Wineguider wine reviews

Today we check out a 2012 malbec from Mendoza, Argentina that I bought at Total Wine for $14.99.

As we close the summer of 2013, malbec has been a hottie among reds in the U.S. for a few years.  And rightly so — appealing dark red or even purple juice with conviction, malbec from South America has a subtle sophistication about it that belies its usually affordable price.  It can lack complexity, but that’s forgivable in the $9-$15 price range where it is often found.

This reserve malbec doesn’t do much of anything wrong. It’s a cranberry / leather / pepper combination with a touch of oak.  But it doesn’t have the special character that would normally cause a winemaker to actually reserve a few cases for his family to enjoy.  At 13.5% alcohol, it shouldn’t taste as “hot” with alcohol as it does.  It’s a tiny bit thin, almost metallic tasting, and doesn’t give you that warm rush that you expect from a $15 red.

At $8.99 or $9.99, I would be loudly recommending it.  It seems that Total Wine has simply over-priced this inoffensive red.  Because it is not worth its $15 price, the 2012 Cruz Alta reserve malbec is:

Not recommeded.