Argentine Malbec. The legendary black wine. It's a pretty popular style, there is always someone clamouring for a bottle these days in the shop and I can see why. Big, powerful and brooding with the top notch versions rewarding you with a chocolately mouthfeel and dominant fruit.
Malbec was first a French grape, used in Bordeaux and the South, where it produces powerful deep rich wines like those of Cahors(where it is still called Cot).
Today I've jumped over the Andes to see what the Chileans are doing with this wonderful grape and I've ended up with a bottle of the Perez Cruz Limited Edition Cot. These guys are calling this Cot as they consider this wine to have more in common with the Cahors style of Malbec to their Argie counterparts and they are sorta right.
I'd probably mistake this for a rich Cabernet Sauvignon if I were tasting this blind. It's missing that tell-tale overwhelming cloak of chocolate velvet that has made Argentine Malbec the mistress of men the world over. Don't get me wrong, this is a powerful red with cake spices and dusky blackcurrants on the nose. I can also feel the back of my head constrict just the way a domineering red wants me to feel, and those controlled tannins that approach on the finish leave me thinking more and more of the wines of South West France. I've gotta be honest, I prefer the Carmenere that Perez Cruz make. This isn't inferior but I'm yet to fall in love with this style.
For those dependant on that high altitude Argie Malbec style this might not be for them. However they should try it out. It's a great permutation on the varietal and a wonderful example of the higher end stuff coming out of Chile these days.
Perez Cruz limited edition Cot 2010 £13 from Oddbins
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