Malbec
Malbec
Poplar Grove 2017 Merlot
Canadian Red
Merlot forms eighty-five percent of the blend, joined by seven percent Malbec, five percent Cabernet Sauvignon and three percent Cabernet Franc. Fruit, baked flavours and chocolate appear in a dry profile. The wine spends twenty-one months in barrel, using twenty-five percent new oak and seventy-five percent one-to-three-year-old barrels, then another year in bottle. It comes from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.
Poplar Grove 2015 Merlot
Canadian Red
Dark ruby in colour with a subtle brick edge, the wine has marzipan, baking spice, dried fruit, vanilla and strawberry-jam aromas. Black plum, dried cherry and black pepper appear with soft, velvety tannins and a medium finish. The blend is eighty-eight percent Merlot, five percent Cabernet Sauvignon, five percent Cabernet Franc and two percent Malbec. Ageing lasts twenty-one months in French oak.
Laurent Saillard 2022 En Famille
French Red
Côt and a small portion of Pinot Noir form this Loire red blend. Blueberry and rose appear in a pure, supple profile with a compelling fragrance. The colour is dark without corresponding weight, and the wine contains 11.5 percent alcohol. Côt, another name for Malbec, is the principal grape in the blend, with Pinot Noir used in a smaller amount.
Château Lamartine 2001 Expression Cahors
French Red
Fruit in alcohol, vanilla wood and a touch of spice appear with a supple palate and chocolate character. The wine shows violet and dark reflections. Côt, also known as Malbec, grows on clay-limestone terroir and is matured in barrel. The tannins are very fine and the profile has elegance. Production amounted to twenty thousand bottles.
Zuccardi 2019 Polígonos Paraje Altamira Malbec
Argentinian Red
Malbec comes from Paraje Altamira at about 1,100 metres. Fermentation and ageing take place in concrete, without cultured yeasts or oak. Red and blue fruit accompany a juicy, savoury and almost saline palate. Country herbs, violets and lavender are also present, while a chalky path extends through the wine. The profile is fresh and zesty, with lightness and tension.
Echo Bay 2016 Cabernet Franc–Malbec
Canadian Red
Cabernet Franc makes up sixty percent of the blend, joined by forty percent Malbec. The varieties were destemmed, crushed and fermented separately, then matured for eighteen months in barrel, with twenty percent new wood. After blending, the wine rested briefly before bottling and further bottle ageing. The finished red records thirteen percent alcohol, a pH of 3.77 and total acidity of 7.2.
Markham Vineyards 2021 Napa Valley Merlot
American Red
Ripe raspberry, plum jam and caramel from oak ageing are present. Red fruit, minerality and velvety chocolate-covered cherries accompany structure, mid-palate weight and a long, round finish. The blend is ninety-one percent Merlot, seven percent Cabernet Sauvignon and two percent Malbec. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel with fifteen days of skin contact. The wine spends sixteen months in oak barrels, thirty percent new.
Harvey & Harriet 2020 Red Blend Paso Robles
American Red
The colour is medium ruby-purple. Aromas include Bing cherry, red raspberry, blueberry, roasted rhubarb, cardamom and brown sugar. Vanilla and spice sit with grilled meat, olive tapenade, cedar and molasses. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec make up the blend. The wine is full-bodied, with firm, grainy tannins and juicy acidity.
Argento 2020 Finca Agrelo Single Vineyard Malbec
Argentinian Red
Intense ruby colour carries violet reflections. Sweet spices and violets accompany ripe red fruit. The wine is medium-full bodied, with softened tannins, medium acidity and a finish marked by red fruit. Malbec is hand harvested and destemmed; twenty percent ferments in French oak while the balance ferments in stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation is followed by ten months in oval concrete tanks.
Fairview Cellars 2016 The Bear Reserve Meritage Golden Mile Bench
Canadian Red
Red and black berries, currant, tobacco, bell pepper, herbs and anise define the profile. Integrated tannins, medium acidity and a long, clean, balanced finish are present. The blend combines Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, with Cabernet Sauvignon making up at least half. The wine comes from Golden Mile Bench in British Columbia.
Olivier Rivière 2024 Plaisir Simple Côtes de Bourg
French Red
Cherry, cassis and ripe red fruit accompany a supple, velvety texture, fine tannins, freshness and a lightly mineral finish. The blend combines Merlot and Malbec. Grapes are harvested by hand and sorted twice. Parcel selections undergo maceration and fermentation in neutral tanks, followed by ageing in vessels chosen for the conditions and yield of the harvest. Alcohol is twelve percent.
Echo Bay 2022 Synoptic Red Blend
Canadian Red
Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Carménère and Petit Verdot make up the red blend. The grapes are organically grown and ferment with wild yeast. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered after sixteen months in French oak, fifteen percent new. Its fruit comes from Okanagan Falls in British Columbia, and the finished wine contains fourteen percent alcohol.
Cuvelier Los Andes 2008 Colección
Argentinian Red
Blackberry, fruitcake and liquorice appear in a dense, smooth profile with concentrated black fruit, firm structure, acidity, substantial tannins and grip. The blend is sixty percent Malbec, fifteen percent Merlot, fifteen percent Cabernet Sauvignon, five percent Syrah and five percent Petit Verdot. Fermentation lasts seven to ten days in stainless steel, with twenty to thirty days of maceration, full malolactic fermentation and twelve months in French oak.
Koerner 2017 Classico Clare Valley Red
Australian Red
Dusky blackberry, black plum, cassis, violet and balsamic notes accompany long, suede-like tannins and fine acidity. Cabernet Sauvignon is joined by fifteen percent each of Malbec and Petit Verdot. Destemmed fruit ferments with native yeast, then spends four months in used barriques. The final blend matures for six months in a three-year-old seven-hundred-litre French barrel and a ceramic egg before bottling without fining or filtration.
Trefethen 2021 Eshcol Red Oak Knoll District
American Red
Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for fifty-one percent of the blend, with Malbec at twenty-three percent, Merlot and Petit Verdot at twelve percent each, and Cabernet Franc at two percent. Raspberry and Bing cherry appear with leather and liquorice. Dark fruit and black pepper are also present. The finish is balanced and smooth. Fruit comes entirely from the Main Ranch estate vineyard, and maturation lasts fourteen months.
Domaine Elian Da Ros 2021 Chante-Coucou Côtes du Marmandais
French Red
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Syrah are vinified separately in open concrete vats with gentle extraction. Dark colour accompanies preserved black fruit, blueberry, ripe blackberry, cassis and prune. Peony and dried chrysanthemum appear with resinous, balsamic notes recalling pine and cypress. Ripe tomato, pink pepper and Espelette pepper are also present. The vines grow in clay-gravel soils over grey marl molasse, and the vineyard is farmed biodynamically.
Hillside Winery 2017 Mosaic Naramata Bench
Canadian Red
The blend is thirty-three percent Merlot, twenty-five percent Cabernet Franc, eighteen percent Malbec, seventeen percent Cabernet Sauvignon and seven percent Petit Verdot. It matures for eighteen months in French oak, forty-two percent new. The tannins are mostly dispersed, leaving a silky, dry texture. The fruit comes from vineyards on Naramata Bench in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley.
Cakebread Cellars 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
American Red
Fresh smoky cassis, blackberry and boysenberry appear with cedar, black-tea spice and sweet oak. The palate is concentrated, with black fruit, firm structure and a long savoury finish. The blend is seventy-eight percent Cabernet Sauvignon, sixteen percent Merlot, four percent Cabernet Franc and two percent Malbec. Fermentation took place in stainless steel, followed by twenty months in French oak, thirty-five percent new. Alcohol is 14.2 percent.
Fairview Cellars 2011 The Bear Okanagan Valley
Canadian Red
Medium ruby-purple colour accompanies ripe cherry and liquorice. The wine is dry, with medium-plus acidity and full, ripe tannins. Cherry, plum, cassis, spice and tobacco appear, with a long finish. Cabernet Sauvignon leads the blend, joined by Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Mint, blackcurrant and spicy cherry are also present. Production totalled three hundred cases.
CedarCreek 2013 Platinum The Last Word
Canadian Red
Dark liquorice, black cherry, cooked plum and graphite appear across the profile. Cassis, wild blackberry, spice-box notes and anise are also present, with bright acidity, structurally sound tannins and a warm finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec were co-fermented for one month. The blend then spent twenty months in French oak. The fruit comes from Osoyoos in the Okanagan Valley.
Yarra Yering 2011 Dry Red No. 1
Australian Red
Blackcurrant, cloves, cedar, pencil lead and fennel seed are present in a berry-filled profile. The palate is vibrant and medium-bodied, with cassis, crisp acidity and medium-firm grainy tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon is joined by Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The varieties are fermented separately in open fermenters, hand-plunged twice daily, and matured in French oak before blending.
Mvemve Raats 2014 MR de Compostella
South African Red
Green herbs, peppercorn, laurel, blackcurrant leaf and plum skin are present. Ripe plum and berry flavours accompany fine tannins with a pronounced dusty grip and a long, dry finish. The colour is deep ruby. Mineral, dark berry and dark chocolate notes are also present. Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot make up the blend.
Sequoia Grove 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
American Red
Bright black cherry, blackberry, baking spices, chocolate and toasted vanilla are present. The palate has intense blackberry flavours and round, smooth tannins. The blend is eighty-three percent Cabernet Sauvignon, eight percent Merlot, six percent Cabernet Franc, and one percent each Syrah, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Grapes are hand-picked and the berries hand-sorted. A one-to-three-day cold soak precedes fermentation. Maturation lasts twenty months in French oak, half new.
Zuccardi 2022 Aluvional Paraje Altamira Malbec
Argentinian Red
Aromatic dried herbs and concentrated cherry appear together. Fresh red plum, mulberry and rosemary accompany a velvety palate. Acidity gives the wine energy, and the aftertaste is saline. Malbec forms the entire wine from Paraje Altamira in San Carlos, Uco Valley. The vineyards sit between 1,050 and 1,150 metres. Their alluvial soils were formed by mountain water carrying rocks, sediments and minerals.
Escala Humana 2022 Credo Malbec El Peral
Argentinian Red
Black cherry and blackcurrant appear with floral character, mineral freshness and structure. Malbec forms the entire wine from the El Facha vineyard in El Peral. The vines grow at 3,750 feet on clay loam with granite and calcareous sections. Native yeast is used after destemming. Maturation lasts twenty-four months in French oak and twelve months in bottle. The wine is unfined and unfiltered.
Trefethen 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Oak Knoll District
American Red
Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot form an eighty-eight, six and six percent blend from the Main Ranch estate vineyard. Dark plum and black cherry appear with cocoa, pepper and fragrant herbs. Bright cherry flavours are accompanied by vanilla and forest floor. The wine spent eighteen months in oak, with fifty-three percent new barrels. Alcohol is thirteen-point-nine percent, and the fruit is sustainably farmed.
Duckhorn 2004 Three Palms Vineyard Merlot Napa Valley
American Red
Red fruit, dried herbs, allspice, vanilla bean and dust accompany ripe strawberry, dried cherry, toasted oak, chocolate and spice. The texture is velvety, with bright acidity and firm, well-integrated tannins. The blend is seventy-five percent Merlot, ten percent Cabernet Sauvignon, nine percent Petit Verdot, five percent Cabernet Franc and one percent Malbec. Maturation lasts twenty months in new sixty-gallon French oak barrels. The wine contains 14.5 percent alcohol.
Château du Cèdre 2006 GC Cahors Malbec
French Red
Dried black plum, cassis, blackberry, leather, cigar box, truffle, graphite, liquorice and earth are present. Full-bodied texture and rounded tannins accompany fresh acidity, stewed dark fruit, cocoa, tobacco, forest floor and savoury spice. A long finish is also present. The wine is made entirely from Malbec. Ripe tannins and fresh fruit sit alongside flavours from new oak, with a restrained character.
Robert Mondavi Winery 2019 The Estates Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon
American Red
Blackberry, blueberry, plum, chocolate, nutmeg and subtle oak accompany black plum and fine, well-integrated tannins. The profile is juicy, with good acidity. The blend is eighty-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon, six percent Cabernet Franc, six percent Petit Verdot, two percent Malbec and one percent Merlot. Maturation lasts twenty months in French oak barrels, with ninety percent new oak. The wine contains 15.3 percent alcohol.
St. Supéry 2013 Élu Napa Valley Red
American Red
Vibrant deep red and purple colour accompanies black plum, blackberry, anise, graphite, dark cocoa, espresso and toasted barrel. Cassis, black pepper and black liquorice are also present, with length and fine-grained tannins. The blend is sixty-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon, twenty-two percent Merlot and nine percent Malbec, with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot making up the balance.