Malbec is like the kid who is doing fine in school in many ways, but then her family moves, and at her new school she makes the dean’s list, stars on the volleyball team and gets picked for homecoming court.
It happens every year, everywhere. New kids keep coming up, and their parents keep getting new jobs that force the family to pack up and go. As any school psychologist will tell you, though, environment matters. Most winemakers would say the same thing. In the wine universe, the relocation and possibilities for renewal are a little more limited, and change happens much slower.
For malbec, life began in southwestern France, where the hearty red grape has been a traditional blending component in Bordeaux and the main component of Cahors. In Bordeaux, it has played second- or third-string to the other star grapes (cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc), and in Cahors it has had a spot in the starting lineup (local regulation calls for Cahors blends to include 70 percent malbec), with some support from merlot and tannat. But Argentina is where this full-bodied wine shines the brightest.
Malbec is not one of the so-called “international grapes” (aka “classic grapes,” and at one time aka “noble grapes”) but it is undeniably one of the most popular and visible, thanks in part to that transfer to the new school.
It did not happen right away, but when malbec settled in at the new school — let’s call it Mendoza High — it went from solid teammate that made a big play here and there, to all-conference star that helped its team with the state championship. It was a mathlete, too, and a darn good one. It also tutored kids on the weekends and visited people in the hospital. The point is, it thrived, it found its rhythm and reached its true potential. It would have been fine had it stayed at the first school, but at the new one, it opened up and became something else.
In Cahors, malbec turns into big bruiser wines, full of heft and tannins, well-suited to stand up to formidable, rich local cuisine such as cassoulet, duck confit, game meats, foie gras and black truffles. At its best it can offer plum, leather and tobacco.
The malbec grape, also known as cot, auxerrois and pressac, depending on where it is planted, shows up elsewhere, too — in blends from the Loire Valley of France, in Chile and in other parts of the new world. But it is in Argentina, where it was brought from France in the 19th century, that it continues to ace tests, win games and volunteer its time thoughtfully and meaningfully.
The Andes give western Argentina’s Mendoza region altitude, with some of its best vineyards rising to roughly 3,000 feet in elevation, and all the way up to about 5,000 feet. It is sunny and dry up there, and of course it is also cool, which allows the grapes to ripen slower and develop more acidity than they would at lower, hotter altitudes.
Argentine malbec is generally fruitier and less tannic than Cahors, with hints of plum, blackberries, chocolate, earth and spice, plus a supple, velvety mouthfeel. Once again it is a complement to big foods: steaks, mainly, and just about any seared meat that comes off of a flame-dancing grill. If you have ever seen a salad in Argentina, you know that it is not a priority. It consists of a few pieces of lettuce, some random slices of onion and tomato, and vinegar and oil on the side. Salad in Argentina is almost a formality to be endured before a flavorful hunk of grass-fed beef and a bottle of malbec arrive.
Malbec is the most widely planted grape in Argentina, and the country’s most popular single variety wine. It is, quite simply, ubiquitous in Buenos Aires. Everywhere you look, you see intensely colored, inky wine, deep purple and beyond, which is nothing new, since Cahors was dubbed “black wine” long ago.
Malbec’s rise to familiarity and eventual popularity has been relatively slow here because that is the way with wine. “Argentine Malbec” did not roll off the tongue 10 years ago, and 20 years ago only wine geeks could spit out “Mendoza.” Cahors still sits in relative obscurity outside the figurative walls of the wine world.
But now, malbec as a varietal wine from Argentina is a thing that is just a part of our wine lives. It is easy to find in retail shops, and on restaurant wine lists. Maybe it is not as inexpensive as it used to be (the word is out, and Argentina’s economy is better than it once was), but there are still bargains to be found. On the other hand, for those of you who are not averse to a little splurge, there are also very expensive Argentine malbecs out there, due in part to the injection of foreign wine talent and monetary investment in Mendoza.
We all know that a school or a team can establish its reputation on the performance of one key player, and for the school/team that is Argentina, the player is malbec. Don’t count out France, because Cahors is very clearly still in the game. Remember where malbec came from, not just where it is going. Enjoy it either way. Actually, enjoy it both ways. As any dance instructor (or wine lover) will tell you, it takes two to tango.
About the Author
