I’ve had a couple of really good wines recently, which I want to record here for my own recollection in the future.  All of these were at home, not at a restaurant, including one at the home of a gracious professional colleague and friend.

Last week we paired the 2008 Crios de Susanna Balbo, a Malbec from Mendoza, with some pasta a l’Arabiatta, which was delicious.  It was a medium-weight, fruity, flavorful one that went really well with the spice.  A really good value, too, if / when you can find it in the store.

Last Friday, our host served a number of great wines, but for me the best was the 2003 Ernie Els Stellenbosch, which was just terrific. I pegged it as a 7-8 year old meritage without looking at the label, just smelling and tasting the wine, and that ended up being fairly accurate.  You could really taste the blackberries, and it was at perfect maturity.  Perfectly smooth and balanced.  I have to buy some of this wine for myself, it was awesome.

Finally, last night Alli and I grilled some awesome Wagyu steak, and paired it with a 2004 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino.  We decanted it for an hour or two before dinner, which turned out to be a good call, as it shined once aerated.  It wasn’t as punch as I expected, and a little lighter, but with a stellar lingering finish.  Yum 😉

I have to say, though, the other 2004 Argiano, the Solengo (which I previously blogged about), was a little bit better.  Both of them deserve the high ratings, both are balanced, but the Solengo had the front-end punch to go along with the finish.  I’d love to buy another couple of bottles of that.

The Wagyu steak, by the way, was delicious.  We bought it freshly butchered (as in, cut before our eyes…) from a bigger chunk at The Butcher Shop in the South End.

So… Great wines from Argentina, South Africa, and Italy this week.  Can’t complain 😉