Hugo kicked the meeting off with the Finca La Linda Torrontés, which had a floral aroma that made me anticipate a sweet, full-bodied white.  What I got was an ultra clean and bone dry refresher that held the door for the first course of market greens, herbs and truffled new potatoes.  The winery’s value line, Finca la Linda aims for a fruit-forward modern style.  Hugo next poured the unoaked Chardonnay from that line along with a chardonnay from the Riserva line.  Due to partial oak-aging the Riserva offered a sleek backbone and toast, while the La Linda was young and crisp with notes of apple.  Both were delightful pairs to finish our salads and an amuse of tuna tartare.

Next we compared Hugo’s Pinot Noir and  Temperanillo, poured to match a dish of duck confit, hand-rolled cavatappi, maitake mushrooms and beet purée.  The Pinot, which Hugo admitted to be the winery’s on-going experiment, turned out to be my favorite of the day.  Stylistically it reminded me of Monterey County, and its “crazy pluminess” reminded Dick of Russian River.  I thought the wine offered a bright contrast to the mildly gamey duck and the nestled up to the earthiness of the beet purée.  The Tempranillo was 100% pure from one of the older family vineyards.  Distinct old-world style with ripe, ripe tannins.

To meet Mina’s signature butter-poached, wood-fired filet, Hugo poured the two Malbecs from his line.  Both the Riserva and the DOC Malbec were outstanding representatives of Mendoza’s signature varietal, but the aromatics of the DOC made for an extra special experience.  ”To be honest, the winery is producing European style wines.  We are trying to have wine for food, and Europeans have the best wines for food.  Even when we are working with new world grapes, we are trying to make wines that will pair with different types of meats,” said Hugo.  Dick offered that, “Malbec is, or was, the flagship wine of Argentina, but it doesn’t need to be anymore, because Argentina makes many other good wines…Malbec brought Argentina the attention of the world, and now it has many other wines to offer.”

All of the wines we tasted cost between $12-$28 dollars.  They offer tremendous value, but do not taste like value wines.  Were we tasting blind, accompanied by cuisine from a top restaurant, I would have guessed that all 7 wines were ultra-premium samples from everywhere but South America.  The first comment I always hear about Argentinian Malbecs is that they are a great value.  While that is definitely true, I left this table enlightened about a wine region that is making many great wines regardless of the price.

According to the Wine Spectator, this wine ranks 90 points. Spectator tasting notes read: “very toasty, offering showy mocha and spice aromatics, but there’s also plenty of flesh, with lush raspberry, fig and plum notes that follow through on the long, polished finish.” The Wine Advocate ranks it 89, noting: “The 2006 Malbec Reserva is a more saturated color and more expressive aromatically. Ripe and rich on the palate, it has ample tannin to evolve for 2-3 years, impeccable balance, and a lengthy, pure finish. It over-delivers for its modest price.” The winery’s notes on the wine describe it as: “Rich red in color with purple hints. Expressive ripe black fruit, violet, spice and tobacco aromas. Very broad on the palate, meaty and of persistent finish.”

I picked this one up at Costco for just $12.99, which is an incredible discount.  It sells at wine.com for about $18.  At my table, it was full of dark fruit–black cherries and more-but also had an herbaceous quality that proved to be a fantastic complement to the rye flavors in my pumpernickel bread and the spices like rosemary in the soup. This match will make your cold winter snow day more of a treat.

Here is the soup recipe: Simmer together a few cups of water, a large Knor’s beef bullion cube, garden vegetables (cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, and sautéed mushrooms), rosemary, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and about a cup of red wine (can be inexpensive). Just as the vegetables are getting soft and ready to eat, cook up a fillet mignon or other beef cut under the broiler. Even if you like your meat well done, cook medium or even rare (it will continue cooking when you drop it in your soup. Cut cooked meat in cubes and drop into the broth just before you are ready to eat. Serve with pumpernickel bread, and Norton Malbec or another herbaceous rich red wine.

In his presentation, Pi explained Malbec’s noble beginnings as a minor blending grape in France’s Bordeaux region. Malbec, like other Bordeaux vines, was threatened during the 1860s by a an insect called phylloxera that feeds on a plant’s roots. Carried to Europe on American grape vines, this pest nearly destroyed the French wine industry until the French began grafting French grapevines onto American rootstock, which are more resistant to the pest. During that time, Malbec vines were taken to Argentina, where they eventually thrived in a phylloxera-free environment.

Malbec is still grown in France’s Cahors region in the southwestern part of the country and is used in small quantities in Bordeaux blends, but for some reason it thrives in Argentina like nowhere else.  Accordingly, it has become the country’s signature grape. There it makes wonderfully dark and rich, fruity wines that have rounder, softer texture and flavors than many other dark-red wines. Pi describes Malbec’s flavor profile as full of violets, dark berries, red fruit, cherries, and plums. It does not have the harsh bell pepper notes you might find in some Cabernet Sauvignons.

First on the Malbec tasting list was the Trapiche Broquel, a Malbec that offers a complex and fruity profile that is quite a value at $16 a bottle. It is a blend of many other individually produced Malbec wines from the Mendoza area of Argentina, and it is aged 15 months in a combination of new and second-use oak. This one is readily available in the D.C. area. Look for it at Cecile’s Wine Cellar and Calvert Woodley and many other wine shops in the area.

In addition to Broquel, Trapiche selects three wines each vintage from among more than 400 vineyards.  It then bottles them as the only Trapiche single-vineyard wines for the year. Which vineyards are selected can change from one year to the next. Wines from the next best tier of these vineyards are used to make Broquel, and the rest are used to make value wines.

These single-vineyard wines are of exceptional quality and usually retail for about $50 per bottle with limited production. At the tasting, Pi presented the three single-vineyard Malbecs from 2006. This vintage is the 4th year that Trapiche has produced single-vineyard wines.

This past weekend, Costco in Springfield had the 2006 Trapiche Malbec Single Vineyard “Viña Adriana Venturin” Malbec on the shelf for $39. Supply was limited to about 8 bottles, so if you are interested, you might want to scurry over there to see if they have any left at this very good price. Arguably, this was the best wine at the tasting. Made with 40-year old vines, this wine is both smooth and rich, showing Malbec’s best qualities and revealing why Argentina is the world leader in making Malbec wines. The Wine Advocate gave it 95 points and Decanter gives it 5 starts for being “outstanding.”

Also wonderful was the 2006 Trapiche Malbec Single Vineyard “Viña Federico Villafañe,” produced with nine-year old vines. The Wine Advocate gives it 94 -points and again it gets the Decanter 5-star rating for being “outstanding.”

Finally, the 2006 Trapiche Malbec Single Vineyard “Viña Cristina y Bibiana Coletto” was also a delight. Like the others, it has high ratings: the Wine Advocate-95 points/Decanter 4 Stars—Highly Recommended

2004 Cadus Malbec

The 2004 Cadus Malbec is highly recommended by Justin Persons, owner of and Sommelier at The Double Musky Inn at Girdwood, outside of Anchorage, Alaska. Justin has assembled an award-winning wine list, and displays the collection in a recently-built 3500-bottle showcase cellar. The landmark inn has been a Persons family business for nearly 30 years and is famous for its steaks and Cajun flavor. Big flavor calls for big wines, and Justin has brought together an outstanding line-up of first-growth Bordeaux, Grand Cru Burgundy, and Napa Cabernet to answer that call. This is where you’ll want to stop for dinner the next time you pass through Anchorage.

When asked about a wine that had recently impressed him, he immediately described the 2004 Cadus Malbec from Bodegas Nieto Senetiner in Mendoza, Argentina. Malbecs from Argentina have become increasingly popular over the past few years because they deliver huge results at very modest prices. This Malbec represents the higher end of Argentinean wines, but still retails at just below $40 a bottle. The fruit comes from a single vineyard which is carefully managed to produce the purest expression of the country’s Malbec. Blackberry and raspberry are abundant throughout the layers of flavor preceded by aromas of mocha and violets. It’s a very complex wine that compels contemplation.

Though the price won’t allow most of us to make this a weeknight sipper, the Cadus is a must for your next big dinner party. FIND IT!

Clos la Coutale is imported by one of Forster’s favorites—Kermit Lynch. “When I see Kermit’s name on the back of a bottle, I know it’s going to be great!” While he offers thoughtful selections from the usual suspects like Burgundy or Bordeaux, it is the wines from little known regions like Cahors, Bourgueil or Gigondas that make his portfolio truly exciting.

Laurie Forster is a professional sommelier, author of The Sipping Point, A Crash Course in Wine, and the host of a weekly radio show Something to Wine About®. She will appear alongside Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis at the upcoming Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show in Washington D.C. on November 8th & 9th.

You can find Clos La Coutale at a number of retailers for about $14 a bottle. FIND IT!

Swirl has been open for two years in the River North neighborhood. Richard chooses the best from what his distributors offer multiple times per week, so his wine selection constantly changes. He looks for great taste and good value that complements the atmosphere and the assorted small plates from their kitchen. In addition to offering all their wines by the glass and bottle, Swirl offers half-bottle pricing as well. This tasty South American blend is available for under $10 a bottled at numerous retailers nation-wide.

When asked to recommend a wine that goes well with real southern cooking, Michael, a certified sommelier, wouldn’t recommend a wine at all, but sweet iced tea! It was a humble reminder that the sommelier exists to enhance the dining experience.

Michael Bryan does think highly of the Ben Marco Malbec, because it drinks well alone or with food. This Argentine red from the Mendoza region has soft tannins that finish long, with dark fruit notes that give way to a smoky mocha flavor. You should find this bottle for less than $22.