The 2004 Napa Valley Malbec was just beautiful tonight (with steak and even seafood). Some colleagues joined me for a pre-meeting dinner in Vallejo. decent food (but pricey for the quality). Evereyone kept going back to the bottle for a little more wine. ..yep, a little more.
I'm not sure Jenise would like this, but the wine was full of flavor.
A nice rich purple color. Some good fruit on the nose with a little high tone sharpness not evident on the palate. Rich blackberry and blueberry, but it didn't really taste over the top-it was still balanced. I keep saying this about good Malbecs, but the wine TASTES PURPLE. I just can't describe it in any other way.
There were some pretty big tannins-the first sip or two had the teeth coating feeling, but they seemed to relax by the second glass.
The wine was not all fruit, it had that nice fuzziness I like in Petit Sirah and Malbec. There was also a distinct brief bitter note on the finish that frankly did not bother me but just provided a unique extra flavor. Some may consider it a flaw? My only criticism might be the wine does have a short finish, but overall, I would easily give it 3.5 or even 4* Bravo!
