Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec 2003

by Ethan Johnson
February 1, 2008

I plain have not had the time of my life drinking Malbecs. Too astringent, too weak, too this, too that. However, at long last, acting on a tip from a commentor long ago who by now has surely stopped holding his or her breath waiting for me to try this, I'm giving it a go:

Producer (Vineyard): Bodegas Trapiche
Varietal (Grape type): Malbec
Vintage (Year): 2003
Country: Argentina
Color: Red
Cost: Inexpensive ($10 USD)

Teh booze

Swirl and Sniff: The color is ruby to scarlet. Majorly cherry-smelling right out of the bottle. Plum and probably blueberries too, if you think so.

Taste: Very smooth. Very light on the tannins. Maybe this is my weird sense of taste, but usually my beef with red wines is the "watery edge". The best way I can describe this is a thin, watery sensation around the insides of my mouth, with a wine-flavored center. This is the opposite: Wine edge, watery center. Odd. But smooth.

Pairing: I drank this with - how original - steak and potatoes. Depending on the amount of steak and the amount of wine, either alcoholic flames shot out of my nose, or else the wine and meat blended fairly well to almost produce the mythical third flavor (think yellow + blue make green), but things got astringent from there. This wine mixed with potatoes and corn is a frat prank. Stick with either big bites of steak, or drink this wine solo.

Rating: When it comes to this wine, I would (and you may):

  • Buy three or more bottles for regular enjoyment
  • Buy a bottle or two for occasional enjoyment
  • Ask for when dining out or at a party
  • Settle for if your preferred wine is not available
  • Politely decline and never drink again, ever

Oak gets a bad rap with some in the wine biz, but I'm more pragmatic. I'd rather have an oaked wine that tasted good rather than a steel tank one that ends up down the sink. This is by far my favorite Malbec, with reservations. As in, great for solo drinking, but with food, I'm a bit more hesitant. Your mileage may vary, and so on.

If you do give this a try, please let me know how your experience compared with mine. Thanks! <EM>

(The Totally Unpretentious Wine Reviews Index may be found here.)

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