Winophilia

Argentina’s signature red variety, malbec, is the same grape that makes the deeply colored and often quite tannic Cahors in southwestern France. In Argentina, malbec yields wines in a wide range of styles: from light, fruity and immediately drinkable to more complex, structured and ageworthy, though rarely with hard tannins. The better malbecs are characterized by aromas and flavors of blackberry, dark plum, violet, leather, tobacco and pepper; medium to full body; and pliant, chewy texture.

Most of the best examples of malbec come from the province of Mendoza in west-central Argentina, just east of the Andes Mountains that form Argentina’s natural border with Chile. In this semi-desert with hot daytime temperatures, cool nights and a cold winter, the effects of heat are partly mitigated by planting at high altitude—typically 3,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level.

Argentine malbec has been a hot category in recent years, not least because of the number of bargains to be found: it now accounts for just over half of Argentina’s wine exports to the U.S. These are flexible wines with food, matching well with most red meat (especially beef) and game dishes, but also working well alongside simpler fare like burgers or pizza.

But there are signs that Argentine malbec is becoming a victim of its own success. Nowadays, producers in search of something easy to sell in a difficult world economy are flooding the market with new offerings, and too many of them are downright mediocre: underripe, thin, overextracted, rustic or just plain lacking in fruit. At the top end, however, the best malbecs show outstanding complexity and nobility, with wonderfully seamless texture and clarity of flavor and suave, thoroughly ripe tannins. While many of these wines are still priced at $40 or more—and sometimes much more—it’s still possible to find truly stunning values available for $20 or less.

Here are just a few of my favorite classic malbecs at remarkably affordable prices. My comprehensive annual coverage of the best new wines from Argentina, including tasting notes on more than 300 wines out of nearly 800 sampled, appears in the current issue of the International Wine Cellar.

These four wines rated 90 points in the IWC, and they can all be found for $20 or less. Goulart’s 2008 The Marshall Mendoza ($18; Southern Starz, Stamford, CT) offers inviting aromas of blackberry, tobacco, meat and smoky oak; dense, sweet, precise flavors of blackberry, pepper and spices; and a vibrant, long finish with silky tannins and excellent lift). The Durigutti 2007 Malbec Mendoza ($14; SWG Imports, Bend, OR and Bertin Henri Selections, Doral, FL) leads with essence-of-malbec aromas of candied blackberry, blueberry, violet and black licorice, then follows with a broad, spicy, sweet middle palate offering pliant, penetrating blackberry and mineral flavors. It offers uncanny concentration and subtlety for a wine in its price range.

Vina Alicia’s 2007 Paso de Piedra Malbec Luján de Cuyo ($16; Southern Starz, Stamford, CT) entices with its slightly roasted, high-toned aromas of blackberry, licorice and crushed pepper; its seamless texture; and the penetrating sweetness of its black fruit and smoked meat flavors. Like the Durigutti offering, this is an outstanding value. Finally, the La Posta del Viñatero 2008 Malbec Pizzella Family Vineyard Mendoza ($18; Vine Connections, Sausalito, CA), from a high-altitude vineyard, delivers captivating spicy aromas of blackberry, violet, pepper and dark chocolate; precise, firm blackberry and dark chocolate flavors framed by a spine of acidity; and a solid tannic structure.

Just a step down are these additional inexpensive examples, all rating 89 or 88 points in the IWC:

The Sur de los Andes 2008 Malbec Mendoza ($12; Frontier Wine Imports, Dover, NJ) is almost pinot noir-like in its lively aromas of black cherry and dark raspberry lifted by spices, and in the light touch to its flavors of spicy red and dark fruits complicated by mint and chocolate. Bodega Vistalba’s 2008 Tomero Malbec Mendoza ($15; San Francisco Wine Exchange, San Francisco, CA) offers blackberry and spices on the; impressively concentrated if youthfully tight flavors of black fruits, licorice and pepper; and a lively peppery edge on the finish. There’s no rush to drink this soil-inflected wine.

The malbec of Altos Las Hormigas ($14; Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY) is a perennial value and the 2009 version is no exception. With its aromas of currant, flowers and spices, this pure, spicy, easygoing midweight offers an enticing light touch and good cut. And finally, the Susana Balbo 2009 Crios Malbec Mendoza ($15; Vine Connections, Sausalito, CA) is a step up in generosity of texture and richness from this winery’s 2008 and another excellent buy, displaying pure aromas of strawberry jam, cassis, pepper and mint; a sweet, round middle palate; and plenty of ripe tannic support.