Tikal, “Natural”, Malbec, Vista Flores, Mendoza, Argentina 2009

What’s in the bottle? Black opaque color with an electric pink rim. The powerful bouquet shows ripe, big, juicy black and blue fruits that make me think of a bear picking sticky fruits right off the bush on a hot summer day. The background is full of cocoa powder, grape stems, and morel mushrooms. Loads of burnt cedar, toast and vanilla extract give me clues that this wine spent a good amount of time in expensive oak barrels. The wine is dry on the palate, medium bodied with medium tannin, medium acidity and medium alcohol (13.5%). This is probably why Malbec is so popular because it is a very soft and plush wine to drink. It has a nice round and smoky finish that last about 10 seconds. 100% Organic!

Knowledge: Malbec is one of the six main grapes legally allowed to be used in the blend to produce the famous wines of Bordeaux France. There is a region outside of Bordeaux called Cahors that let Malbec take the main role in their wines and brought some attention to the grape variety. It is the Argentineans who have made it famous and hung their hat on this grape as being the stand alone star of their country.

Service: Easy drinking Malbec so no need for decanting. Serve in Bordeaux shaped glass at 60°F.

What to eat? There is not a lot of tannin in Malbec so this pairs well with less fatty cuts of meat like Filet Mignon. If you grill the steak it will bring out the smoky quality of the wine and some of the sweetness from the char on the steak.

Retail Price: $23.99

Found it @:

The Wine Shack
1200 East Jericho Turnpike
Huntington, NY 11743
(631)673-WINE (9463)

For the Geeks like Me: This is the first vintage of “Natural” from Tikal. It is 100% certified organic fruit from vines that average 15 years of age. Tikal is from Ernesto Catena son of Nicolas Catena and brother of Laura Catena. The Catena family is to Argentina what the Mondavis are to Napa Valley.