wine because it was like a poem, with a lyrical rhyme that sings in your mouth. The Las Perdises Reserva is a bold blend of Malbec, Syrah, Merlot and Bonarda, and is completely hand harvested from the family vineyards. Though predominantly made from the Malbec grape (70%,) the rest of the varietals add a structure and balance to the wine, as well as their special characteristics – like the earthiness of the Bonarda and the cherry hints of the Merlot, combined seamlessly with the plum and black fruit flavors of the Malbec. The wine is aged for 18 months in French and American Oak giving it incredible smoothness and hints of chocolate and vanilla. This wine does have some weight to it; it is definitely something that would pair well with roast lamb or a hearty steak. The Lorca Poetico Malbec did not disappoint either, with plum, violets and coffee aromas that then filled the palate with delicious ripe fruit. We finished our tasting with three very special wines, one from the winery that was voted the 2005 winemaker of the year Argentina, Huarpe, a Malbec made from 100 year old vines, and a very special limited production Malbec from Enrique Foster. The Huarpe 2003 Seleccion de Bodega is an exceptional blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec made from 85 year old vines. These old vines add structure, depth and power to the wine. La Lilas Malbec is made from 100 year old Malbec vines in the heart of Mendoza. This wine has slightly higher acid levels than some of the other selections we had, though not a deterrent. Concentrated dried cherry and sweet spice flavors were deep and long lasting. The Enrique Foster Limited Edition Malbec is a numbered, limited edition wine made from 80 year old Malbec vines. The French oak aged wine had an intense bouquet of cherries, cedar and a bit of anise, and the palate was complete black berry and cherry fruit. It was a superb representation of Malbec, with hearty structure and deep long lasting flavors. Throughout our tasting, Mr. Elliott expressed that the Argentine wine makers are truly artists; they love their wine and love making it, and think of each bottle produced is its own masterpiece. This is apparent in the selections we had. The enthusiasm the families Bottled Poetry works with is seen in the quality of wine produced. The focus on tradition and terrior (focusing creation on a combination of the soil, the slope of the land, the climate and the grape) make these small production wineries stand out. The good news for all of us is that they are also very affordable, ranging from around $10 to $100 a bottle, retail. Some of these selections can be found at select specialty wine stores around Dallas including Pogo’s at Lovers and Inwood, Goody Goody on Oaklawn, Vino 100 on McKinney Ave, and Mr. G’s in Plano. Wine Wise: Cheers,
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