It has been a little over two years now that I received membership to the Zagat Wine Club for my birthday. I am really enjoying their selections and have featured a few on this site. We received The Waxed Bat 2010 a few shipments back and what struck me first about it was the cool label and the unique name. When I saw the components of the blend I knew it would be a winner. This red is comprised of 80% shiraz, 10% petit verdot, and 10% malbec. All grape varietals that I love to drink! Once poured it has an extremely dark ruby color. It is almost purple in the center and fades to crimson at the edges. It is full bodied with a smoky, berry aroma. Each sip brings forward flavors of plum and blackberry and then moves to a nice bit of spice on the finish. There are very smooth tannins present and the alcohol content is 14%.
This particular wine was created by Rodolfo Opi Sadler who has earned the nicknames “the magician” and “master of Malbec” for producing award winning wines in Argentina. The Waxed Bat is produced and bottled by Andean Vineyards located in Mendoza, Argentina’s largest wine region. What I am loving about South American wines is that you can almost always get a great tasting, high quality bottle whether it be red or white and the values are phenomenal. I served The Waxed Bat with penne alla vodka and it worked pretty well but the ultimate pairings would be steak, barbecued meats, and hard or soft cheese.
