Comparing Malbecs

This month’s meeting of the San Diego Chapter of the American Wine Society was themed, Malbec’s from around the World. It was scheduled for 5-6 wines, then boosted to 8 right before the meeting and with member contributions we ended with the ripe comparison of 11 Malbec varietal wines. This was going to be fun.

Our presenter started with covering the history of the Malbec grape & it’s journey to Argentina. She then focused on the Mendoza, as it is the major international producer of this varietal. Covering the region’s history, altitude, irrigation, phylloxera, climate & soil types.

We then moved onto the tasting portion of the meeting, pouring the wines 1 at a time. We kept the regions grouped together to allow for comparison of how the regional differences expressed themselves in the wine.

Wines Poured:

• 2015 Cuvée Joelle – France (link)
• 2015 Fleur de Roche Malbec – France (link)
• 2015 Georges Vigouroux Gouleyant Malbec – France (link)
• 2013 Nuestro Tiempo Malbec – Mendoza, Argentina (link)
• 2012 Colomé Estate Malbec – Mendoza, Argentina (link)
• 2012 Kalken “Ultra” Malbec – Mendoza, Argentina (link)
• 2008 Bodega Norton – Mendoza, Argentina (link)
• 2012 Siete Fincas Secreto – Mendoza, Argentina (link)
• 2013 Witch Creek Malbec – San Diego, CA (link)
• 2015 Hungry Hawk Malbec – San Diego, CA (link)
• Doffo Lucca Late Harvest Malbec – Temecula, CA (link)