Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Thursday, April 17, 2008
Wine of the Week: Hey Mambo Red 2006
“Kid, you’re good-a-lookin’ but you don’t know what’s cookin, till you Hey Mambo! Mambo Italiano!”
“Mambo Italiano,” 1954, Bob Merrill
We’re still trying to get over the Zork, which is not an alien from the planet Ork, but rather a peel-off wine closure with a stopper atop Hey Mambo.
But it’s very easy to enjoy the wine, which Don Sebastiani and Sons calls a sultry red. It’s a blend of some of our favorite grapes — barbera, zinfandel, syrah and petite sirah — with a bit of the lesser-known carignane and alicante bouchet grapes.
They do dance well together. This wine is not complicated and shows off immediately with aromas of berries, chocolate and a whiff of leather. The tannins are light, but there’s enough structure for it to be a great barbecue wine on a sultry summer evening.
Sherry: “Wonderfully fragrant and lightly smoky, with chocolate and black cherry.” 3 1/2 stars
Chris: “Cherry-cola and caramelized coffee.” 3 1/2 stars
Available locally for about $9.
Coming next week: Wilson Creek Almond Champagne
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