When I'm spending $20 for a bottle of red, I look for a Zinfandel. But when I'm spending less, I look for a Malbec, which is probably the best red wine bargain out there. Special thanks to Drew for bringing the fantastic corned beef, which gave my palate a whole new lease on life!
This set were all good (although #3 didn't win many friends), with standouts in bold:
- 2004 Cahors Clos La Coutale $11.99
- 2006 Pascual Toso Malbec Maipu Valley, Argentina $8.99: a great bargain - very easy to like, but more interesting than most $10 bottles
- 2005 Cahors Chateau du Cedre "Heritage" $14.99
- 2005 Riglos Gran Malbec (Argentina) $29.99: my favorite, but not a terribly good buy, complex, but with a bit too much young wood still
- 2006 Achával Ferrer Malbec Mendoza (Argentina) $19.99: probably the best value overall, considering price
- 2000 Pine Ridge Onyx $50: certainly the most interesting (I got lots of pencil shavings on the palate), clearly a food wine, hard to justify the price
- 2004 Monte Lomas Malbe Mendoza ~$10
- 2004 Bodega Norton Malbec Luján de Cuyo Reserva (Argentina) $12.99
- 2002 Catena Malbec $18.99: wish I'd bought more of this vintage when it was still available, but this is a reliably good choice every year
- 2001 Cicchitti Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza $15.99
