Price: $8
Winery: BEDM Wines, Argentina
Varietal: Malbec
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13.6%
Our Rating: 8.6 out of 10
Is there a varietal that offers as good a value as Malbec? Bodega Elena de Mendoza Malbec 2010 is yet another very inexpensive but totally drinkable red wine from Argentina. It’s very juicy and jammy with blueberry and raspberry notes, and offers a tart, peppery finish.
The Bodega Elena de Mendoza website doesn’t tell us much about the brand (reportedly, it is an E. J. Gallo brand), though it does say:
“Bodega Elena de Mendoza is named after our family matriarch Elena Napoli, whose parents emigrated from Italy to the heart of Argentina’s wine country in the nineteenth century. Our bold, beautiful wines take full advantage of the altitude, eternally sunny skies, and mountain water unique to our home at the foot of the Andes.”
This inexpensive but tasty Malbec has been universally applauded by bloggers, who have written about it in record numbers (at least compared to most of the wines I review).
- CheapWineRatings.com called it “fruit-forward and very drinkable” and “a steal.”
- Ben Bodenstein of Articles on Wine was even more complimentary, terming this Malbec “a truly regal wine that has all the finesse and character of a classical Bordeaux combined with the mineral lased fruit derived from its Argentinean birthplace.”
- Happy Hour Mary found it “smoky,” and thought it made a good food pairing with pizza.
- The Cork Chronicles thought it was very fruity and “easy drinking,” and suggested it might be a good “gateway red” for white wine drinkers.
- Benito’s Wine Reviews said, “This one would still be a good deal at double the price.”
- Six in the Suburbs described it as, “ripe yet balanced with a whack of freshness.”
- Under the Grape Tree dubbed the 2009 version “outstanding.”
- Oxford Liquor did an in-store tasting and considered it “very nice for the money.”
It’s rare to see a sub-$10 wine this widely reviewed. Not only that, although I admit my search wasn’t exhaustive, I didn’t find a single bad review. Just about all found this Malbec to be a good value, and there were more than a couple of rave reviews. So, if you need a fruity, drinkable red for your next large group, or just for a daily table wine, you could do a lot worse than Bodega Elena de Mendoza Malbec 2010.
There are some great Malbecs available…they tend to be reasonably priced, but many are over $10. This sounds like a wine to try!
While on vacation in Argentina around 2005 I was first introduced to Melbec where it is served with meals like water. I realy enjoyed it, but found it hard to find in the USA. I recently came acrossed Bodega Elena and tried it and was suddenly taken back to my time in Argentina.
Much better then other Melbecs that are twice the price.