Red Flavored and Moderately Priced!
Malbec
is a fine grape that is gradually attaining widespread
popularity even though it’s never particularly been hyped.
The Argentine’s are doing wonders with it and forging a new
category based on three of the hottest trends in wine: it’s
red, flavorful and moderately priced. You know, the kind of
wine you can drink a glass or two of any time and it won’t
make even a slight dent in your monthly budget. But Malbec
is no newcomer onto the world wine scene. Its centuries long
lineage in Bordeaux is enshrined in the AOC laws, making it
one of only five permissible red grape varieties. Even
though it now contributes just a small percentage to most of
the final blends, there are Chateau owners who maintain
that, although it is a vital ingredient, they don’t want to
grow it too extensively because of issues it has setting
fruit during the region’s typically dreary spring weather.
The problem, if there is one, is that Malbec labors in
obscurity. But then again, the fact that it has never
enjoyed any cachet before is probably the main reason it’s
such a good value.
As we continue
to drink more imported wine every year and as Argentina’s
fortunes in the US keep rising, it’s logical that Malbec,
the country’s signature grape variety, would reap the
rewards of this growth. What is surprising is how good
virtually all of the Argentine Malbecs we’ve tasted lately
are. This is beginning to strike me as the contemporary red
wine version of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc circa 1995. Back
then the brand didn’t matter, because whichever one you
picked up, almost at random, would deliver the goods. Not
quite as true about today’s crop of Malbec, but almost. The
parallels are interesting: both prized for their assertive
personality and strong distinctive flavor despite coming
from a place that is not on the radar screen of too many
consumers as a purveyor of choice. But unlike its Southern
Hemisphere counterpart, Argentine Malbec has deep roots in
the country, going back to the mid nineteenth century. In
fact, there are still patches of old vine Malbec that are
ungrafted.
A bit about the
wines as a group: they were more consistent in style and
quality now than in the past. The predominant profile of
Argentine Malbec appears to be dark in color, relatively low
in acidity, medium-bodied, and moderate in tannin. The fruit
is deep, black and juicy, sometimes with a spicy edge.
Despite the soft acids, most of the wines I’ve tasted are
balanced and appear quite versatile as to the type of food
that they would complement. The ones I didn’t like so much
were more red fruit cranberry in style or too flat and
simple, without much extract. Only a few were heavy-handed
and clumsy. But this is a question of degrees, which is
sometimes the case with comparative tasting pitting one
against the others and it might just be splitting hairs. For
the most part they were very good.
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FOLLOWING ARE LISTED IN ASCENDING ORDER OF PREFERENCE. TERRAZAS CATENA SEPTIMA PASCUAL ELSA IN |
Every once in a while there is an anomaly in the market and
it takes a while for prices to adjust. The thing to do is
take advantage of it. People are buying more Argentine wine
now, and especially Malbec, for a reason: it’s got
everything they want, and the price is most importantly
right.
