Hey, where were you when the malbec hit the fan? Unless you don’t know it, the current red wine rage is malbec from Argentina. In the early 60’s it was the iron hard, tannin loaded Bordeaux blends that were the rage. Even if you were not particularly in tune with the “in” set and hated the stuff, you faked it. For a brief moment in the early seventies it was the newly emerging California cabernet sauvignon that was “in.” This was followed by the chardonnay rage when there was no spotlight on any particular red wine, but all attention was focused on the white. Just for the time for the grape growers to pull out the red grapes and replant with chardonnay, to their ultimate dismay, up popped merlot. Merlot swept the nation. There was even a time when all of the merlot grapes in California were spoken for and winemakers had to scramble for every drop, going so far as to import ship loads from Chile.
With the coming of the 21st century, the merlot craze abruptly ended and winemakers were stuck with a glut of merlot grapes and wine. Out came the merlot vines and in went the syrah (shiraz) in anticipation of what they presumed to be the next darling of the American public. WRONG!
Malbec, is a grape that originated in France but has found a new and better home in Argentina. This grape was a minor player in European vineyards, being used mainly as a blender and its only real claim to fame was that it was used to color and “beef up” the cabernet sauvignon wines. The wines of Cahoors, a district just below Bordeaux, makes a wine from the malbec grape that is almost black and is so tannic (astringent) that it can take up to twenty five years to become drinkable. That same grape, when grown in Argentina, produces outstanding wines that are soft, fruity and flavorful. Whether it is the water, the soil or the climate, the grape variety does exceptionally well there. Malbec, which is a member of the same family as the merlot and cabernet sauvignon is capable of producing wines of great depth and character which can easily compete with the other, better known red wines and is a wine that can pleasantly replace your current red wine standard and, we believe, make you smile.

Don Miguel Gascon 2009 Malbec ($14). Made to be big, bold, and solid, this wine beautifully displays what the malbec grape is capable of when blended with a touch of shiraz. Being a typical malbec the wine is inky, almost black in color displaying the aromas of blackberry, plum, black cherries and chocolate. Cherries, plums, cinnamon, and a hint of coffee are the dominant flavors along with the added complexity provided by a hint of oak. This is truly a regal wine with the charm and bearing of a modern classic. It is ready to drink now or can be set down for as long as five years to soften, mellow and take on the glow of a great classical wine. This wine will prove why malbec is being adopted by many red wine drinkers.

Don Miguel Gascon 2009 Reserva Malbec ($25). What is the difference between the malbec and the malbec reserva? Let’s start with grapes picked by hand in the early morning from high altitude Andes Mountain vineyards. The higher altitude of these vineyards allows the vine and thus the grapes to take advantage of the high mineral content water from the melting snow. After fermentation, the wine is given an extended stay, 15 months, in small oak casks to mature and soften even further. It is then blended with petit verdot and cabernet franc to closely approximate the Bordeaux style but with no intention to emulate it. The result is an elegant wine resplendent with all of the flavors and aromas that makes a red wine great. This wine is more an experience than a beverage.