I like Malbec, but I don’t love it – at least not most of the time. Why? I don’t have anything against the grape, only the way so many Malbecs are handled today. With the recent popularity of the grape, far too many Malbecs come to us in one of two forms: either as pleasant but otherwise innocuous quaffs or tannic monsters ready to rip our throats out and drag us into the next room. Do I really want to wait and see what happens next? Happily, the 2010 Casarena Jamilla’s Vineyard Perdriel Malbec falls into neither category and restores my faith in the noble Malbec varietal. Casarena’s single vineyard Malbec is truly the real deal, and for this reason it earns this month’s Collector Series Top pick. It offers deep, rich polished flavors that gain complexity with each passing sip. Casarena’s 2010 Jamilla’s Vineyard Malbec deserves the lofty 94 point score Decanter Magazine awarded it and that magazine’s choice as “Best Argentinean Malbec of the Year.” If all Malbecs were created equal, or least as good as the Jamilla’s Vineyard, who would ask for anything else? Not me!
Enjoy!
Don
