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What Is It About Malbec?

Wine Review: Luigi Bosca Malbec 2006 (about $21 US, $25 Cdn)

Argentina has recently surged ahead of Germany, Spain and Chile to become the fourth-biggest exporter of wine to the U.S., trailing only Italy, Australia and France – and all thanks to its bold and beautiful signature grape varietal: Malbec. In France, Malbec is a Bordeaux blending grape and planted mainly in Cahors. It's inky dark and produces intense wines with strong tannins. Argentina has taken the grape as its own and planted it with gusto. It was first brought to South America in the mid-1800s, but only gained worldwide fame in the late 20th century.

What’s driving the popularity of Argentine Malbec? Simple: they’re high on assertive flavor and generally low on price.

Today’s featured wine, the Luigi Bosca Malbec 2006 (about $21 US, $25 Cdn) is a little on the high side of the average price point for Argentine Malbecs, as many good ones come in at $12-15, so I was expecting something really delicious. Did it deliver? Sort of. I took an immediate liking to the perfumy bouquet of fresh-ground spices and oak. Flavors of concentrated blackberry, coffee and herbs played off each other to create a pleasing overall richness. It left me slightly underwhelmed at this price, but it’s nevertheless a delicious expression of the region.

Quaffabilty Rating: 90





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“What Is It About Malbec?”