Matuco 2008 Malbec - ~$10

I have a theory about Malbec. More of a hope, really. The success of Malbec, the red grape of the moment among U.S. wine drinkers, will remind California winemakers of the appeal of Merlot. By which I mean Merlot before the crazy yields and massive oaking of the late 1990s. The Merlot that features dense, dark red fruit. The grape that makes up most of Cheval Blanc (sorry Miles, it's true).

Alright, California's not making anything resembling a Premier Grand Cru St. Emilion Bordeaux in the near future. But it can absolutely make a wine as tasty and approachable as Fresh & Easy's recent addition, the 2008 Matuco Malbec. This is a wine from Argentina's Mendoza region and it's one on par with competitors like Norton and Alamos.

VERY IMPORTANT CAVEAT: This is a wine that benefits from some airing out. Directly from the bottle, it's a pretty sharp, tannic affair. After an hour or so, the nose features dark red fruit, wet soil and some sweet oak. In the mouth there's a rich mix of dark chocolate, blueberry, and black raspberry. The tannins are still there, but there much softened and framed by oaky sweetness.

Quality Malbecs are still pretty cheap and at ~$10 Fresh & Easy's Matuco has some stiff competition in the category. Ever the optimist, I'm looking forward to their Cali Merlots a few years from now.

Score

Drinkability: 8.5/10
Price: 3/5
Total value: 12.5/15

Recoleta 2008 Malbec/Bonarda - ~$5

Given the grapes here – Malbec and Argentina’s other reclaimed European grape, Bonarda – I was expecting that this bottling from Mendoza would be something of a fruit bomb. Certainly there’s some fruit here – notably bright Bing cherry – but the acidity is rather screeching and overwhelms the entire experience. All in all the wine tastes young and closed. A dud more than a bomb, it turns out, more than likely because of the recency of its vintage.

I realize that nobody is going to lay down a ~$5 wine they bought at Fresh & Easy. The point is, you shouldn’t have to: the winemaker should do that for you (well, for a red, at any rate). And some do. It will likely cost you a bit more, but in most instances the price is worth the value.

But back to this wine: I’m thinking it may be a good candidate for an "accelerated aging experiment" on the top of my refrigerator.

Score

Drinkability: 3/10
Price: 4/5
Total value: 7/15

2008 Ambas Malbec - ~$6

Though hardly “secret value” meccas any longer, both Argentina and Chile are still turning out an impressive amount of good, inexpensive wine. Fresh & Easy’s 2008 Ambas Malbec is a good example. Made from Mendoza grapes, Ambas is a young, fruity red, a medium-bodied wine with enough heft to stand up to a grilled steak. A nose of violets and ripe red fruit is followed by a palate of dark, mouth-filling blackberry, sour cherry and some leathery earthiness.

While it is a bit on the young side, I would say this is a straightforward wine rather than a simple one.

Mendoza strikes again!

Score

Drinkability: 8/10
Price: 5/5
Total value: 13/15

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