Time for another experiment!

This time it's a Malbec, the Lindemans Pinot Noir, and a boxed Merlot. The Malbec is a Don Miguel Gascon 2008 from Argentina's Mendoza wine region. I did another blind taste test and here is what I found:

First, I was not able to guess which wine was which. I had never tasted the Malbec before, but I got it and the Pinot Noir mixed up. (That means I guessed the Merlot correctly, though!) All three wines were very similar in color, with the Malbec perhaps a slightly more purplish dark red. The nose varied very slightly between the three, though I liked the smell of the Malbec the best--it almost had a hint of vanilla and nutmeg hiding in it. I had trouble describing the smell of the Merlot; all I could come up with was buttery garlic, but that's not quite right. The Pinot smelled somewhat sour (but not in a bad way), with a strong smell of alcohol, and a greenish, almost asparagus-like odor. All three wines had a very smooth taste and for some reason even seemed almost bland to me, which is odd because I normally think of Pinot Noirs as quite spicy. The most interesting flavor I noticed was that the Malbec had a distinctly tea-like taste, which is all the more odd because I originally found this Pinot Noir to have a tea flavor but I didn't notice that at all this time around.

No clear winner in this round. (Unless it's me!) All three wines get two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Lindemans Bin 99 Pinot Noir 2008 Australia

I was pleased to find that my local Party Factory carries Lindemans. I had enjoyed their Chardonnay that Carole gave me, and I was tempted to buy the same again but at this point am more interested in tasting what I haven't tried before, so I got their Pinot Noir instead.

This is a very pleasant wine, slightly sweet with a spicy finish. The bottle describes it as "juicy raspberry flavours with a soft finish" and the Lindemans web site says it has "sweet strawberry and spice flavours." I'm really not very good at distinguishing the flavors of specific fruits in a wine, but when I smell this wine I would lean more towards calling it a tart raspberry than a sweet strawberry, mixed in with almost a tea scent. You know, what it really smells like to me is Raspberry Zinger tea! And no, in case you were wondering, I am not in the habit of spiking my tea. But maybe I should be. It would certainly make for more interesting mornings.

Extra note: My second glass seemed to smell more like coffee or chocolate. (Not more like coffee or chocolate than like wine, but more like coffee or chocolate than like Raspberry Zinger tea). Not that this is a bad thing. There are certainly worse odors.