Wines by Jennifer - Wine Tasting Selections

Parkville, Missouri 64152

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"March Madness - Americas Regional"

Week of March 10th, 2009

Wines by Jennifer's "Road to the Surviving Six"

Our March Madness tournament kicks off this week with the Americas Regional, featuring six great wines from North and South America battling it out for two spots (one white and one red will advance) in the Surviving Six. Here's how they got here:

Wine #1: The Russian River is home to some of California's great Chardonnays, the best known white grape in the state. Although one of the upstart oak bombs competed valiantly for this spot, in the end, the crisp, clean, unoaked Chard was the hands-down winner in California.

Wine #2: Argentina's Torrontes was relatively unchallenged in its path to this week's regional. As the undisputed signature white of Argentina, only a late run by the Chilean Chardonnay made the final score respectable in this South America white sub-regional.

Wine #3: In a mild upset, Oregon's Pinot Gris emerged as the victorious white from the Pacific Northwest over Washington Riesling. Taste this one and you'll understand why!

Wine #4: This Pacific Northwest red sub-regional was never really close. On the strength of its excellent 2007 vintage, Oregon Pinot Noir handily defeated a gutty but out-manned Washington Merlot - sorry Merlot, maybe next year.

Wine #5: In a well-contested Andean sub-regional battle with Chile's Carmenere, Mendoza's Malbec earned the right to advance from South America, but with stiff red competition at the Americas Regional, is the party nearly over for Malbec?

Wine #6: Much to the dismay of the home crowd, Mendocino Zin pulled the biggest shocker out West by ousting the first seed Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon on its home floor of Mt. Veeder. Stay tuned to see if Men-Zin (as they've affectionately become known) has what it takes for a title run.

And there you have it - the story behind the six wines that made it through to the Americas Regional. Now it's up to you to come in anytime this week and help us choose the two that will advance to the Surviving Six.

Be sure to follow the tournament with our online bracket, and remember, the more you taste, the better your odds of being the big winner!

Made in the Russian River Valley, this Chardonnay is fermented in 100% stainless steel. This wine is a nice, pale straw color. It has aromas of freshly harvested apples with essences of honey and fig. The flavors are that of a rich, crisp Golden Delicious apple, with flinty mineral notes and a hint of butter. Surprisingly full-bodied for an unoaked Chardonnay, this characteristic came from natural, partial malolactic fermentation from the wild yeast that was on the grapes when they were harvested. Serve this 2006 vintage with roast chicken, or lobster with drawn butter if you are feeling decadent!

Made from Argentina’s signature white grape, this 2008 Mendoza Torrontes is fragrant and heady with aromas of lanolin, honey, peach, apple, banana, lemon and hay bale. This vibrant, unoaked, clean and muscular wine has flavors of peach, pear, banana, star fruit, lemon, honey and nuts, and has a long, dry, zesty finish.

Yellow gold with beautiful emerald highlights, the initial aromatics of this 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Gris are redolent of ripe citrus fruits, acacia flowers, tropical fruits (mango, papaya and kiwis) and lychee. With more time in the glass, powdered sugar, honeysuckle, nectarine and pineapple notes all add to the overall aromatic complexity. The concentrated attack is balanced by ripe acidity that gives classic Oregon Pinot Gris proportions to the wine. The lasting impression is a wine of great power, richness and length balanced by ripe acidity and structure. This wine will drink wonderfully for the next two years.

Defiantly reclusive and Burgundian, this Willamette Valley winemaker consistently makes what is among not only the best Pinot Noir in Oregon, but also the most age-worthy. The usual wild cherry and dusty rose flavors are back again in the 2007 vintage, bigger and more concentrated than usual, but somehow not the least bit cloying or out of balance. Some fairly chewy tannin starts to emerge from the medium-full body on the long, subtly spiced finish, making for very pleasant drinking now with a little decanting, but as usual at least two years of cellaring will be richly rewarded.

This 2007 Mendoza Malbec is a vibrant, dark, ruby-red color, with aromas of red cherries, raspberries, and blueberries wafting from the glass, along with notes of soft caramel from the oak. On the palate, the fresh berry flavors mingle with spice notes in the finish. This creamy, full-bodied and well-structured wine is incredibly full of life. Goes great with everything from hamburgers and chicken to pasta and mild cheeses.

Some of California's most distinctive Zinfandels come from the Redwood Valley in southern Mendocino County, and it was largely on the strength of those wines that Redwood Valley finally became an AVA in 1996. This 2005 Zin comes from ten different Zinfandel vineyards scattered throughout the hillsides of Mendocino County, many of which are still farmed by 3rd and 4th generation Italian-Americans. This vintage displays a rich, dark purple garnet color and deep aromas of raspberry, wild strawberry, spicy white pepper and hints of toasty oak. Uplifting flavors of ripe raspberry and earth combine to give this full-bodied Zinfandel a generous mouth feel. Rich, full tannins and mouthwatering acidity dance across the palate into a long, lingering, elegant finish.

For more specific information on these great wines, or to taste for yourself, stop by the Tasting Room at Wines by Jennifer this week. We look forward to seeing you!