For the month of April, my Wine of the Month is Argentinian Malbec, specifically LLama from Belasco de Baquedano, (Lujan de Cuyo) Mendoza 2019, which I bought at Clinton Wine & Spirits at the high end of Billy’s price range. There are several other excellent Malbecs to be had, some of which I will discuss below. The Malbec is Argentina’s “flagship” wine and is frequently referred to as a “somewhat spicy” Cab. Sauv. The best part is that good quality Malbecs can almost always be had at the high end of Billy’s or the low end of Steve’s price range. In my personal opinion, it falls somewhere between a Napa Cab. Sauv. and a Spanish Tempranillo, while splitting the difference very well!
When looking for a Malbec, make sure it’s from Mendoza, which has 4 sub-regions: Lujan de Cuyo, Maipu, San Rafael, and the Uco Valley. Maipu is the oldest, Lujan de Cuyo and San Rafael are DOCs, but lately several really good ones have been coming out of the Uco Valley. According to the Oxford Companion to Wine (OCtW), Malbecs can be found in France’s Loire Valley and Bordeaux, where it originally came from. Here it’s typically blended with Cab. Sauv., in a “somewhat” Bordeaux style. It can also be found in Chile, New Zealand, and Napa Valley; usually blended similarly. These latter countries are “playing” with Malbecs, primarily due to their popularity in Argentina (according to the OCtW). The best example of this is what Caymus is doing with its Red Schooner line of wines; blending Malbec stock imported from Argentina with their Napa Cab., a most excellent and unique wine – worth a look!
As far as my tasting notes go, you will first get dark cherry, blackberry, and currant on the nose. Likewise, there will be whiff of baking spices and vanilla, from the oak. There may also be a hint of leather and licorice. The Malbec is generally medium for acid, body, and tannin, which is usually “soft”. It has a somewhat spicy finish and is medium in complexity. This wine truly splits the difference between a Napa Cab. Sauv. and a Spanish Tempranillo. That’s why it’s perfect for foods that are not quite “meaty” enough for the Cab. and spicy enough for the Tempranillo. According to the Wine Spectator (WS), 2017-2020 are all good years and the best vintners are Bodega Catena Zapata, Matervini, and Familia Zuccardi. WS rates many of these wines in the 90s and as you can tell from the label, James Suckling (JS) rates the Llama as a 92. If you’ve never had a Malbec, it’s definitely worth a taste.
That should take care of this post. Next time will be an unusual Food & Wine one. So, be sure to check it out. Cheers!