2008 Munoz de Toro Valle Perdido Malbec, Argentina

Such a pleasure...Very dark purple with an exceptionally vibrant ruby rim

Sensual subtleties… Black currant, black cherry, vanilla, cedar chips

Just a tad bit lacking…I have been lucky enough to find this wine (as well as the Munoz de Toro Argie Bonarda) at a local olive mill. I say I’m lucky because this wine is an exceptional glass of Malbec, and for the nice price of 12.99. I haven’t done a lot of research on this except to find out that this is a Durigutti wine and while I wasn’t a big fan of the 2009 Durigutti Malbec; this is a much better pour. Be advised this wine needs time to breathe, even if you use a Vinturi or other wine aerator you need to let this sit out for a few hours preferably overnight. If you give this wine a chance to breathe it is quite a nice experience. The attack is all dark fruit layered one atop the next; cherry, plum, black currant with a smattering of blackberry and blueberry and just a touch of smoky wood underlying those fruit flavors. The mid-palate is just a little bit “weaker” than I’d like. I can feel just the mere hints of alcohol heat, and the tannins are very illusive. There is some nice acidity and some nice sweet-and-sour cherry/cranberry flavors. But overall the mid-palate isn’t what I’d expected in the least. While the mid-palate leaves me wanting, the long finish does not disappoint. Layer upon layer of black fruits (plum, blackberry and currant being predominant) are interspersed with cassis, vanilla, ash, loam, sage and leather; making this one of the more complex Malbec’s I’ve tasted in a while. This is a medium bodied wine with an exceptionally pleasant aftertaste of cherry and chalk that leaves me licking my lips and longing for another glass.

Overall, this is a wonderful wine experience with just a few hiccups along the way. The attack is somewhat one dimensional and the mid-palate is a disappointment but this wine shines in the finish and pours on the depth and character. Due to the beauty of the finish and overall pleasantness of this wine I recommend it and give it a solid, Good QPR. For your money it’s a decent bottle, but if you really just want a great drinking Malbec for the best price than you’d still have to pick up the Kaiken Malbec. This isn’t as cheap as the Kaiken and the Kaiken is a better all around wine in my opinion; but this is pretty darn close.

D U R I G U T T I 

2009 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, California

A gorgeous glass…Dark, ruddy hue fading to pinkish-red at the rim

Stunning scents…Black currant, cedar, loam, compost, syrup

Fantastic flavors…To be quite honest, this was a desperation purchase on a quick trip to my local super market. I wanted something with quality and had heard this wine had particular depth and character for a wine frequently sold in grocery stores. So I placed it in my cart and came home. Then promptly forgot about it as I had placed it in my new wine cellar. After a few months I was rearranging my cellar to organize it by varietal and ran across this particular bottle. Once again my interest was piqued and while my wife sipped on a bottle of Sparkling Wine, I chose to pop the cork on this beauty. And beauty it what this wine is. It’s not a 92 or 93 point wine, but it has defined levels of complexity that you won’t find in many wines sold in the super market, particularly at the 20 dollar mark. Be warned, this wine needs a good day of decanting before you start to sip it; it’s big, bold and very dark in flavor and texture. The attack is full of heavy black fruits blackberry, black currant, roasted black plums and black cherry jam mingling with vanilla and butter all floating atop a foundation of oak, wet leaves and peat moss. The mid-palate has a whole lot of everything; chewy tannins rise in force shoving astringency across the surface of my tongue to battle against alcohol warmth and tingle that flees from acidity and flavors of leather and dust. The mid-palate seems overwhelming and long, when in reality it merely melds right into a long finish that is full of more dark fruits and heavy savory characteristics; the first of these show up in the form of dark cherry with vanilla buttercream layered on top, this melts into a very pungent oak and tobacco taste with just a hint of sour blackberry and finally comes the wet leaves, loam, chalk and compost bringing sensory overload to my palate. This is a full bodied wine with a wonderful aftertaste of wet wood, damp earth and cooked plums.

Overall this is an excellent wine with few failings. Sure it’s not for every palate. It’s a very heavy red wine with lots of tannins and particularly deep/dark flavors. It will assault many red wine drinkers and overwhelm their “softer” palates, but for a Cabernet enthusiast this hits the spot. It’s not overly expensive or immensely complex. It shows flashes of complexity above a 20 dollar wine but provides a lot of even quality. I recommend this and award it with a solid Good QPR. If you are in a hurry at the grocery store grab this bottle, it will pair wonderfully with those steaks, heavy stews or hamburgers.

Beringer Vineyards