I pulled the "if/then" question in the Malbec section of Hi Times yesterday. I asked for a recommendation under $15, and said I really like Colome, a favorite from Argentina that John introduced me to. I was steered to two bottles, but told that if I liked a bigger Malbec, this was the one. I should have paid attention to the 2nd option. Darn, next time.
I don't know that I've ever been so confused by a bottle of wine. Out of the gate, it smelled great, like an awesome bottle always does. At first sip, it was bouncing all over the place. Flavors pinging around my mouth. It settled down a bit (maybe too much) and Beth noted that it got a bit dull, with a dry finish. I withheld judgement until we had it with dinner. I threw steaks on the grill and the wine got a lot better with food. The meat really brought out the cherry flavor. Never super smooth, but the flavors melded well with a big steak.
It was indeed big for a Malbec, beautiful dark color, nice fruit flavor, chewy texture (nothing light about it). I'm not the biggest fan of a dryer finish, which for me, keeps it from scoring higher.
I don't think I'd recommend buying this, but at the same time, I'd be really curious to hear your thoughts on it.
Grade: B-
