Malbec for the win this May

Credit: Kaiken Wines

I missed “World Malbec Day” on April 17, as I was travelling in France. Granted, I also wasn’t thinking about Malbec. I was touring Paris with my partner and daughter and digging deep into the Champagne region.

But when I returned to Washington, DC, the tree canopy had deepened significantly in its green color, and the weather was much warmer. And I’m starting to think more about grilling, gardening, and getting some sun. For these days, Malbec from Argentina is perfect.

I’ve written about Argentina Malbec for years and will continue to do so. Why? Well:

·       Argentina Malbec played a big part in getting me into wine as a 20-something.

·       Since then, I’ve watched the diversity and amount of quality options available continue to increase.

·       Americans love the stuff.

·       The value out there is awesome.

I recently tasted two Argentina Malbecs from the Mendoza region, a massive player in the global Malbec world, of course. And these wines from Tapiz and Kaiken reiterated these points clearly, and deliciously.

Both of these wines come in at under $25 a pop, are packed with style and realness, and balanced wonderfully. And they’d be great for an upcoming Memorial Day grill-out session, or just forgetting a few in the cellar and letting them improve. You can’t go wrong with either one.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted.

2020 Tapiz Malbec Alta Colección - Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco, Tunuyan
SRP: $20
Deep purple color. The aromas show a dark, earthy, enticing vibe with roasted figs, plum sauce, along with a complex mix of black pepper, charcoal, sage, leather, some herbal tea, along with dried violets and dark chocolate shavings. The palate sports nice grip and zesty acidity, and the balance is on point. Flavors of black currants, plum cake, roasted figs, and I get tones of paprika, sage, black pepper. Also add in potting soil, clay, charcoal, some graphite, and minerals. Delicious, earthy, lovely spicy complexity, and this should age well, too. Made from a single vineyard from a vineyard at 4,430 feet, aged 10 months in 85% new French and American oak. I could see this being an excellent by-the-glass list as a burger place. Awesome value. (91+ points)

2020 Kaiken Malbec Ultra - Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco, Vista Flores
SRP: $22
Dark purple. Deep aromas but they smell inviting, with ripe blackberries, tangy plums, currants, laced with anise, coffee grounds, graphite, minerals, magic marker, some rose petals. The palate is suave with structured but chewy tannins and crisp acidity – just so alive. The fruit is a mélange of black cherries, tangy blueberries, black currants, accented with nuances of earth, rocks, graphite, and minerals. Tones of sage, tobacco, eucalyptus, and dark chocolate add complexity, too. Deep but woven together really well. This will also age nicely, and I’d like to revisit in five years. Or just grill a steak and enjoy soon. (90 points)