EAST COAST PALATE

Last night I went down to YES! on Georgia Avenue to open a couple bottles of good wine out of Argentina's Mendoza region.  I always have fun doing this kind of thing because I can talk to a lot of people about wine, and often I'm able to try something new. 

The 2009 San Telmo Esencia Torrontes:  this grape varietal is indiginous to Argentina, and can produce a wine that often has tropical fruit, citrus, or floral aromas.  This particular bottle fit exactly that profile for me.  Smelling it, there's an orange blossom component that jumps out.  There's also some heat on the nose coming from the 13.5% alcohol content.  The wine has a zing to it, a bite that is slightly bitter, as if I were biting into a flower petal.  Simultaneously there is a lush feel that it creates in the mouth and the finish allows the flavors to linger quite a while.  This wine gets 87 points from me, and it costs $9... I will be drinking more of this wine in the future.
The 2008 Terrazas de los Andes Malbec ($10) has a very floral aroma, as if there were a bouquet of lilies near me while my nose was in the glass.  The wine has a beautiful deep purple color, and with the flowery smells, there are prune and cherry notes that lend to this wine's alomst sangria-like fruity aroma.  The body of the wine is light.  It's not very tannic, and the fruit and berry flavors come through immediately, leading into a floral finish.  I'd prefer a Malbec with more structure, a little more "umph" to it, but for ten bucks it's not a bad bottle to pick up to take to a party.  I'll rate this wine an 84.  It's tasty, but I think people who prefer bigger bolder wine will be bore by this one.