Cruz Andina Malbec

So… you say you like malbec?  Me too.  Who can resist it, with it’s dark, silky-purple color, dense fruit flavors and floral aromatics.  It’s no wonder this varietal has skyrocketed in popularity over the past ten years.  And Argentina is the source for most of the exciting, new world malbec.  And that’s what we’re going to explore for the next few reviews.

One of the trends we look for here at Cheap Wine Ratings is which producers consistently produce good wines.  And one of the Chilean wine producers we’ve come to trust as being consistently good, is Veramonte.  But why, you might ask, am I talking about Chilean producers when this review is about an Argentine malbec?  Well, Veramonte is not just a Chilean producer, but they are also producing Argentine malbec under the Cruz Andina name.  And this malbec reinforces Veramonte’s status as a brand we trust and like… a lot!

The fruit in this malbec comes from Luján de Cuyo and Uco Valley, the most prized appellations for malbec in Mendoza.  Based on what we tasted in this wine, we can see why these appellations are prized.

There’s a lot of clarity on the nose of this wine, and by that I mean that the aromas are distinct, not muddled together.  Black cherry, violet and black pepper fragrances blend together beautifully, yet express their own distinct notes at the same time.  On the palate, it’s brimming with plum and blueberry fruit, which is so concentrated that it’s almost chewy.  Some spice kicks in mid-palate and carries through an exceptionally long finish.  The mouth feel is nice too.  In a nutshell, this is a great malbec!

This malbec is bigger and better structured than many other lower-priced malbecs we’ve tasted, which tend to be more fresh and fruit-forward.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of fruit in this wine.  But it has more depth and complexity, beyond just the fruit, and that is one of the things that makes this wine stand out.

The price is at the upper end of our typical price range, but if you want a wine that really stands out it may be worth it for you.

Wine: Veramonte Cruz Andina
Variety: Malbec
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 92
Price:  $19.99
Find Veramonte Cruz Andina Malbec with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.