Our wine expert Wackus Bacchus puts the full bodied red to the taste test
Just what is it about Malbec that has created the vinus phenonomen that this red wine is today? It is the star of a full length documentary film, ‘Boom Varietal and ‘World Malbec Day’ is now into its sixth year, April 17th, since you ask.
Today undoubtedly Argentina’s flagship wine, the grape variety originated in the Southwest of France, where it is still grown, notably in Cahors and Bordeaux. It was imported to Argentina as cuttings during the 1860’s as the wine industry sought to quench the thirst of its cosmopolitan population of French, Italian and Spanish immigrants.
In France it is often used as a blending component with other grapes, adding colour and particularly, tannins to the resultant wines but early on in Argentina it was noticed that it not only thrived in the climate but that it produced softer, more velvety styles of wine.
It is still a fairly recent commercial success. On my first visit to Argentina in 1989 we tasted many Malbecs that were over cropped, producing wines that were thin and tough with aromas of lavender, violet and Pledge wax polish! The next decade saw a determined drive on quality in both vineyards and wineries. And how the wines improved. The new style rich, robust Reds were the perfect foil to the traditional Argentine Asado, or rustic barbecue. Though the smooth friendliness of the variety is by no means the exclusive domain of carnivores!
In preparation for the big day in April we challenged our local wine sources to come up with their best Old World and New World Malbecs for the Chorleywood Malbec Taste-off.
We tasted the wines by country, France and Argentina. One observation is that the success of Argentinian Malbecs has resulted the French really upping their game too. Here’s what we found…
FRANCE
Jean-Luc Baldès Malbec du Clos 2012, Cahors 13% £8.99 Waitrose
Classic Cahors from a top producer, blackberry and cedar, with supple tannins.
Château Rambauds Malbec 2014, £9.00 12.5% M&S
Unusual single varietal Bordeaux, parma violet aromas and lovely juicy berry fruit.
L’instant Truffier Malbec 2014, 12% Majestic
Very good Country Red from a Cahors producer, light fruity and soft.
(£8.99, or £7.49 when you buy any 6 bottles 2 February – 14 March £8.99, or £6.49 when you buy any 6 bottles 15 March – 25 April)
ARGENTINA
Argentinian Malbec 2014, Mendoza £7.99 13% Waitrose
Simple peppery red, packed with fruit and an attractive lick of vanilla oak.
Vinalta Malbec 2015, £8 14.5% M&S
New World meets Old. Top red made by a Frenchman in Mendoza. Classy
Parrilla Malbec 2014, Mendoza, Argentina 14.5% Majestic
Similar wine from the same stable. Rich, concentrated and velvety.
£9.99, or £7.99 when you buy any 6 bottles 2 February – 25 April