I opened a bottle of 2007 Zuccardi Malbec tonight that was really an interesting wine. Now, what do I mean by interesting? I tend to use that a lot.
To me 'interesting' is a good thing. Interesting means there are things going on when you get a mouthful of this purple-black wine. An interesting wine requires you to slow down, think bout the wine as you drink it, and see how it changes over the course of a class or two.
This Mendoza region malbec wasn't as smooth as some of the more recent ones I've written about here, but it had some complexity. Now a confession, I'm not real good at the "nose of currant, hint of mint" sort of things you read in wine publications and in wine shops. But, I keep working at it. I check out the nose and taste the wine and try to identify some things then look at the notes on the bottle to see if I'm even close to what the winemaker wrote.
I'm getting better. This wine wasn't as fruity to me as some Malbecs but it was fairly bold. I thought of blackberries and maybe even the earthy flavor of good chocolate. Imagine my surprise when a little research suggested hints of blackberry, raspberry, currant and chocolate. I'll take getting close.
I've known a couple of people who talk about 'chewy' wines - big flavors, a good balance of tannins and acidity - chewy! I'm not sure I still fully understand that description, but if I do - I'd suggest the Zuccardi is chewy!
My first instinct is this might be a better wine next year. It is a 2007 so its a very young wine.
I might not suggest it as your first Malbec. But it pairs up nice with food, partly because of the bigger flavor. I had it with chili and it was quite good.
I bought this bottle at Cork-N-Cracker in Indianapolis for $13.95 ... a good price based on researching the wine.
So bottom line, if you see Zuccardi in a wine shop and you like Malbecs, this would be one to pick up and try!
Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com
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