There was once a Malbec from Argentina...

Enter Bodega Septima's 2007 Malbec.  This is our first sweeter red wine.  More accurately, I guess it's our first not dry red wine.  As suggested by ctmarylin after my first post, today's wine is a Malbec from Argentina.  The label gives us some idea of what we're going to be smelling and tasting, which is good because the website only gives us contact information for the vineyard.

This wine is supposed to have "Intense aromas of sweet fruits such as plums, blackberries, and quince preserves with hints of herbs and green pasture."  I definitely noticed the lack of twinge typical of a Cabernet when inhaling over the Malbec.  This was sweeter, with an outdoorsy feel.  For anyone (besides me) who was curious, a hint of green pasture does not smell like freshly cut lawn.  But there is an earthy smell surrounding the sweetness.  Trust me on this, it may take a few inhales to get it.  That's the fun in wine tasting- know what you're supposed to smell/taste, then convince yourself you can notice it!

And enter the learning part.  For those of you who didn't know, a quince is a yellow fruit that's like a cross between an apple and pear.  I had to look it up because I've never heard of that word before.  Pronounced "kwins" (thanks Wikipedia), this fruit is pear shaped and is prominent in Asia.  I think I ate some at a bar in South Korea.  I've never had quince preserves, but I can only imagine they're sweet.  Smell noticed.

As for the taste, the bottle tells us there should be "soft tannins and toasts, oak and vanilla nuances."    This wine does not "stick" to your tongue as much as a cab does, a result of the soft tannins.  It has more of an earthy taste to it- to be attributed to the toasts and oak flavors.  Now I don't know if you've ever had the pleasure of being near someone cutting oak- it stinks.  (Not terribly, but it's not as nice as pine.)  The oak taste is not the same.  It's more of a woodsy finish, with a vanilla undertone.  It's nice.

So for the profile, this wine has a 3 out of 5 for sweetness.  It doesn't have the twang of a cab, but is definitely not a dessert wine.  Light on the tannins, and nil on the acidity- there is only a little bite, so we won't count it.  The wine has a much lighter body than I expected.  But it has a light mouth-feel.

I'd consider myself more of a dry red wine girl, but this was a good wine.  And I enjoyed it with tonight's burritos.  Go ahead and give it a try.

-winedummy