I’ve been sitting on a stack of Malbec reviews for a while, waiting to get enough done to do a good series on Malbec and it’s time to finally start posting them. Although, I’m sure I’ll break up the series with a couple other extraneous reviews I have in the works.
Malbec, an inky, dark grape variety, has become synonymous with Argentina in recent years, at least if you’re a wine nut like me. But it has a strong history in France, and is still prevalent in some French wines, particularly those of Cahors. It used to be a common grape variety in Bordeaux, but plantings in that region have declined significantly since a devastating frost in 1956. With the recent popularity of Malbec from Argentina, I’ve noticed other regions starting to experiment with this variety—including some producers from California like Michel-Schlumberger.
Bodega Septima is a relatively young producer in Argentina, having just established there in 2000. But it, like many wine brands, is part of a larger wine family with a long history. The wine family for Bodega Septima is Grupo Cordiniu, operating in the US as Aveníu Brands.
The depth of color in this wine is slightly lighter than I expect from a Malbec, but it’s bright and beautiful. The nose is full of toasted oak, bacon, soft black cherry, coffee and vanilla. The palate is nice, although fairly simple. The acidity is perfect. Black cherry, plum and subtle cassis flavors make up the fruit on the palate. It’s almost jammy, but not quite. The tannins are soft, but do the trick. It’s a decent wine… scratch that, it’s a good wine. And the price makes it a good deal.
Wine: Bodega Septima
Variety: Malbec
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 86
Price: $12.00
Find Bodega Septima Malbec with Snooth