Wine pretension corner
If – like me – you don’t know much about wine but you know what you like, and you have a prediliction for full, red fruit with a bit of mellow oak, you might have latched on to Rioja. There’s a lot of it about.
And if you’ve drunk so much Rioja you thought you’d better expand your range you might have caught onto the whispers about Malbec. It’s a traditional Bordeaux variety somewhere between carbernet sauvignon and merlot, known for complex, plummy tones.
Common consensus is that the Argentinians have made Malbec their own. I was lectured at length on the quality of Argentinian Malbec by a financial services backpacker on the Isle of White this summer, so I’ve tried a few over the past few months and it hasn’t really worked out. Over-powering tannins and a leathery oakiness with little fruit-depth has been my general experience.
So I was pretty blown away this evening, when I tried a bottle of Chilean Malbec from Drinksville in Moseley. (You know – next to Sabai Sabai – staffed by the friendly, mysterious lady who once featured in the Eye on Moseley ‘Most powerful people in Moseley’ list.)
The bottle in question is Casillero del Diablo Malbec 2004. It hasn’t won any medals. It’s not on special offer. But I urge you to buy a bottle. An initial inky blackberry and plum hit gives way to a subtle oak with vanilla, and a smoky, peaty edge, remeniscent of an islay single malt. It’s complex.
Give it a go. All Jilly Gooldon pretensions are hereby cancelled. Normal service will be resumed on Monday.
