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Put Some Altitude in Your Glass
7: Malbec Tasting Part 2: Colorado Grape Grower of the Year
Feb 21, 2018
7: Malbec Tasting Part 2: Colorado Grape Grower of the Year
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FULL TRANSCRIPT
0:00
[singing] There's a reason why they watch us all night long. Oh, Paul, this is the old school stuff right now. [singing] Yeah, no more circus. Oh, yeah.
0:08
[laughs] This is the stuff that you'll be listening to on Cha Cha's Back in the Day Cafe, hopefully within the next week, Paulie. [laughs] I'm getting it all ready. I got my fingers crossed. [laughs] Woo.
0:16
We're gonna go back in the day. We're gonna throw it down, but right now we're talking about wine. Yeah. It's Denver Wine Radio here on Mile High Sports. I'm Paul Bonequisti. Cha Cha Chavez with me.
0:27
John Garlich from Bookcliff Vineyards in Boulder. Hey. Yeah. The winery's in Boulder. The, the vineyards are in Palisade, Colorado, and, uh, he makes great wine. Hey, and, uh, a little bit about Bruno Mars real quick.
0:40
What? This song, if you've ever seen the video, they did the... They just released it, you know, a couple of weeks ago with, with Cardi B, did the remix with Cardi B. Oh, yeah. Yeah, the one where it- And it-...
0:48
looks like it's on Arsenio? Yeah. It looks like- Yeah... it's in, it's like a throwback to- Yeah... In Living Color. Yeah, In Living Color. And- That's right...
0:54
yeah, so, uh, so Judy and I, we were listening when it, kept listening with the kids and stuff, and we were like, "Wow, I hear..." And there was all these songs. These are the songs that, uh, kind of- These samples?
1:04
No, I don't know that I would call them samples, it's more like influence- Okay... to me. Yeah. So the first time we heard it, we kept hearing Ain't Too Proud to Beg from TLC. Right.
1:12
And then, um, She's Playing Hard to Get- Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah... from High 5. High 5, yeah. I still kinda hear that one in there. I do hear that one. Um, I hear On Your Own from Bobby Brown.
1:21
I, yep, I hear Bobby Brown in there. And then, uh, Remember the Time from Michael Jackson. Ah, I hear it. I mean, you just listen to the beat- Absolutely...
1:28
and, um, well- And you know, when he won the Grammy, uh, just a couple of months ago, I mean, what was it? In, uh, when were the Grammys? Just, like, uh- Like, a few weeks ago, right? Yeah, a couple weeks ago.
1:37
Um, he gave props to all the '90s, like Teddy Riley and New Edition and all those groups that he grew up listening to, and his music is so reflective of that. Oh, yeah. Yeah, he's, he's phenomenal, so.
1:48
He's, he's, he's a '90s artist today. Yes. Yeah. I, I, I'd say yes, definitely. Yeah. So. Yeah. Hey, all right. So, um, let's get back to tasting some wine. [laughs] All right. All right.
1:59
Hey, so I mentioned, uh, um, John, you're the, uh, you were awarded the Grape Grower of the Year. Yeah. That's- Which is very cool, and that's from the Colorado Association of Vintners and Enologists.
2:09
That's our organization we call CAVE here in, uh, Colorado. Kind of represents all, all of the wineries- Yeah... and growers in Colorado. Yeah.
2:16
We're nominated by o- fellow industry members, and then, uh, the board itself decided, uh, who was worthy, and we really appreciate the honor. That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Do you get a big an- a big award with a grape?
2:28
Um, no. No grape. Uh- Okay. It's just a- But you, you have a little statue or something? It's a big, a big thing of plexiglass. Oh, okay. Yeah. [laughs] Well, still, that's awesome. That's awesome.
2:36
Congratulations to you. And it's engraved. Thank you. Thank you. It's engraved, so- It's eng- yeah... auspicious... right on. [laughs] But, uh- Right on... yeah, it's cool.
2:43
I mean, uh, we all need to pat each other on the back and, uh, support each other. You know, we just need to get, uh, points on the board for everybody. We do. Right. Exactly. Absolutely.
2:52
Ab- And that, and that's- Absolutely... and that's why I'm here. That's why we're here. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I, I'm, I'm banging the drum, man. Yeah. There's, uh, there's great wine in Colorado, and, uh, it's time- Oh, yeah...
3:01
it's time we get our due. Yeah. No, it, it, if you want a, a great deal in the store, go to the Colorado section, 'cause, uh, we're not, uh, hyped yet. [laughs] Once we're discovered, you, you guys are gonna have to pay.
3:11
That's right. [laughs] Right. Right. As, uh, which goes back to Cha, when you said, "Hey, why is a bottle $300?" I mean- Yeah.
3:19
What- I mean, a lo- it's, it's, it's hi- a lot of it is hype, and, um, you know, and sure, uh, there's, there's, um, regions around the world that are known.
3:28
Uh, they've developed really good reputations for the grapes they grow, and, uh, and it's a supply and demand thing. Right. So. And it goes back generations and- Oh, yeah Oh, yeah... yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
3:37
So- No, we're just starting here in Colorado- Yeah Mm-hmm... but I think we're, we're progressing pretty fast. Yeah.
3:41
We've had a lot of winemakers from around the country visit us this past year, and, uh, in fact, we brought one on. We have a new winemaker.
3:48
I'm gonna slowly retire, fade into the, the woodwork, but, uh, so, and, uh, Richard McDonald's gonna take over for us. He's a winemaker out of Napa. Nice. Wow. Yeah.
3:59
And, uh, and then we've had a lot of people, like I say, come check out Colorado. Word's kinda getting out there with the, the pros, and so it's kinda cool to see. That's very cool.
4:10
Yeah, and the, and the, uh, Wine Enthusiast article. Yeah. Yeah, top 10- Right... getaways in the world, uh, right here in our backyard, Palisade, Colorado, Grand Valley. Yeah.
4:19
I mean, if you like wine and you live in Denver, why haven't you been yet? For sure. [laughs] Definitely. Why haven't you been to Boulder? Come on. [laughs] Yeah. Just to your, your place, so. Right. All right.
4:29
So we're tasting Malbec today, National Drink Wine Day, and, uh, we've already been through, uh, two out of, uh, four. We tried, uh, the Cahors Malbec from France.
4:40
Uh, we also tried, uh, Bookcliff Vineyards', uh, Colorado Malbec, and now we're moving on to an Argentinian Malbec, and, um, I can't remember- Tapas... the level from here. Oh, okay. Yeah.
4:51
So, uh, Mendoza area, so great for Malbec. Um, and yeah, it's kind of similar to the others, but it, uh, has its own personality. Sure does.
5:02
Yeah, as soon as I smell it, uh, this one has a, a, a good dosing of oak, um, compared to the last two- Yeah... is what I smell right away. Yeah. I can smell the dosing of oak too. Very good.
5:16
You're- [laughs] You're advancing quickly. [laughs] And it, yes, and this color would look good in your hair as well. It would. That's a nice highlight. No, this is a great nail polish color, okay? Oh, yeah.
5:25
Well, you got a match, right? [laughs] This would be awesome in a nail polish. [laughs] Although a little more, uh, brown hue to it. You know, not totally brown or anything, but just, yeah, a little less intense- Yeah...
5:36
vivid purple. Purple. Mm-hmm. It's beautiful. Wow, yeah. So this is, uh, this is another good, juicy, wow, really good, really good wine.
5:45
Tons of, uh, black fruit, and, um, makes me wanna have a- Yeah, this is a steak wine. Yeah. Has a little tannin to it, a little, uh, you know, grip in the finish, you know? Yeah.
5:55
Little furry feel in the mouth after you swallow. Yeah, so tannin, Cha- Yeah... uh, is there's two types of tannin in wine. There's grape tannin, which comes from the skin. Okay.
6:05
So, like, if you chewed on grape skins or even, like- Yeah... blueberry skins, anything like that, it, it throws that little bitterness. Yeah. Um, that's, that's, uh, grape tannin. Oh, okay.
6:13
And then we have oak tannin, which comes from aging in barrel. And that's what kinda gives you that dry, woody feeling in your mouth. Okay. The...
6:20
When people say, "Ooh, this one's really dry," they're really talking about- You know-... tannins. Yeah Oh, okay. Yeah.
6:26
And, and that's why we say steak or something like that with some fat, it helps kinda smooth that out.
6:32
It coats the receptors in your mouth that are affected by that, and- And you won't get that- Yeah, it won't be as intense... as much. Okay. Yeah. See? Makes it smoother. Mm-hmm. And then it also cuts the fat.
6:41
It goes the other way, that it, uh, kinda makes the food taste better, kinda breaks through. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. And then you got acidity and all that. Um, so there's a lot to learn, but you don't have to know all that.
6:54
You just drink it. You do. [laughs] That's right. You just drink it and drink what you like. Okay? Yeah. Don't listen to me if I tell you this one's good or John's is great, uh, just go try it for yourself- I'm gonna...
7:05
and figure it out. I'm, I, I am gonna start, and I'm gonna just start with a little bit each and every night. There you go.
7:12
And, uh, it's gonna be my relaxing kind of- No, I know people that drink a glass of red wine, whether they like it or not, just for health reasons- Right... every night, and, uh, I think eventually you'll like it.
7:24
[laughs] Acquire a taste for it. Yeah. Yeah. No, there's a lot of stuff out there. You're gonna find exactly what works for you, and that's what it's all about. Okay.
7:37
So how many acres of Malbec, so how many total acres do you have pl- of grapes? Right now we got 37 acres. Wow, that's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. So- And then, and then how many of the-... one of the bigger grows...
7:47
how much, how much of that is, is, uh, dedicated to Malbec? Um, let me... I have to think about that. Um, so we got two acres there, one acre there. I just planted about three acres, so yeah, about six acres. Oh, nice.
8:01
So yeah, we're just planted more, so we're, we're going in. We're, uh, investing on it. And, and it, growing the grapes, I mean, does it require a lot of time, and- It's a lot of money...
8:14
or is it one of those that you just- All it is is money. Yeah, it, uh, no, we have a full-time staff at the vineyards- Uh-huh...
8:20
and, um, we spend a lot of time with our vines, you know, training and thinning and all the things that, that make a good grape. Okay. We use compost to give it, you know, more balance, get a healthy soil. Mm-hmm.
8:34
Um, yeah, I went to a, uh, a conference, uh, just last month about the soil, and it's amazing what's going on down there. You know, funguses and bacteria kind of creating a whole little city- Yeah...
8:46
and, uh, the latest thing is no till farming, and the idea is that you don't disrupt that city. You just, uh, they, they do all kinds of things to kind of balance and help the vine- Yeah... and, uh, get rid of nematodes.
9:00
They had a video of a, a, uh,
9:03
a, one of the, uh, funguses that grow in the soil actually lassoes a, uh, nematode, just like a tiny worm in the soil that attacks the roots, and gets rid of it and then dissolves it for the bacteria. So they all- Wow.
9:17
Yeah, so they're all happy. Very cool. Who knew? We like happy roots and happy grapes. [laughs] Yeah. [laughs] All right, so we're, uh, what are we on to? Uh- Your Reserve Malbec? Yeah. So this is our Reserve Malbec.
9:33
All right. This is the good stuff. Oh, good. Yeah. Well, I already, I already gave it a, a sniff, and, uh, I'm liking what I'm sniffing. So- Cool. Ooh, that just... It's so mellow.
9:44
But we're gonna have to talk about it here in a few minutes, okay? Okay. [laughs] Take a break. Ooh. Yeah, we're gonna take a break. Hey, it's, uh, it's Denver Wine Radio.
9:51
You can reach out to us on the Vinnie Nonneck hotline, 303-831-1340. Uh, fire a question at us, a wine question, anything, a musical question. That's right. Hey, we're open to anything. All right?
10:03
All right, so, uh, yeah, uh, stand by and we'll, uh, we'll tell you what we think of, uh, Bookcliff Vineyards Reserve Malbec coming up on, uh, Denver Wine Radio here on Mile High Sports. Mission made, my own decisions.
10:16
Oh. That's my prerogative
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