Argentina! Ole!

A couple of my favorite wine blogs have recently reviewed Argentinian wines, praising them as both economical and wonderfully flavorful, on top of them being the next great region. With that high praise in mind, I wanted to look for a varietal that was uniquely Argentinian, something that wasn't also grown in 30 other countries. What I ended up settling upon was a Malbec. Now most casual wine lovers either haven't heard of Malbec or seem to get it confused with Muscat. Trust me, the two are VERY different. For a good run down on this varietal, the folks at winepros.org wrote a good one here.

Malbec is really only grown prominently in one other place in the world, Cahors, France. There it is usually blended, but in Argentina, there is a substantial amount of wine that is 100% Malbec. With Malbec chosen, I gave Argentina a shot to impress me.

Price (Paid in Ithaca NY): $10

Maker: Terrazas de los Andes (A producer with a very good reputation, vouched for by multiple people)

Vintage: 2006

Country/Appelation: Argentina/Mendoza

Varietal/Blend: 100% Malbec

Nose: A very dark scent, leathery and choclatey, with a hint of astringency.

Taste: A deep though lighter feeling taste of dark fruit, cola/smokey flavor, and a bit of spice all kind of muddle together in this middle-wieght wine. It stays a touch on the sweeter side and has almost a nice chalky finish that comes out with some air.

QPR: Good/Very Good

Pairings: Well, the hick side of me shows when I say that I was snacking on jerky while drinking this wine, and it actually went very well. If you are a fan of matching your wine flavors to your food, it did it perfectly. A touch of sweet smokiness, deeper meatiness and (because it was cheap jerky) easy going down. On a more serious side, this could pair nicely with any red meat that doesn't involve alot of work to savor, eat and enjoy (ie drink with burgers, not steak).

Final Thoughts: This was a good, solid wine at a very good price. If it was a little better organized, or was a couple bucks cheaper, it would be totally a Very Good QPR, but for now, its borderline. Argentina did well here. I would be willing to try the Riserva in the future. Viva le Argentina! Wait, that was French, hmm...