Keltehue Winemaker's Select Red 2008

By Chris and Sherry Hardie
The Mendoza wine region is as important to Argentina as California is to the U.S. wine industry.
There are some 1,500 wineries in Mendoza, which produces 70 percent of the country's wine from the shadows of the Andes Mountains to the west. The dry climate and irrigated vineyards allow for more precise control of the grape harvest.
This offering from the Don Manuel Villafane winery - which dates to the 1600s - is a blend of 40 percent tempranillo, 40 percent sangiovese and 20 percent malbec grown at 2,600 feet above sea level. It's an earthy and husky wine with red fruit flavors that finishes dry and spicy.
Sherry: "Dry and peppery with black cherry and raspberry flavors." 3 stars
Chris: "Black licorice notes, raspberry and cherry flavors, a hint of cocoa and a spicy bite." 3-1/2 stars
Available locally for about $9.
Coming next week: Hogue Gewurztraminer