Zolo Malbec 2014

Funny story about Malbec. A long time ago when some French guys decided to plant grapes in Argentina, there was a shipping mishap on the boat ride from France to Argentina. All the labels on the cuttings that were being transported became wet and the ink bled. The first Argentine vineyard with French vines was a mish-mash because of a little leak. There was a row of Cabernet next to two rows of Merlot, then one row of Malbec and another row of Cabernet. Eventually, the vines grew and they figured out where the Cabernet was. With the Merlot and Malbec, they had a tougher time discerning which was which since they were so similar. New plantings take a few years to produce grapes so they waited and waited. Finally, with some trial and error, they discovered the plants’ true identities and replanted them all so that all the like vines were next to each other. That makes them easier to harvest. What they didn’t know back then was how well Malbec would flourish in the foothills of the Andes Mountains.

Malbec in France was a blending grape in Bordeaux. The Americans thought that Malbec would do well since they had a lot of sun and needed cheap grapes to make bulk wine. It wasn’t until a guy named Zapata planted the vines in Mendoza and started making kick ass wines from only Malbec that opinions changed. After that, Argentina adopted it as an unofficial national wine. Zolo has done one better and made their vineyards a sustainable growing region. That means they don’t destroy the earth to bring you tasty wines. Thanks, Zolo.

The Zolo Malbec that I tried recently was great. There aren’t any easier words to describe it. It just tasted great. It is in the medium body range so it was smooth. It has a nice fruitiness that doesn’t come across as a jamosaurus or a fruit bomb. What it does have is a floral essence not often found in red wines. It’s not a noticeable taste but rather a faint afterglow. It was intriguing and fun to sense it. For me, the main component of this wine was currants. A little plum and a little blackberry, but mostly currant notes. I loved it. I imagine if you tried it, you would think the same. Also, this wine is a CATWA. (Cheap And Tasty Wine Alert) Enthusiast, Spectator, and Robert Parker all said the same thing. We can’t all be wrong! Cheers. 

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