Perhaps a little young, the tannins overcame the fruit on this one.  A green note along with blackberries on the palate was somewhat offset by an imbalance in the acidity.  I was not a huge fan of this bottle, and don’t see it evolving much even with its strong tannic frame.  85 points and for under a tenner, perhaps 3 stars.  It might do for a BBQ with ribs slathered in sauce, or perhaps a grea-zee burger.

An Argie Malbec for about $12, this wine was decent but lacked any umph.  I love the varietal, generally finding that the fruit is very tasty and usually quite extracted (I know, goes against my whole finesse thing).  Anyway, this wine offered up some decent blackberry and plums on the palate that seemed to fade rather fast.  I did notice some tannic bite, but nothing obtrusive.  I am used to this varietal showing off some ‘fruit bomb’ charachteristics and I love the Malbecs from Cahors (France) where they refer to them as The Black Wines.  This was just shy of my expectations and I felt a little shortchanged.  At a modest $11 you should at least give it a go, perhaps with some burgers and dogs.  I would also suggest a few bottles in the basement for unexpected guests, they would enjoy it for what it is.  3 stars for an even 84 points.

A lighter purple shade in the glass gives up a very fruity nose. Full on, this one hits the palate full bore with plum and blue berry. Instinctively I thought it was going do be candy-like after taking a whiff, I was wrong. Serious depth and some excellent tannins make this a rather serious Malbec. For $25 a bottle it takes on an air of superiority, and handles it well. Slightly off-put by the sugary nose, the rest of the package more than makes up for it. 4 stars, 88 points IMHO.

Finally, @United Airlines has changed their domestic first class wine. Not a moment too soon. This very serviceable Malbec should be in everyone’s party portfolio. Easy to drink, smooth, without pretension and easy on the wallet. Not complex, it shows balance with tasty primal red fruits. For what it is, don’t expect any cellaring potential. This wine is a very reasonable way to keep many guests happy without breaking the bank.
Malbec comes in several forms from the black and tannic Cahors to the jammy fruit bombs and on to the easy quaffers like this one. 4 stars for its Quality/Price ratio and I reckon it would get 86 points from a pro. Everyone needs an emergency case of this stuff lying around.

I have written about the 2008 version of this wine, only giving it 3 stars  and not much detail.  Last night, we drank two bottles of the latest offering, and it was just beautiful.  The nose was very rich with red fruits giving way to powerful blueberry on the initial palate.  Very inky in color, this wine is big.  Tons of fruit mix it up with great tannins that leave you with a long aftertaste.  I love this style of Malbec; juicy, rich and in your face.  It only works well when done correctly.  At closer to $20, the Golden Reserve is a step up from regular offerings from Argentina.  We enjoyed this wine at a social gathering, but I bet it would be great with a juicy steak and some grilled vegetables.  This has to be one of my favorite Malbecs….  5 stars from me- 91 points?

I remembered drinking this wine before, and had to look it up here.  This version, the 2010, was far better than the ’09.  Fruity on the nose, the initial palate is ‘in-your-face’ with the Malbec.  This grape can be very fruit-bomby and this winery has not strayed far from the hallmark.  Plum and vanilla give way to a decent finish.  I would not consider this a very sophisticated wine, but am warming up to it’s potential as a party quaffer.  For the price, it gets 3 stars.  My guess would be an 87 point wine.