90+ pt magnum for $13.98

Well, not exactly a "magnum".

2004 Fabre Montmayou Malbec, $6.99 [Domaine Vistalba]

2004 Fabre Montmayou Cabernet Sauvignon, $6.99 [Domaine Vistalba]

On its own, the Malbec has excellent tannin structure, with good mouthfeel, and predominant earthy, terroir-driven notes [ending up just shy of dirty].

The Cab, on the other hand, is much more polished - slicker - with sweet fruit and just a hint of residual sugar.

My initial impression was of mid- to high-eighty-ish point table wines - very competent, and varietally correct, and certainly excellent bargains in their own right - but I kept thinking to myself "Gee, it's a shame that the Malbec doesn't a have just a little more fruit, and that the Cab doesn't have just a little more texture and rusticity."

So, after a couple of days, on a lark, I poured one glass in the other.

Now I've never had much luck mixing wines, but it was pretty obvious that these two wines were made for each other.

So today, I went back to the store, and grabbed two new bottles, and poured them, together, directly into the same decanter.

And I'd have a hard time believing that Monkton would score this blend much less than about 92 pts.

Certainly better than any table wine that I ever tasted from Marquis-Philips, and in the same general vicinity as the 2002 Thorn-Clark Shotfire Ridge Barossa Cuvee.

By the way, that Thorn-Clark bottling didn't prove to be much of an ager, but I've watched these Fabres over the course of three or four days, and [for what it's worth] they don't seem to show any particular propensity to oxidize.

Quite frankly, if you can believe it, this blend shows just the faintest resemblance to the 2003 Pontet-Canet.

Nathan,
Are you in the "chemist" or "mad-scientist" category? Obviously, you liked your concoction better than than the parts themselves. Has anyone else tried this? - mixing wines intentionally to see how they fare? I have had the occasional accident where my Cab was refreshed by a Zin. But, at these instances, I never paused to study them well. I should try putting a dollop of Viognier in my Syrah sometime. Or something like that...
Shaji

Nathan, welcome back to the forum...it's been a looooong time.

Shaji, I welcomed Nathan back, so here is a hearty welcome to you as well.

Obviously, you liked your concoction better than than the parts themselves. Has anyone else tried this? - mixing wines intentionally to see how they fare?

I had tried it before, but never with any luck [at all].

Turns out it's a lot harder than it would seem.

I would agree that their Cab is better than their Malbec. [Don't bother with the Merlot.]

Mixed them? Hrm... and interesting idea.

Nathan,
Years ago, a friend used to come to my house for dinner at least once a week. I would open bottles I thought appropriate to the meal and allow anyone to pour what they wanted.
The first time George poured a blend I was a bit taken aback; after all, I thought my choices were the best ones.
But I soon realized that I had opened the wines for my guests to enjoy; how meant little to me, and that George had a very good palate and often found combinations even I liked better than the wines by themselves.
I have since been much more tolerant and interested in those that blend wines to create what they like.
Best, Jim

I once tried mixing some cold syrah (I had refrigerated it so it would keep longer) and a room temp, just opened grenach, thinking that I could avoid waiting as long for the syrah to come to room temp and that the added tannins might perk up the grenach. The result was pretty flat and boring.

Blending is definitely an art, which adds so much definition to sometimes otherwise boring single varietals.

Nothing wrong with making your own blends..... it will come as no surprise that I think that the Malbec/Cabernet Blend is one with great potential here in Mendoza. The "textbook" Mendoza blend is generally accepted as 40% Malbec, 40% Cabernet and 20% Merlot.

Hola Alejandro,

I have a 60% Malbec - 40% Cabernet Sauvignon Argentinian wine in my cellar right now that I think is very good, bordering on excellent. It is the Finca Flichman Expressions reserva 2005. I had this wine with a nice slow cooked beef roast and it was wonderful. I really like the mix of malbec and cab from Mendoza. I will be buying more of these wines in the future.