Episode 58: Unleashing Seduction With Kaiken Wines

Episode 58: Unleashing Seduction With Kaiken Wines

This week the ladies are sitting side-by-side with two fabulous bottles of wine from Kaiken and Aurelio Montes Jr. We are giving you where, the wine, the winemaker … and the geese. Geese? Yes, Geese. We’re two birds of a feather and flocking together, tasting and talking about Argentina’s signature varietal wines, Malbec and Torrontés. We hope you enjoy this introduction to one of our favorite producers designed to help you expand your cellar and entertaining arsenal. [ad]

Pre-tasting Chatter

Val:   “Buenos Dias, Wine Two Five listeners! This is episode 58 and you’re in for a treat.”

Steph:  “Hola! Wine Two Fivers! Hey Val, we should tell everyone that we’re sitting here together in Colorado Springs with 2 bottles of Argentinian wine in front of us.

Kaiken Winery, Mendoza, Argentina

Today were are tasting 2 wines from the Kaiken winery in Mendoza, Argentina. But before we swirl, taste and swallow, we’d like to present some information about the winery and the winemaker

What does Kaiken mean?

Kaiken is an almost extinct native bird or caiquenes (wild geese) that fly between Argentina and Chile. They mostly live in cold regions Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Caiquenes symbolize, for the Montes family, the crossing of the Andes mountains to make wine in both Chile and Argentina steeped in innovative spirit and excellence as a core value in wine production.

The Winery:

• Built in 1920 by Italo Calise, Kaiken founded & acquired by the Montes family in early 2000s
• Sits in the district of Vistalba, 20km SW of the city of Mendoza
• owns 3 vineyards – that supply 50% of the grapes they use for their wines
• ⅓ of the estate vineyards are biodynamic and winery plans to be 100% by 2017
• Use native yeasts, concrete tanks for fermentation, less SO2 used
• Biodiversity is practiced
  • Fruit trees on the property
  • Fruit & vegetable garden for the staff to enjoy and take home to their families
  • Animals: hens, roosters, geese, sheep and a mare

 

The Winemaker, Aurelio Montes del Campo Jr:

• Chilean, son of Aurelio Montes of Alpha and (for you, Dave) the Purple Angel
• Traveled and studied wine in over 40 countries. The regions include Napa, Burgundy, Australia and Argentina
• Aurelio Jr took over from his father at Kaiken in 2011
• Aurelio is also an adventure seeker – skydiving, boxing, motorcycling
• He also loves hiking, cooking, country music and his family (3 kids)

The Wines

Wine #1 Kaiken ‘Terroir Series’ Torrontés (SRP $17) Terroir Series is the team’s effort to be creative and produce something special beyond Malbec

• Grapes from the Cafayate Valley in the Salta region
• Average of 1600 meter altitude vineyards
• Some 80 year old vines
• Hand picked
• No oak
• Lees stirring

This wine is fresh, with medium (+) to high acidity, dry and very aromatic. It has flavors of bright citrus like oranges and grapefruits, tropical fruits like mango, as well as floral notes of orange blossom and jasmine and even some fresh summer herbs like thyme. It has a little bit of a creamy palate to even out the acidity and is refreshing, balanced and perfect chilled. We’d serve it with a summer salad with citrus vinaigrette and feta cheese.

[Photos courtesy of www.kaikenwines.com.}

Wine #2 Kaiken ‘Ultra’ Malbec (SRP $25)

• Ultra is the flagship line – bold,elegant, expressive
• Grapes from the Uco Valley
• 3 vineyards: Vistaflores at 1,400 meters, Gualtallary 1,300 and Altamira 1,100
• Hand picked
• Aged in French oak barrels for 12 mo (⅓ old and ⅔ second or third use)
• Recommendation = 30 min of decanting

The Malbec is dark purple, inky and the tears stain the glass. It’s medium (+) in aromatic intensity with aromas of black fruits (blackberries, plums), blueberries and a little bit of sweet spice like vanilla. On the palate the tannins are silky and the wine is full-bodied with a long finish.

The dark fruits and herbal notes (thyme, bay) make this a great wine to have with grilled meat, lamb or even a nice pizza with sausage and mushrooms. We also tested out with some dark chocolate with sea salt and pumpkin seeds, and love the idea of giving this gorgeous wine as a gift and taking it to your next dinner party.

Shoutouts

Thank you to Jennifer O’Flanagan, the Founder of Feast PR, the Marketing & Public Relations behind Kaiken winery.

Also, thank you to Kaiken Winery and the Montes family. We are truly fans of your wines and happy to share your story with our listeners.

#W25Challenge Update

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connect

Connect with Val on Twitter @WineGalUnboxed and on the Vino With Val FB page, and on Instagram.

You can find Steph on Twitter as the Wine Heroine.

Find us on the FB page, Twitter, Pinterest & YouTube or check out our contact page.

Kaiken Wine information can be found at www.kaikenwines.com, twitter, FaceBook and Instagram!

Also please share Wine Two Five with your friends and online community. We appreciate all your involvement and feedback and especially iTunes reviews.

One more thing … Don’t forget to use the #W25Challenge when you are trying new wines and drinks & thank you to those who have been posting like crazy this week.

So until next week – Cheers!