WBW: Terrazas de Los Andes Reserva Malbec 2002

The best part about Wine Blogging Wednesdays is trying new and unfamiliar wines and varietals. My normal wine buying rut is from the bargain bin, and some of the selections to be found in there are, to be gracious, questionable. WBW forces me to do my research, usually pay a small but reasonable amount more, and taste something completely new and often superior.

This month, for the theme of Obscure Red Wines, I caught a wine distributer in the aisles and we talked through options. Tempranillo? Not allowed by the rules. Pinotage? South Africa was pretty well covered last month. Malbec? What's that? I departed with a bottle of Terrazas de Los Andes Reserva Malbec 2002 in hand.

I'll assume that you're in the same boat as me and have little prior knowledge of Malbec grapes. Obscurity was the point. I've found a great article singing the praises of Argentinian Malbecs from the Mendoza region, but if you don't want to read the whole thing it can be summed up as this: the climate on the slopes of the Andes is so well-suited to growing Malbec grapes that France, once the main producer of Malbec, barely bothers any longer.

No place is perfect. But for Malbec, this region is very close indeed. The wines are big, rich and deeply flavored, yet rounded and luxurious in texture. Their softness permits early enjoyment, but they also age well. Similarly, the wines are sufficiently rich to stand up to red meat dishes, but soft enough to work with pork, veal or grilled fish steaks.

My own tasting notes...

Appearance: Deep plum red, going to cranberry at the edges.

Smell: The first thing to hit the nose was lots of oak, followed by paper and a hint of sawdust. As the wine was allowed to breath, the oak aromas faded, giving way to rich berries.

Flavor: If the flavor were as intense as the intial oak smell, it'd be like chewing on a tree branch, but instead the oak taste recedes. The wine feels round and smooth on the tongue, with both the tannins and flavors I associate with nearly ripe plums.

Food pairing: I had a glass of this all by itself at the end of a long day, and it stands up nicely on it's own. I could imagine serving this with pasta or alongside a spicier chicken.

Price: $14

I'd definitely buy this one again.