Wendouree in the Clare Valley is legendary in local wine circles for their quixotic mailing list practices and very high quality wines. I sometimes wonder in which order. I opened a bottle of their shiraz malbec here from the 2015 vintage. It immediately identifies as a high quality wine. Its aromas remind of warm spices,…Continue readingWendouree Shiraz Malbec 2015
Warramunda Estate Malbec Wine ReviewContinue readingWarramunda Estate Liv Zak Malbec 2018
I tasted a series of wines from Queensland’s Granite Belt back in 2013, with some mixed results. Golden Grove had one of the better wines on that tasting and this same producer has fashioned quite a pleasant and stylistically typical malbec here. Dark fruited, chocolatey and full bodied, this is a good example of a…Continue readingGolden Grove Estate Granite Belt Malbec 2016
Valle de Uco is southwest of Mendoza in Argentina, and is favourably regarded. This particular malbec provides a contrast to the Cahors rendition just reviewed. Quite deeply coloured in the glass, it has an aroma of sweet cooked fruit, herbs and oak. The palate is jammy and savoury, with overlays of baked spices and meats,…Continue readingZuccardi Q Valle de Uco Malbec Argentina 2016
This is a good malbec from Cahors in south western France. Less deeply coloured and fruity than its equivalents in Argentina, it has restrained aromas of red berries, earth, herbs and oak. The palate is earthy and savoury, with liquorice overtones. Some mid weight tannins and good length complete the picture. This wine can be…Continue readingChâteau du Cèdre Héritage Cahors Malbec 2015
This is the best Osoyoos Larose that I have tasted to date. From Canada’s Okanagan Valley, it is a Bordeaux style blend that is serious in both intent and impression. The 2014 vintage is a blend of 68% merlot, 11% cabernet franc, 8% cabernet sauvignon, 8% petit verdot and 5% malbec. There are typical “cabernet”…Continue readingOsoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin Okanagan Valley 2014
I’ve reviewed the 2010 vintage of this wine previously. The label of the 2011 vintage tasted here persists with describing its wine as “Malbec Oak”, which strikes me as an unusual description. Unexpectedly then, I felt the 2011 vintage of this wine didn’t stylistically feature much oak influence. In the glass, the 2011 is rather…Continue readingValle Las Acequias Malbec Oak 2011
The 2015 vintage of Layer Cake’s malbec presents as very ripe in style, with distinctive fruit cake aromatics. The palate is primary in expression, very sweet fruited and somewhat unconvincing. (Region: Mendoza, Argentina, Rating: Acceptable, Would I buy it based on this tasting? No, Drink: now, Tasted: Jan, 2017) Read more:layercakewines.com Other vintages reviewed:NilContinue readingLayer Cake Malbec 2015
This wine from Mendoza in Argentina is made by a joint venture between Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) and the Catena family in Mendoza. It’s a resounding success. The blend is 60-70% malbec and 30-40% cabernet sauvignon, and sees a restrained 20% new oak. In the glass, the wine is full bodied, with blackcurrant aromas and…Continue readingDomaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) and Nicolas Cantena Amancaya Gran Reserva Malbec Cabernet 2013
Well, I’m back at the desk having returned from a couple of weeks abroad in British Columbia in Canada. It was not a wine trip, but naturally I could not help wanting to look in on some of the wines of this remarkable continent, north and south. I’ve written on these pages previously in praise…Continue readingBack at the desk; Clos de los Siete 2013
One of the things I like about wine is just when you think you are getting to grips with the wines and styles of particular regions, you are reminded that there are regions and possibly whole countries which produce wine where frankly more work is required. Observations such as these require some pause for thought…Continue readingVina Cobos Lujan de Cuyo Malbec 2013