Malbec vs Malbec

If Malbec was an human being, it would probably be considered as a bipolar personality. Otherwise, how else would you describe a grape that has different characters depending on the continent it's growing in?

Argentine Malbec reached the public's radar in the 80's-90's thanks to its charming character, juicy fruit and its plush, velvety texture. A type of wine difficult to dislike. It easily became fashionable, making Mendoza's fortune as a wine region.  And since then anyone been asked about Malbec would think about Argentina probably also because 70% of it is cultivated there.

But the truth is that the grape is actually originating from France, more precisely from the South West of the country and was introduced in Argentina only in the XIX century. Cahors, its home town, is a beautiful medieval city in the Lot region surrounded by vineyards but what is really interesting is that the wines produced here are quite different and much less fashionable from the South American ones, so well known by most consumers.

Much sturdier than its Argentinian brother, the 'black wine' of Cahors has generally a more difficult character, a rustic feel, less generous fruitiness, spiciness and harsher tannins that need a bit of ageing.

Not a great variety of Cahors Malbec make it to international market so, during my 2 weeks tour of South of France, I made a bit of research on my own. I was not looking  for any specific winery nor I was prepared for a very professional assessment. I just chose quite randomly from the supermarkets' shelves inspired by the label or by the price.

All the wines I have tasted were of surprisingly good quality and extremely fairly priced. I didn't find them that austere but they certainly had exuberant tannins and needed a bit of food (which of course was not missing) to express at their best.

I can reconfirm that these wines were extremely different in style from the Argentine Malbec (one of my favourites) I had when I came back home .
What I found interesting (and the reason that inspired me in writing this post) is the individual characters this grape can show and how the combination of soil, climate, human techniques (i.e. irrigation or not) and local traditions can produce such unusual wines from it.




I'd like to finish saying that I don't think there is a style that is better than the other, it is just a matter of taste. Always drink whatever you like!

Salute!

Just to say I don't drink only Italian wines...

Reading my posts you may be thinking that I am one of those `wine nationalist` that only drink wines coming from their own country. I can't hide that I like Italian wines and, of course, this is what has been filling my glass for most of my life. This is mainly because in Italy there is not that much market for foreign wines but since I moved to London my palate has eventually discovered (ad enjoyed) the rest of the world.

And to prove you this I'll tell you about few wines that I have tasted recently...

Let's start with bubbles. And, to shuffle cards, let's choose it English! And Blanc de Noir.
Furleigh Estate Blanc de Noirs 2009. No trace of Chardonnay in it. Only Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Fresh strawberries and some candy lemon peel. Biscuity notes and a hint of smokiness. In the mouth it's round and the strawberries come back with more red fruit and pronounced intensity. Vibrant acidity and a medium long finish. Good level of complexity and extremely enjoyable.




Let's follow with something that was missing from the first wine....
some Chardonnay, from Australia this time.
Shaw and Smith M3 Chardonnay 2010. This wine is extremely charming with elegant notes of ripe golden apple, stone fruit and perfectly integrated vanilla notes coming from 10 months in oak. High acidity in the mouth, good minerality and a long finish....Top-notch!




Third place (but only in chronological tasting order) is for an Austrian wine, the Heinrich St Laurent 2011. St Laurent is a grape variety that, for long time has been thought to be connected to Pinot Noir especially due to their similar behavior in the vineyard. It is mainly found in Austria but also present in Germany and Czech Republic. But let's come back to the specific wine...it shows intense dark berry fruit notes, dark cherries and blackberries, some smokiness and a hint of cloves. In the mouth is a bit young but already soft and velvety, deep and long.



Let's finish with something from Argentina. And from there it cannot be anything else than Malbec. I know that Argentina can produce other wines and Malbec is actually native from South of France, but no one can argue that Malbec expresses at its best in the South American country and it is certainly one of the most representative grape of the Argentinian wine production.

The wine I left at the bottom of my list is one of my favourite: Bodega Renacer Punto Final Malbec Reserva 2009. The fruit here is dark ad deeply ripe. There are dark cherries, blackberries and plums followed by a touch of spices, cloves and vanilla and some developing notes of liquorice and leather. High acidity, full body and mature tannins and a rich texture complete the experience in the mouth. A long almost chocolaty finish for this great wine. Great with food and on a winter, cold evening.

Salute!