I recently wrote about some of the Trapiche Wines. The Extra Brut and Torrontes here at Gabe's View and the varietal Malbec in a recent column for Bullz-eye. I had a second look at those wines and several others recently when I had occasion to taste them with Winemaker Daniel Pi.
Trapiche hosted a luncheon at BLT Burger in Manhattan and a number of their wines were served. The NV Extra Brut served as an excellent welcome wine. In addition to setting a celebratory mood, tasting it again underscored what a terrific value in sparkling wine it is. Next up was the Torrontes and it was paired alongside a spicy appetizer that featured potato, cheese and jalapeno among other ingredients. The counterbalance of these flavors is the sort of sweet spot folks dream of when they think up wine pairings. And again as I detailed in my earlier review, this wine is an excellent value.
Daniel Pi has been the winemaker for Trapiche since 2002. As we tasted through the wines, his exuberance and passion screamed through. Trapiche being an Argentine producer, Malbec is of course a major focus. The first was the 2008 varietal Malbec. With the amount of flavor it provides at its price point this offering should be a contender for anyone looking for a house wine to open without guilt any day of the week. The Trapiche 2007 Broquel Malbec is a a few steps up in complexity from the varietal Malbec. For several dollars more you're getting a more intense experience. This wine is made in a cuvee style by sourcing fruit from all over Argentina. The Broquel served as a great comparison to my favorite wine of the day, the Trapiche Single Vineyard Malbec Viña Federico Villafañe 2006. This offering was delicuous, complex and yes singular. More importantly than that it showcased the fact that site specific Malbec can be as compelling and important as other varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon which often get much more attention for single vineyard efforts. This is no small thing. Vineyard specific wines are often the selections that compete so to speak on the grand stage as the best in the world. Malbec deserves a place on that stage and efforts like this pave the way for Malbec to not only be a hot varietal (it is) but to also get more and more serious and deserved critical acclaim.
BLT Burger was an excellent choice to show off the Trapiche wines. The starters, side dishes and procession of 6 different burgers with a variety of preparations and toppings suited these wines well. The diversity of the burgers demonstrated how versatile these wines are and how they pair with the sorts of foods many Americans eat on a day in and day out basis. Burgers were the order of the day, but the red wines would just as easily paired with a slice of pizza, dish of pasta or Thanksgiving Dinner for that matter. Trapiche makes a wide range of wines at different price points. The commonalities are quality and value. Whichever of their wines you choose to try, you'll be getting a good deal with Trapiche.