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I have to say Ive never heard those descriptors "always" associated with Malbec. Would you care to tell us the names of some of the labels you have tried and found these traits...?

Not quite sure if anyone recommended these...but I like these following..

PIATTELLI Malbec Lujan de Cuyo Grand Reserve 2007
PASCUAL TOSO Malbec Mendoza Alta Reserve 2007
ALTOCEDRO Malbec La Consulta Reserva 2007

all reasonably priced... ($20 ~ $35)

I know 2 of the above labels... but confess to never have heard of Piattelli. Is it perhaps an export only label...?

i do not find any all encompassing flavor for malbecs. i have also missed the funky, musty, mildewy tastes. have had a few that i thought were not too very good.

now, chilean wines are a different story. the country is inundated in Carmenère. given half an opportunity, one can add water, and make tons of grapes for a miserable, weedy, green wine. back in the 70's and 80's, before canmenere was discovered, most of my acquaintances disliked chilean wines for the same bad taste. we thought it the soil. it still is in a lot of wines, and not mentioned.

i think camenere is also grown in ne italy, sold under some cabernet name, and has the same lousy taste.

I believe it is an export only label... Piatelli usually are not found in many liquor stores (at least in my town)... But I find them great for the price.

Here are some new very interesting labels from Salta and Mendoza to look out for.....

Fincas Notables Cabernet Sauvignon Cuartel 9 (Salta)
Felix Lavaque Malbec Blend (Salta)
Ricominciare Malbec Tannat (Mendoza)
Gran Reserva Barlett II Malbec Blend (Mendoza)

Catena
 

I've always enjoyed Catena malbec.

Catena and Luigi Bosca are classics!

Nicholas Catena makes wines for many tastes and budgets.....

For a change, try a Patagonia Malbec - you will be pleasantly surprised.

Catena makes great wines, as do other large producers like Luigi Bosca and the LVMH bodegas like Terrazas de los Andes. I think its also interesting for wine aficionados to try smaller 'boutique' producers that have smaller/limited run editions of wines that are sometimes not marketed through the general channels. My experience tells me that a good wine is better when there is a story to tell (that comes with it).... ;)

I agree... Malbec comes in different styles, and Patagonian Malbec is very different to Mendoza Malbec, and also quite different from Salta Malbec. As a general rule (the devil is in the details), structure and power go in increase as you move north.... this means that caeteris paribus, a Malbec from Mendoza will be more powerful than a Malbec from Patagonia, and a Malbec from Salta will be more powerful than a similar exponent from Mendoza.

On the subject of Malbec from Patagonia.... Ive mentioned a couple of these before but its a good idea to place them all together on a single list.....

Kooch Malbec
Noemia A. Lisa
Noemia J. Alberto
Noemia Malbec
Calafate Gran Reserva
Marcus Gran Reserva Malbec
Finca Roja Malbec
Fin del Mundo - Fin Malbec
Special Blend del Fin del Mundo

The best way to taste a really good Malbec is to come to Mendoza. Labels are totally diferent in National market or export masrkets

Hello Miguel...

Do you care to elaborate, what do you mean..? Are you saying that some wines are sold only in Mendoza...?

In my experience, unless you are talking about a private label or an export only product, all wines of notable quality make it to the Buenos Aires market... even some of the exceptions that I note here.

Here are some new kids on the block (ie. Market) that are worth a test drive....

HD Reserve Malbec (Mendoza)
Escorihuela Gascon Gran Reserva Malbec (Mendoza)
Felix Lavaque Malbec (Salta)
Calafate Gran Reserva Malbec (Patagonia)

and some options for special occasions....

Poesia Cuvee Helene (Mendoza)
FF Parcela 26 Malbec (Mendoza)
Rutini Antologia XXX (Mendoza)
Durigutti 10 Years Anniversary (Mendoza)

After returning from the Right Side of the Andes, I can recommend:

Mendel. Awesome juice at a much lower price than the over-rated Achaval Ferrer.

Mi Amigo Gaucho. Thanks for your assist in trip planning, and thanks for recommending Miguel. ^

I could not agree more on Achaval being over-rated. It is very, very sad that they have changed so much (in a bad way) since their beginnings.

:(

I would not go quite as far as dismiss Carmenère as a bad grape. You are right, there are too many Chilean Carmenerès that are not up to snuff, but they are a result of bad winemaking, not of a bad varietal.

I've had many a good 100% Carmenère (Notas de Guarda, Arboleda, Mayu) and will happily try others.

Cheers,
T.

I recently had a delicious Malbec from Washington State:
2009 aMaurice Cellars Malbec Columbia Valley

KM

Its interesting to see more regions bottling Malbec on its own. The best non Argentine Malbec Ive had to date has been from South Africa.

For those seeking an everyday Malbec, I suggest trying to seek out a new line of wines created by Ernesto Catena. Padrillos is a new series of wines that includes a Malbec and also a Pinot Noir. These labels are priced under AR$100 per bottle (retail) in Buenos Aires... according to my source at the Winery, these labels already have US distribution.

New Vintage alert for various of the High-End Malbecs from Argentina....

Rutini Apartado Gran Malbec 2009
Parcela 26 Malbec 2009
Antologia XXXI 2009
Colome Reserva 2008
Angelica Zapata Malbec Alta 2009
Escorihuela Gascon DON Malbec 2007
Yacochuya Rolland 2009
Colome Autentico Malbec 2010
Escorihuela Gascon Small Productions Malbec 2009
Jorge Catena Zapata Ricominciare Altisimo Malbec 2009

How much do they cost in AR$ Gaucho100K?

I have lots of taxes to pay you know. :p

Prices for the above quoted labels range from AR$280 to AR$850 (Argentine Pesos) - those are figures per bottle.

I will post some updated options in the perhaps more 'everyday' category.

Updated short-list of interesting Malbecs & Malbec Blends for the more 'every-day' use....

Jorge Catena Zapata Ricominciare Malbec-Cabernet Franc
Flichman Expresiones Malbec-Cabernet
Rutini Coleccion Malbec-Cabernet
Escorihuela Gascon Gran Reserva Malbec
Ernesto Catena Padrillos Malbec
Durigutti Reserva Malbec
Zuccardi Q Malbec
DV Catena Malbec Malbec
Rutini Coleccion Cabernet-Syrah
Encuentro Malbec
San Pedro de Yacochuya
Jorge Catena Zapata Ricominciare Malbec-Tannat
HD Malbec Reserva
Benegas Estate Malbec

Every-day or not, but e.g. the Zuccardi Q is a fabulous wine for the price. It sold for 18 euro (about USD 23) in Finland a a few years ago.

Cheers,
T.

We have found one from France, yes you read correctly from France where Malbec grapes were first cultivated. Most people think that Malbec originated in Argentina, but the grapes were actually first cultivated in France and are named after a Hungarian pesant who first spread the grapes throughout the French countryside. Malbec grapes are one of the 6 that are allowed to be used in Bordeax wines. This grape can be found in the Cahors region of southern France.

The Malbec we have found is Prieure de Cenac and it is in limited quantities in the United States, but the flavors are full bodied with great tannins. We have found the wine at of all places Costco and runs $14.99 a bottle. If you like Catena Reserve Malbec, you'll LOVE this French version of the wine.

The reviews from Wine Spectator rate the 2009 a solid 91 points with a review of drink now or hold. Seeing as how it is in limited quantities, we have purchased just under 100 bottles of the wine for our cellar. Everytime we see it at our local store, we buy every bit of it and have even driven more than 100 miles round trip on a buying spree to buy out every Costco store in the state of Georgia.

Enjoy!

Very True. It is also pertinent to say that the Malbec grape would have never gone anywhere past a 3rd tier blending grape had it not been for its migration to the New World, where the local climates reconverted it into what it is today.

Malbec has established itself as such a relevant grape varietal (in its new World style) that this has forced the growers of the 'original' stuff in places like Cahors to adopt the styles of the colonies..... some growers even resort to including the term Malbec in their labels for export business. Today, if you walk into any retail store that has a Cahors on the shelf, they sell it as Malbec..... only the very well informed Whino knows what a Cahors is all about - and forget the traditional names for this grape like Auxerrois or Noir de Pressac.

Mmmmm and I had to think twice about buying a 160 peso bottle of Malbec just the other week. :rolleyes:

The second list with the more 'everyday' wines has various options that should make you think a little less..... the range there is from AR$110 to AR$200.....

:p

Ah that's more like it. ^

A wider audience will find that list much more appealing than your previous lot. I might be a connoisseur of Argentine Cognac but I'm rather more frugal when it comes to buying Malbec. :p

Argentine Cognac......

:eek:

New kid on the Malbec block..... (good stuff and Organic too)

Dieter Meier Puro Malbec

I like Familia Robello - had it at Francis Mallman in Mendoza (try the restaurant too)

Mallmann's place in Mendoza I know.... but I will confess to never have heard of Familia Robello... :o

a tale of Malbecs.....
 

I organized a tasting of 18 top malbecs for a group of Hong Kong based "whinos" yesterday at a high end dead cow place.... it was a very long evening with a lot of very good Malbec. I created three different categories, according to the price of the bottles. Here are the winners....

Value Malbecs
Gold Medal - Escorihuela Gascon Pequenias Producciones Malbec
Silver Medal - Rutini Coleccion Malbec
Bronze Medal - Jorge Catena Zapata Ricominciare Altisimo Malbec

Premium Malbecs
Gold Medal - Catena Zapata Angelica Zapata Malbec Alta
Silver Medal - Matilde Lamadrid Single Vineyard Malbec
Bronze Medal (tie) - Rutini Antologia XXXI and Mendel Finca Remota SV Malbec

High End / Cult Malbecs
Gold Medal - Rutini Apartado GRAN Malbec
Silver Medal - Parcela 26 Malbec
Bronze Medal - Cobos Malbec Marchiori Vineyard

For reference, could you provide the general price ranges of the value, premium, and high end categories?

^^

As requested, here are the current (12/23/2013) prices for these Wines...

Having by no means tried a wide range of Malbecs, one of my favorites is the Montes Colchagua Valley 2011 from Chile. It's delicious and goes well even with light snacks/nuts for those long chats into the night.

to get a feeling for the cost of these wines, the argentine currently trades at around 6 peso to the us dollar on the official market. the "blue market rate is 9.4 peso to the dollar.

for those available in usa, one can check wineseracher dot com