Nicolas Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino 2004

Coupled with the Almaviva, this was the second wine I had to celebrate the end of the term. I have a lot of respect for Catena and am a huge fan of their entire range of wines, but this was my opportunity to sample their high end single vineyard Malbec.

A very dark purple in the glass, almost like beets - this may, in fact, be the darkest wine I have ever seen. The colour suggested the power of the wine, and I discovered stunning notes of flowers, game, raspberry, and red currents on the powerfully explosive nose. The palate got even more intense with blackberry, chocolate, blueberry, graphite, licorice and spice. A tremendous wine with unbelievable concentration and texture, this has the backbone to expand for many years and become a stunner of a wine.

Excellent+
$106 at Dundarave Wine Cellars

Catena Alta Malbec 2004

I picked this up on sale, making it a more normal price. I've had this before at the Catena dinner I attended and was impressed but not blown away with it there. This is my second try, and my opinion has changed little.

Here we have a nose of chcolate, game and blackberry. Rich and fruit dark berries on the palate with a little pepper and spice. This has what I like to call a 'brambly' character to it. Great body and structure with nice length. However, while I wouldn't go so far as to call this unbalanced, I would call it slightly rough, and that brings the rating down a notch for me. I prefer the Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon more than this.

Very Good+
$65 ($44 on sale) at BCLDB

Ciclos Malbec Merlot 2005

The final wine of the South American terroir trio is this Ciclos Malbec from S. Michel Torino Estate of the Cafayate region in Argentina. Cafayate is a high altitude region, which promised concentration and power. And, this was the best of the bunch with menthol, vanilla, cassis and chocolate. Not refined, but with solid structure and depth of flavour, which make this above average at this price point. Good grippy tannins give the wine bite without detracting from the fruit. Worth a look and taste.

Very Good

~$20 at BCLDB

Ben Marco Malbec 2005

A gift from a friend giving me a lesson in South American Terroir. I found this Argentian (Mendoza) Malbec plummy, with a small amount of earthiness and very smooth if maybe somewhat flabby tannins. Simple but pleasant. Very sweet, though - but this paired well with the Dominos Pizza I ate with it (what can I say? I don't always go upscale), which has sweetened tomato sauce. Nothing special, though - but a good lesson in what you get from Mendoza at this price point. I also imagine this would appeal to those who are still transitioning from sugared wines to dry wines (the extreme fruit-forwardness gives the wine the impression of sweetness).

Fair

~$25