It’s been quite a long time since I’ve had a chance to review a wine, I’ve had so many hard liquors to review. However, as a treat to myself I opened a bottle of Terrazas de Los Andes, a 2006 Malbec. I received this wine from my mother-in-law for my Birthday because she heard it was a good vintage and she knows I like Malbec. I left the bottle opened for a day before considering the review, to help soften the tannins and “age” the wine a bit.
The Terrazas de Los Andes pours a rich dark purple without any visibility through this red wine. The nose is a delight as well, a bitter sweet bing cherry juice mixed with light leathers and smokey ripe plums. You get the essence of dark fruits coming through with a high juicy delicious flavoring which makes you want to take a sip.
So we shall.
The initial attack is a muted dark fruit flavoring, not the cherries I thought to expect. I’m getting more raspberries and plums without the sweetness or bitterness from the fruits. The mid-palate transition brings a bit of bitter bite followed by a small amount of vanilla; a good balance without an over-oaked feeling.
The finish for the Terrazas de Los Andes 2006 Reserva is slightly dry and ends with more dark fruits and the leather from the bouquet arrives back to say hello. Unlike a few other Malbec’s I’ve had, I’m not getting a rich soil feeling from the nose or the taste, it’s very much a dark fruit based wine with high satisfaction.
Decanting brings nice round tannic structure but a good “bite” near the end of the sip. This is very much a medium bodied wine, nothing too “big” for a new wine drinker to handle and not thin enough to be cheapened. For USD $17 a bottle, this is a good value wine for the tasting experience. While it’s not a hugely complex tasting experience it brings a good dark fruit pleasure to the palate and does it well. Sometimes it’s better to do a few things well than to have a complex mish-mash of unbalanced flavors.
I highly suggest seeking out the Terrazas de Los Andes 2006 Reserva Malbec if you like the darker fruit experience.
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