We’ve reviewed several merlots from California and Chile over the past weeks, but how about one from Argentina. When it comes to Argentine wines, it seems like malbec gets all the attention these days, but that’s not the only good wine coming from this country.
Tilia wines come from the Mendoza wine region in Argentina. And the Tilia brand puts “sustainably farmed” front and center in their marketing materials. You might even say it’s their tag line. But what does that mean? It’s not organic. They characterize it as “stewarding responsibility in the use of our environment.” I struggle a little bit with the term “sustainability” due to the fact that their is not real measure for it. Anyone can claim to be sustainable and there is no standard that they are held to. Although I’m suspicious of the term, I like the principle.
I’m not all hung up on organic. I like organic and I’ll often buy organic produce. But I don’t think that all pesticides are evil. I don’t want excessive use of pesticides, but I accept that some use of them can help producers. And I guess that’s where sustainability comes in. The idea is “responsible” and limited use of pesticides, plus the application of other smart, environmentally-friendly farming practices. But again, there’s no standards set for this. For those of us who don’t personally know the producers, all we have is blind trust that they’re doing the right thing.
I don’t know exactly what the folks at Tilia are doing when they produce these wines, but I do know that the results are pretty darn tasty. And that’s worth a few points in my book.
Plum, blackberry, violet and cedar aromas give this wine a rich and enjoyable nose. This wine bursts with flavor in your mouth too, offering plum and cherry flavors at first, which evolve into blackberry and chocolate. The acidity is good and the mouthfeel is nice. It finishes with lingering, tart plum flavors. It’s delicious.
Wine: Tilia Merlot
Variety: Merlot
Vintage: 2011
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $9.00
Find Tilia Merlot with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.