2007 Bodega Luigi Bosca Malbec Luján de Cuyo Reserva

It has been an extremely long time since I posted. I was in the midst of finishing up a course in the international wine trade and, frankly, was completely burned out on thinking about wine. Not drinking it, mind you, just thinking about it. But I've had a couple of weeks to recuperate, and I think I'm ready to give it a go.

I have such fond memories of Luigi Bosca malbec. Years ago, when my dad was traveling to South America for work, he came back raving about the wine. At the time, it was extremely hard - even impossible - to find the wine in the US. Then about 4 years ago, my parents and I went to Argentina and immersed ourselves (almost literally) in the country's wine. Aside from a nice bottle of Tikal and some wine of unknown variety or provenance that came out of a big plastic jug at a street market, the Luigi Bosca was some of the best we had. Happily, it's now widely available in the US - I even managed to find this bottle on sale!

I've been saving this bottle for a special occasion, but for some reason I've decided to open it. Part of it is that I have a ridiculous number of wines that I've been saving for a special occasion, and...I don't have any special occasions (or, more specifically, anyone to share the wines with on special occasions). I'm also opening it now because Argentinian malbecs aren't really noted for their longevity and I don't want this wine to turn the corner before I decide to open it up. And, finally, it's the 10th in what is expected to be a 12-day-long rainy spell and I'm trying to transport myself to sunnier places. Given that Mendoza gets only about 22 cm of rain (about 8 1/2 inches) a year, I think it qualifies.

The wine is the expected inky color, though it has lost some of its youthful blue hues. It's more of a garnet with just a hint of violet at the rim. The aromas are deep and almost earthy. There's a butteriness from oak, but only in the backrgound. The primary aromas are ripe red berries and forest floor, and something briary as well.

It's a touch buttery on the palate as well, but not overwhelmingly. This malbec suffers from none of the overt jammy fruits or overpowering alcohol of a number of malbecs, but is a lovely balance of fruit, tannin, acid, and heat. The finish is long and juicy. Words cannot express how badly I want a big slab of Argentinian beef at this moment. Alas, my dinner consists of a green salad with a poached egg and sweet potato. Dinner and wine are not in agreement. So I'll just finish the wine first.

Vintage: 2007
Grape: Malbec
Region: Mendoza, Argentina
Price: $16

2009 Familia Zuccardi Malbec Mendoza Santa Julia Reserva

Recently, I wrote about a malbec from the same producer, Familia Zuccardi, out of Mendoza, Argentina. The wine now in my glass is from a separate product line, Santa Julia. Unfortunately, I don't know what's different about it, except that it costs less, because the website is in Spanish and I can't understand what it says. (My 1/2 a semester of Spanish classes just doesn't cut it.)

The wine has the same vibrant violet hue in the glass; it's young - a 2009 - and it looks it. The aroma isn't as powerful and complex as the Zuccardi I tasted a few weeks ago, though I do get some lovely raspberries, some cocoa and toast. It's also not as impressive in the mouth as the other. It's overly sour and bitter, without the benefit of any delicious, juicy fruits on the palette. Zuccardi definitely saved their good grapes for the other wine. These taste unripe and just not very pleasant. I don't think any more time in the bottle would help it; though it might open up a bit, I think it will remain unbalanced. Eh...81.

2008 Familia Zuccardi Malbec Mendoza Serie A

Violet violet violet. Just as a good malbec should be, this wine is opauely violet; when I swirl the glass, a noticeably purple sheen is left behind even when the wine settles back into the bowl. The nose is sensuous and striking with vanilla custard and raspberries, and - this sounds weird but - creamed corn. Big yum. (Good thing, because I swirled so vigorously, I sloshed it all over my pants.)

In the mouth, the wine is still silky and creamy (obviously a happy marriage between the grapes and the toasty barrel here). The acidity doesn't stand up and shout "hello!" but is very well balanced with the velvety tannins and tingly alochol. It has a medium-full body and some juicy concentrated blueberry pie and a hint of black pepper on the palette, and a finish that lingers for minutes. All around a delicious wine. I could drink this every day!

Argentina does it again! I give it a 91. A first, I think!