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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 87.7 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 134 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by ksilinskie on 7/10/2015 & rated 88 points: Jammy with silky tannins - blackberry. Nose of earth and tobacco. Full bodied. Would go good with BBQ. Held up in the cellar well. Drink now. (4565 views) | | | Tasted by YWG Wine Guy on 8/16/2012 & rated 84 points: Meh...jammy with blackberry cola, smokey tobacco notes and some slight astringent quality on the finish. High residual sugar. Age has not improved this, and less in love with it than my first experience. (8714 views) | | | Tasted by malkam on 3/4/2012 & rated 89 points: Jammy and fruity, opened the 2nd to the last bottle that I have. Paired it with Grilled lamb chops and Garlic Shrimp. Much more fruity than I remember. A solid Malbec. (9682 views) | | | Tasted by YWG Wine Guy on 2/15/2012 & rated 85 points: Still powerfull, fruit forward, jamy wine with sharp acid and strong tannin. A little hot, but a touch of a chill helps. The '10 is on the shelf now, i guess i should give it a try. I would suggest if you have this, let it mellow for another year or so. (9548 views) | | | Tasted by YWG Wine Guy on 11/28/2011 & rated 85 points: Figured I would try the last 2 on the shelf...this is similar to last - just to much seeming sugar and fruit to make this enjoyable past a few sips...i must say that it matched not badly with spicy food...I won't give up the producer as I think they have some potential. Looking for the recent Primativo... (10417 views) | | | Tasted by Pattyspice on 8/29/2011 & rated 86 points: Birthday wine for Trevors 45th (7336 views) | | | Tasted by YWG Wine Guy on 6/27/2011 & rated 85 points: I don't if my palate has changed, or the wine, but a year later - this is not as good for me. Still i can see this being "tasty" by a lot of people, but this is way over the top, a little artificial and a tad on the fruit bomb, slight syrupy quality with dripping dark berry notes. No sig tannins or oak. Some coffee quality on the finish perhaps...not as elegant or interesting at this point. I do have a '09 i should try soon. (4845 views) | | | Tasted by Blackland on 6/18/2011 & rated 85 points: Not a bad effort, should get better with a few more years. (4938 views) | | | Tasted by hende14 on 4/3/2011 & rated 90 points: Very dark and brooding purple color. Delicious, creamy full bodied dark fruit. Nicely balanced even though the alcohol level is high. Fine tannins and a reasonably long finish. I think this is a very good wine for the low price. (5490 views) | | | Tasted by lewisrise on 3/26/2011 & rated 90 points: Nose of blackberry, briar, and barbecue meat. Blackberry, blueberry and asian spice. Great QPR for a malbec. Decanted for over an hour. A lot of heat initially. (5442 views) | | | Tasted by awinejourney on 2/21/2011 & rated 79 points: Not doing it for me. Hollow and bitter. (6508 views) | | | Tasted by Zerosomething on 1/31/2011 & rated 89 points: Dark fruit. Very smooth. Alc. Content is high and you can taste it unfortunately (5891 views) | | | Tasted by brettf1 on 1/30/2011 & rated 90 points: Really opens up in the glass after 30 minutes or so. Delicious (6009 views) | | | Tasted by Maznoc on 1/19/2011 & rated 86 points: Good - but too much Oak. (5955 views) | | | Tasted by sweaty on 10/28/2010 & rated 88 points: A safe supermarket wine way well worth putting into your six-pack to save to 10%. (6816 views) | | | Tasted by Grace40 on 10/26/2010 & rated 85 points: Gift from Mike and Lauren when visiting. I like Malbec, SP less so. Peppery but smooth. (6987 views) | | | Tasted by sstoloff on 10/23/2010 & rated 91 points: Really interesting Malbec, with full mouth feel, jammy flavors throughout, rich brown spice aromas. but not over the top. (6829 views) | | | Tasted by jttz on 10/16/2010 & rated 83 points: To sweet for me. More red fruit and less dark components I come to expect from a Malbec. Lack of tannins contributed to a medium body mouth feel. I expected more from this bottle. (7123 views) | | | Tasted by adams828 on 9/11/2010 & rated 88 points: Pop and pour. Very big nose on this one, with minimal heat. Deep color and good legs. Nice blackberry on the front, strong on the spice on the finish. Jammy and full mouthfeel all the way through.
20 min later, less berry and much more spice and tannins. (7421 views) | | | Tasted by Snoman on 7/26/2010 & rated 90 points: Why did we stay away from this one so long? Deep purple color, rich nose of black fruit and tar, and a complex multi-layered palate of blackberry, bramble, iron and graphite. Long and very pleasant finish. Shows some possibility for medium-term ageing, but it's terrific right now. Stellar effort from Jayson Woodbridge of Hundred Acre. (8172 views) | | | Tasted by RKatz on 7/23/2010 & rated 90 points: Very rich and full (8235 views) | | | Tasted by cheersthanks on 7/11/2010 & rated 89 points: A notch downfrom my last review, on this bottle it was a little too hot on the alcohol. Still rich and chewy, gorgeous extracted flavor nonetheless. (8281 views) | | | Tasted by Rgioviano on 7/10/2010 & rated 84 points: New to Malbecs, but it seemed a little strong for my taste. Aside from the tannins, the initial taste was pretty good. (8293 views) | | | Tasted by The Kokopelli on 6/25/2010 & rated 85 points: Tasted Blind. Blackberry and licorice are both prominent on the nose, leading to tastes of slight blackberry and oak. The finish continues with blackberry and oak. Somewhat simple, but no flaws of consequence. This is easy to drink and is rather enjoyable. (8863 views) | | | Tasted by DesMarteau on 6/25/2010 & rated 91 points: jammy fruit...thick jammy fruit. Great for this style. (8923 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Layer Cake Producer websiteMalbec Varietal character (Appellation America)
One of the traditional “Bordeaux varietals”, Malbec has characteristics that fall somewhere between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. A midseason ripener, it can bring very deep color, ample tannin, and a particular plum-like flavor component to add complexity to claret blends. Malbec is a finicky vine whose fruit is prone to rot and mildew in the cool, damp coastal climate of Bordeaux. But ask a Bordelais grower why there’s no Malbec around, and you’ll more likely get a dismissive shrug and sniff than a viticultural analysis. It is known in much of France as Côt, and, in Cahors, also as Auxerrois. There are in fact hundreds of local synonyms, since Malbec at one time was widely planted all over the country. Sensitivity to frost and proclivity to shatter or coulure (a disease that results in premature fruit drop) is the primary reason that Malbec has become a decreasing factor in most of France. Although plantings in the Medoc have decreased by over twothirds since the mid-twentieth century, Malbec is now the dominant red varietal in the Cahors area. The Appellation Controlée regulations for Cahors require a minimum content of 70%. Malbec is also planted in Chile, and there’s relatively little and recent acreage in California and Australia. It is usually blended with other red varietals in these countries. But Malbec truly comes into its own in Argentina, where it is the major red varietal planted. Much of the Malbec vines there were transplanted from Europe prior to the outbreak of phylloxera and most is therefore ungrafted, on its own roots. Sadly, over the years the bug infested Argentina, too, and vineyards are being replanted on resistant rootstock. Happily, the vines thrive in the arid climate of the Mendoza region in the foothills of the Andes. Made in the context of this South American nation’s Spanish and Italian heritage, it produces a delicious wine that has almost nothing in common with Bordeaux except the color. Argentines often spell it “Malbeck” and make wines from it that are slightly similar in flavor to those made in Europe, but with softer, lusher structure, more like New World Merlot. Another difference is that where French examples are usually considered short-lived, Argentine Malbecs seem to age fairly well. Successful Argentine Malbec growers claim that, in order to develop full maturity and distinction, Malbec needs “hang time” even after sugar levels indicate ripeness. Otherwise, immature Malbec can be very “green” tasting, without its characteristic notes of plum and anise. Malbec in Argentina has come to be appreciated for a spicy white pepper characteristic, the aroma of violets, and sweet, jammy fruit. It is a seductive wine that is typically warm and generous in the mouth, with plenty of flesh, and very appealing when young. Almost always producing a ripe and fruity, even plummy wine, Malbec can take oak aging or show well without it; it’s juicy and quaffable when young but can benefit from aging, developing an intriguing complexity with time in the bottle. It can range in price from as little as $7 to more than $75. The true potential of Argentine Malbec, and indeed in the entire spectrum of Argentine wines, is demonstrated by the fact that many of the world’s most renowned winemakers have come to Argentina to make wine. Both the legendary California winemaker Paul Hobbs, and Michel Rolland of Bordeaux, one of the world’s most famous winemakers, have created very high-end Malbecs. It may be the Italian component in the country’s mixed Latin family tree that fosters the fact that Malbec is an exceptional companion with a broad range of food. Its well-balanced fruit-and-acid profile makes it a natural with rare beef (bear in mind that Argentina is cattle country), but it’s just as good with simple fare from burgers to fried chicken. With its natural balance, good pairings include: cajun cuisine, calzones, cannelloni with meat, poultry, vegetable couscous, steak creole, Greek cuisine, deviled eggs, hummus, Indian cuisine, leg of lamb, Mexican cuisine with meat, pâté, spinach soufflé, and hearty pasta. For cheeses, think of harder styles that are either waxed or oiled, such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Ricotta Salata, Romano, Asiago, Pont l’Eveque, Gruyere, Manchego, Cantal, Comte, old Gouda, old Cheddar, Baulderstone, Beaufort, Leicester, aged Chesire, Chevre Noir, Wensleydale, Tilsit, Iberico, Mahon, Roncal, and Mizithra.Argentina Wines of Argentina
Argentina has been making wine since the 1500s, tracing its wine heritage back to Spain, France and, perhaps surprisingly, Italy. Italian immigration is second only to Spanish in Argentine culture, and the flavors of Italy show up strongly in the nation’s wine, food and cultural tradition. Historically, Argentina has kept much of its wine consumption at home, drinking most of the wine it makes. But we are now seeing more very serious Argentine wines north of the border, and Malbec is leading the movement. The wine-making region in Argentina ranges between the 22° and 42° South latitude. It spreads at the foothills of the Andean mountain range along over 2,400 km; from the province of Salta to the province of Río Negro, with a variety of climates and soils that makes each region a unique land. In general terms, the areas dedicated to vine cultivation are dry and arid with a low level of rain and humidity, determining factor as regards grape health. Abundant sunny days and thermal amplitude favor a good maturity and concentration of aroma and color in the grain. Soils are deep, permeable and poor in organic matter, decisive qualities at the time of obtaining good wine. Due to the low rain regime, irrigation is necessary. Water comes from the Andean range thaw, descending in the shape of rivers to become channels or ditches. Undoubtedly, the combination of these factors turns Argentina into a veritable oasis for the highest quality wine-making. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go. Wine-making in Argentina, at the level that it achieves today, has a young history that goes back to a little more than 10 years ago. Technological progress, investment and some farsighted businessmen enabled a determining transformation. The province of Mendoza is the most traditional area in the viticultural industry, and is diverse enough to be divided into zones, according to their significantly different weather, height and soil characteristics. These include the Northern Zone, which is suitable for fruity whites and young reds, at a height from 600 to 700m; the Eastern Zone, with a height ranging from 600 to 700m, and the most productive zone in the province; the Uco Valley, a zone of colder weather and higher altitudes (between 800 and 1,400m over sea level); San Rafael, with heights ranging from 450 to 800m; and the High Zone of the Mendoza River, with heights ranging from 800 to 1,100m over sea level and various microclimates, this is the zone where almost all noble varieties have easily become adapted. It is a region that is remarkably well-suited to vine culture, protected from the Pacific’s cooling influence by the Andes and enjoying a long summer of cool nights and warm days, with a dry summer climate but plenty of water available from the region’s rivers. Malbec in particular is outstanding from this area, and it has clearly emerged as the star, the darling of both consumers and critics.Mendoza Wines of Mendoza |
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