Wine Wednesday – Altocedro Malbec 2008

Once again I had a Bevmo coupon so I placed an online order and ducked into the store to pick it up.  This wine caught my eye because it’s a Malbec (which as you can see we are huge fans of) and secondly Bevmo’s Wilfred Wong gave it a 93 rating.  I don’t usually buy based on his ratings because we disagree with him sometimes but I figured this wine was probably good because of the rating being higher than normal.  No one else seems to have rated the 2008 vintage yet but 2007 and 2006 both got 88 points from Wine Spectator.  I paid $11.99.

Well it was.  I ran it through the Vinturi Wine Aerator before tasting it. I normally don’t do that for these posts but I was in that kind of mood and feeling impatient.  I was pleased with the result but after about 30 minutes more, it was excellent. Smooth.

Winemakers notes:

“85% Malbec, 15% Tempranillo –aged for 6 months in oak, deep purple color, sweet tannins, aromas of red fruit, spice, and flowers. A huge extraction and a long silky finish.”

The recipe pairings from Snooth seem to lean toward spicy Pork Tenderloins with ginger or habaneros.

Altocedro’s website is www.altocedro.com.ar but it’s in Spanish.

Rating:    We liked it. I would certainly take this to a party and it’s a nice change.  I still think I’d prefer to take Catena (to be rated in the future!) and drink Naiara for every day since it’s cheaper.

For an explanation of Wine Wednesday ratings click here.

Tagged as: Argentinian Wine, Malbec, Red Wine, Red Wine under $15, Wine, Wine Wednesday