If you’re a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot fan, there’s a good chance you’ll like a good Malbec and have the opportunity to save some money! Because Malbec’s are not marketed as heavily as Cab’s or Merlot’s, and are in greatest supply from Argentina (where vineyard and winery labor is currently less expensive than France or the US), you can find a number of great values worth investing in.
Malbec is a fairly thin skinned grape variety that typically creates deep inky red or violet colored wines with core characteristics of plum, blueberry, raspberry, fig, and even licorice. In my experience, younger wines (1 to 2 years old) tend to be more fruity and simple in style, while slightly older wines can show a little cocoa, coffee, and clove with a little oak aging. Old Vine Malbec’s are frequently more concentrated and earthy in flavor with a little spice on the finish. Tannins are usually fairly mild, as expected from a thin skinned grape variety, and I’ve found them to be more the byproduct of barrel aging than anything else.
In my opinion, Alamos, Luigi Bosca, Inacayal, Gascón, and Gimenez Riili produce some very nice Malbec’s for around $10 to $25 with structure, depth, complexity, and finish that rivals that of most California Cabernet’s and Merlot’s at twice the price. Variety being the spice of life, and value a sought after commodity in a struggling economy, every red wine enthusiast owes it to themselves to give this little known treasure a taste.
