Eli hosted our blind tasting group this month - a fun, eye-opening lineup of Malbec this time, mostly from Argentina with a couple of ringers from Cahors and Paso Robles (!).
Starting white:
2009 Gysler Scheurebe halbtrocken
Very nice. Bright floral aromatics with a touch of spice leading into ripe white fruited flavours in the mouth lifted by bright acids. There's just a faint touch of sweetness here, and the whole package is very light, elegant and refreshing. I should buy some of this.
2005 Château de Flore (Clos Triguedina) Cahors
A little reticent aromatically at first, then opens up with a bit of swirling to show earthy and slightly scorched scents. Bright sour cherry and plum flavours in the mouth with a savoury earthiness on the back end, a pleasant polished texture through not particularly exciting.
2007 Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec Alta (Mendoza)
Really impressive. This is unashamedly New World with bright, ripe dark fruited flavours seasoned gently with baking spices; there's plenty of richness and extract here but at the same time there's impressive acidity and a sense of balance and freshness to the flavours.
2008 Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec (Mendoza)
Interesting to taste this straight after its higher end counterpart. I would have expected the high end bottling to come across a lot riper and heavier, but the Alta conveyed a sense of freshness and balance this doesn't have. This is full of ripe, black fruited flavours with a roasted quality and vanilla accents, rather heavy and uninteresting.
2008 Dominio del Plata Malbec BenMarco (Mendoza)
Starts out quite unpleasant, conveying slightly jammy, roasted dark fruited flavours initially - but with some time it calms down and the flavours freshen up. There's surprisingly bright acidity in the mouth, decent balance and with some time it becomes much more enjoyable.
2005 Tritono Malbec (Mendoza)
All about brute force, extraction and showiness. Powerful, ripe black fruited flavours that become a little raisin-like with time; heavy and concentrated without much balance or elegance.
2006 Victor Hugo Malbec Estate (Paso Robles)
Yuck. Roasted fruit tinged with varnishy, volatile chemical notes. No idea if this is a representative wine or not, but it's quite unpleasant regardless.
2008 Chakana Malbec Estate Selection (Mendoza)
Incredibly ripe and heavy black fruited flavours straight away - though at least not as heavy as the bottle, which felt like something a cult Cali Cab might be packaged in. It's a little pruney/raisined at first, but with air the fruit calms down and becomes better balanced, while some acidity emerges to give it a better sense of balance.
2008 Susana Balbo Malbec (Mendoza
A big wine, but nicely balanced - this comes across like a ripe New World Cabernet, full of bright cassis and plummy fruit with tobacco, herbal and faintly minty accents. Plenty of power and richness here, but there's also good acidity that keeps it fresh and well balanced.