28 June 2005

2004 Trapiche Malbec

A cheap import from Argentina, much like one of those amazingly well-engineered vintage cameras you can grab from Buenos Aires, as long as you are willing to believe that it was engineered in South America and not in Germany between 1939 and 1945. Anyway, this is a fun little wine... the 2004 Trapiche Malbec. It's 100% Malbec from Mendoza, one of my favorite grape/region combinations, close to the NZ Sauvignon Blanc/Marlborough.

There's not a lot on the nose here, but it's a very smooth drinking red wine. Just a hint of tannins on the finish, you get dark fruit and leather flavors on the amazingly soft beginning. Not sweet, sour, or otherwise tainted by the usual flaws of cheap wine (only $6 per bottle). My only question is, why use a natural cork? This one really deserves a screwcap. Not only would it knock fifty cents or so off the price, but it would make it a perfect wine for outdoor BBQs, tailgate parties, and other events where you might be without a corkscrew. As much of a wine geek as I am, I have found myself in places without corkscrews before, and it's never pleasant. One hates to take the sorority girl route and use a butter knife to drive the cork deep enough into the bottle that one is able to pour easily.

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