Box Wines
A wine blog with news and reviews of affordable wines

The hottest varietal in the U.S. wine market is Malbec, grown in Argentina and known for making red wines that are modest in cost and approachable in flavor.

According to recent data from The Nielsen Company, Argentine wines saw a 59.6 percent growth in dollar volume percent change on the U.S. market—by far the largest experienced by any foreign wine-producing country on our market that Nielsen tracks—in the last year ending December 12, 2009. Chile saw an increase of 6.8 percent and Spain, 3.3 percent, in the same period. For two of Argentina’s biggest competitors on the import side, these low, single-digit growth rates pale in comparison. Malbec was also up 55.7 percent in dollar volume percent change over the 13 weeks ending December 12, 2009 and 42.8 in a four-week period ending the same date, according to The Nielsen Company. [From Feisty Malbec.]

Here are a few Malbecs we’ve reported on.

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Price: $50
Maker: Franciscan Oakville Estate, Rutherford, California
Varietal: Red Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14.1 %
Our Rating: 8.9 out of 10

We opened our bottle of Franciscan Oakville Estate Magnificat 2003 as a Christmas dinner treat to accompany a standing rib roast. This is a more costly wine than we usually comment on here, and we looked forward to experiencing a big red - this is a Meritage blend, ostensibly the best of the best, and it weighs in at a hefty 14.1% alcohol level, higher than a typical cab. While I wasn’t able to track down the blending proportions for the 2003 Magnificat, the 2005 vintage was almost three-quarters Cabernet Sauvignon with almost all of the rest Merlot; the Malbec and Petit Verdot were only a percent or two each.

This Meritage blend has a deep ruby color, and offers a bright and explosive berry aroma. On the palate, plum and black cherry notes combine with chocolate. There wasn’t a lot of pepper or spice in the finish, but the finish was long with plenty of chewy tannins. Although I uncorked the wine well in advance of the first pour, it wasn’t until the bottle was partially consumed and the wine had still more air that it really came into its own. I’d suggest ample breathing opportunity, or even decanting.

Around the Web, Grape Thoughts found the 2001 Franciscan Magnificat to be “magnificent.”

Overall, this wine didn’t disappoint - it offered good structure and complexity, and certainly held its own with flavorful prime rib. Would I run out and buy more at $50? Hard to say. Despite the fact that expensive wine tastes better, for my palate, at least, the Franciscan Magnificat 2003 wasn’t that much better than some wines costing half as much or less. (On the other hand, perhaps I need to spend more time drinking wines in this price range and higher to expand my appreciation for their presumed subtleties.) In any case, if the price isn’t off-putting, you’ll find this wine to be a solid choice.

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Price: $4
Maker: Fecovita, Mendoza, Argentina
Varietal: Malbec (70%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%)
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 13%
Our Rating: 7.5 out of 10

I was really excited by the ridiculously low price of $4 for a Malbec/Cab blend from Argentina, but Toca Diamonte 2004 ended up being a disappointment. (A $4 wine that isn’t spectacular? Shocking, eh?) This blend has some cherry and spice notes, but comes across as thin. Sometimes various levels of breathing will let a red like this become a bit more robust and complex, but it didn’t happen this time. The finish isn’t bad, but overall this wine doesn’t have much to offer.

Wine Memoirs was a bit luckier than us, apparently, and comments,”acceptably-balanced blend, with a hint of black cherry, was pretty good stuff.” There wasn’t any info about the Diamonte wine on the Fecovita website, although I did catch a glimpse of a similar bottle on their splash page. Fecovita appears to be a well-established winery, and I suspect this rebranded product isn’t the finest they have to offer.

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Price: $11
Maker: Bodegas Escorihuela Gascon, Argentina
Varietal: Malbec
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, synthetic cork
Alcohol: 14.2%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Gascon Malbec 2006 is packaged with a simple but elegant label and what looks like a composite cork. Its nose is an enticing blend of spice, vanilla, and berries. This Malbec is full bodied and relatively high in alcohol content, but it’s not a fruit bomb. Cherry and raspberry notes blend with a hint of chocolate, oak, and rather prominent tannins for a long-lasting and dry finish.

This seems to be the only Gascon wine available in the U.S. The Gascon website has but a single page of content, and it’s devoted to their 2006 Malbec. The parent company seems to have some additional products; oddly, their website seems to offer both English and Spanish options, but the language links are broken.

The Style Gourmet has some very detailed notes on Gascon Malbec 2006, concluding that, “This is a toasty wine all around, and one you can get your teeth into.” Koeppel on Wines thought this wine, “delivered the goods.” In Vino Veritas liked its ” black cherry flavors accented by smoky, chocolaty notes.” Wine & Dine proclaimed Gascon Malbec a “pick of the week” and said, “It’s a bit unusual, fairly potent and ready for prime rib.”

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Price: $16
Maker: Vinalia SA, Mendoza, Argentina
Varietal: Malbec
Packaging: 3 liter box, pushbutton spigot
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Vaca Morada Malbec is the first new boxed red wine we’ve found in a while, and we’re glad we did. This non-vintage wine (termed a 2006 by the importer) from Argentina has a leathery nose backed up with raspberries and spice. The flavor is juicy and well balanced, with dark berry notes combining with chocolate and light pepper. Light acidity perks up the finish and balances the fruit. Vaca Morada Malbec is a pleasant and accessible wine that will please a variety of red wine drinkers.

“Vaca Morada” is Spanish for “purple cow” - an apt name for this reddish purple wine. Oddly for a “critter” name, there’s no cow image on the American import box - that would seem to limit its marketing impact when stacked against competition like Funky Llama, Yellow Tail, and the rest of the critter crew. The Vinalia website seems to be mostly under construction. One thing we find encouraging about this wine is that it’s the first boxed wine not from the U.S. or Australia that we’ve seen in our local market (which is admittedly limited). It’s great to see both a less common varietal like Malbec as well as a less common wine exporter like Argentina showing up on the neighborhood shelves, and even better to have it be a fine wine for parties or glass-a-day dinner companion.

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Price: $7
Maker: Prestige Wine Group (importers), Princeton, MN
Varietal: Malbec
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 13%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Malbecs aren’t all that common in the crush of Cabs, Merlots, and Shirazes on the typical shelf, so we couldn’t resist giving Conquista Malbec 2005, a product of the Mendoza, the wine capital of Argentina, a try. It definitely qualifies as affordable, and we’re happy to report it’s quite drinkable, too. Its aroma is a pleasant blend of ripe berries and leather. The wine is light to medium bodied, with plummy notes blending into oak with soft tannins. If we can find a flaw in this wine, it’s that the flavor seems a bit thin despite exhibiting good structure. If you haven’t tried a Malbec, I’d compare this one to a lighter but still fruit-forward Merlot.

This is a pleasant enough wine for well under $10 - if you want to offer your guests a varietal that is a bit less common but your budget is limited, Conquista Malbec 2005 is a good choice.

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