2006 Kokomo Malbec Windsor Oaks Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (4) Median Score: 89 points

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  4/19/2010 - golfwine wrote: 91 Points

  I loved this, my final bottle of '06! Pining for something Cali-typical (read: fruit-forward with uncomplicated, ease of appeal), I popped this with our Chicken Parm-"light" (panko-crusted w/diced tomatoes)...and from the first sip, it had me smiling ear-to-ear. Though the fruit in this bottle was a tad sweeter than those prior, since I was in the mood for that, the nice medium acidity and mid-length tannins, made this a great glass of juice. Oh, to have four or twelve more bottles around...
  By the last glass (over 4hrs. in) the fruit sweetness was tamed and the balanced acidity carried the mid-palate nicely. Coupled with round, well-integrated tannins, it made for an amazingly full, rich (almost creamy) and amazing wine. With this; my experience w/Chalk Hill Winery's Cab/Malbec; and, the notable inclusion of the varietal in Lancaster's Cabs, it is my opinion that this AVA is sitting on a proverbial (and far under-appreciated) Malbec Gold Mine! IMHO, the potential of this varietal from this area, is what AVA's are made of.

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  2/5/2010 - golfwine wrote: 88 Points

  Just a solid bottle of wine with great aromatics and a straigtforward though abundantly pleasing flavor profile (see my previous notes). That said, it seems to have lost a tad of it's complexity but that likely had more to do with the fact that it followed a very layered and abundantly hedonistic '04 Livingston Moffet Gemstone Vyd. Cab.
  ...I'm excited to try the '07, which is awaiting my pickup at the winery, as I write!

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  3/15/2009 - golfwine wrote: 90 Points

  This outstanding Malbec is both varietally correct, as well as bold in it's attempt to establish this area as a formidable producer of this varietal (interestingly enough, the first Cali Malbec-influenced wine of note that I'd had prior, was Chalk Hill Winery's Cab/Malbec, which was inordinately influenced by the phenomenal yet only 10% or so of the varietal in the blend). This wine has an almost intimidatingly dark purple hue and thick appearance. The initial aromatics are a combination of the Argentinian minerality and a Rhone-like earthiness. Fortunately, the palate impression is so much more of the latter and almost none of the former. Had I not been exposed to a horrendous example of French Malbec (see my review of the 2004 Domaine La Grange Tiphaine Cot Touraine Vieilles Vignes), this wine is what I'd imagine/expect from a true Francofied version. An unctuously rich mouthfeel and a firm yet focused acidity that indicates this wine's potential both on the table and for the long haul. I could drink this wine every day.
  (I'm a professed fan of this somewhat fledgling winery. Had I only tasted their '06 Syrah and this wine, I'd have heralded Eric as a midas-touch, genious. I'd have to criticize him for two things, however - too many offerings and too-limited marketing efforts.)

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