Joyce Barbara | Torrontés, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina

Tasting Notes: (Nicholas Kalavidas) Powerful may not be the best descriptor for what is obvious when first approaching this wine….but it certainly is.

 Tropical floral aromatics, distinctly unique from ‘muscats’, viognier & gewürztraminer as wines from the ‘floral’ family.

One thing that stood out each time approaching this wine was that it took me directly to my childhood in Los Angeles having a picnic in a park and smelling my first cream soda from a bottle before the first sip.

Not to be compared to a ‘cream soda’, but the concentration of sweet fruit jumps out of the glass.  Perfumed lemon, tangelo and lime melding with vanilla and gravenstein apples.

The viscosity and roundness on the palate remind me of oiled perfumes (with a much softer presentation than the pungent aromas associated with them).

The intensity of the aromatic profile draws you back into the glass over and over as though you might be missing some of the excitement in this glass of wine, like every sip is the first sip……like a first kiss over and over again.

Round, juicy, with a sufficient acidic structure to carry the tropical notes through a lingering & long palate experience.

If I were to say that “This is a food wine”, it would be an understatement.  This Torrontes is built to stand up to fairly strong spice and aromatic food accents (although I would certainly ‘dress down’ a BBQ’d hamburger with it!).

A versatile wine that aligns as well from oysters to couscous, from lemon chicken to calamari steak with lemon-basil or creamy chipotle sauce.

Something that cannot be avoided in this wine is the lingering aromas in your sinus cavity long after you drink it down.  Elegant, powerful, luxurious.