Magnificent malbec: Argentina leads the way

Add a steak and you have the makings of a perfect Argentinian evening.

Unfortunately for malbec aficionados Malbec World Day fell on Easter Monday this year, so took second billing behind religious festivals and, probably, excessive consumption of chocolate.

However, there is still time to enjoy a taste (or 60) of some magnificent wine if you can travel to Sydney or Melbourne this weekend for Gauchito Gil’s Malbec Day (gauchitogil.com.au). Here, you will find Argentinian producers and importers keen to show their wares, and a smattering of Australians too.

Malbec has a long history in France. It is one of the six red grape varieties permitted in the production of wine in Bordeaux and is still widely planted farther upstream where, in the Middle Ages, the “black wine of Cahors” was coveted by kings, popes and the wealthy. Now, however, ask people about malbec and they are likelier to think of Argentina. It is the largest producer of malbec, and the wines go from fruit-driven and accessible to heavily oaked blockbusters. These four wines encompass that range.

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1. Jed Wines Jed Malbec 2014 ($25)

Here’s a good mix to start with: Argentinian malbec made by Australian winemakers. Jed Wines is the brainchild of Tom Egan, Rob Bates-Smith and Blair Poynton, who studied winemaking together in Margaret River before travelling and working harvests farther afield. It was in the US that they first saw the opportunities that Argentinian malbec offered and, as they put it, “jumped in”. Their 2014 Jed Malbec is a good introduction to the grape.

It is a smooth, easy-drinking wine that becomes lighter and brighter with time from a fruit perspective, having opened with dark cherry and plum on the palate. Pay $10 more for the 2013 Limited Release Malbec to experience greater intensity and length. Try both wines and enjoy the difference.

jedwines.com

Jed Wines Jed Malbec 2014.

2. Marcelo Pelleriti Reserve Malbec 2011 ($33)

Winemaker Marcelo Pelleriti was the first Argentinian to receive a 100 point rating from American wine critic Robert Parker Jr for one of his wines. Admittedly, it was for his Chateau La Violette 2010, a merlot made in Pomerol rather than a wine made in South America, but still — he clearly has some talent.

His 2011 Reserve Malbec is drinking well now and, while it shows some aged characteristics, it also comes across as pretty youthful when the red fruits hit the palate upfront.

The tannins are soft and almost powdery (the age showing) but the structure is good. It is quite an elegant wine (relative to many Argentinian malbecs) and, as with the wines above, can be enjoyed on its own as well as with food.

roseview.com.au

Marcelo Pelleriti Reserve Malbec 2011.

3. Bressia Monteagrelo Malbec 2013 ($47)

After decades of working for larger companies, Walter Bressia launched his family winery so he could control production from the vineyard all the way through to the finished product. Output is pretty limited but the hands-on approach certainly works with the 2013 Monteagrelo Malbec.

There is an immediate whiff of vanilla on the nose, hinting at American oak use, while the ripe fruit takes a bit more time to reveal itself. The body is medium to full, with plenty of concentrated black cherry, blackberry and even some raspberry, while you will find coffee and chocolate on the finish. The tannins are still pretty firm but there is a lovely balance to the wine. Add a steak to the mix and you have the makings of a perfect Argentinian evening.

artisanmalbec.com.au

Bressia Monteagrelo Malbec 2013.

4. O. Fournier Alfa Crux Malbec 2007 ($150)

Now we’re talking: full-bore Argentinian malbec, 15 per cent alcohol (and some?), 18 months in new oak (80 per cent French, 20 per cent American).

But this wine is so much more than a stereotype.

For one, it is so well balanced that all of the extremes fall in to place; and, for another, at 10 years old it is drinking perfectly — although it will go for longer if you want to put a few in the cellar.

This is classic Argentinian malbec: it coats the glass when you pour it, its aroma fills the room before you have even had a chance to sniff it, and you want half a cow, medium rare, on a wooden board at your first sip.

It is dense, intense, and very appealing.

Dust off your decanter.

untappedwines.com.au

O. Fournier Alfa Crux Malbec 2007.