I picked up this particular Malbec on a whim one day. I hadn’t seen it before and had never actually heard of it, but for some reason I decided to give it a shot, and I’m glad I did.
The grapes in the Gouguenheim Malbec were grown in El Vallo Escondido, in the Tupungato Valley, about 70km from the city of Mendoza. This area is pretty much desert conditions, with 320 days of sun per year and water irrigated in from the Andes Mountains.
Wowee, there is quite some intensity on the nose here. Coffee, walnut, black pepper, cherry and blackberry make for an interesting and enjoyable bouquet. The palate is a nicely balanced chorus of fruit, spice and tannin. Strong, somewhat jammy blackberry flavors are the first thing to hit you, followed by a black pepper spice with a touch of heat and mellowed out by some soft, black tea tannins. The finish is relatively long and enjoyable.
Arguably, I’m a bit tardy with this review as you’re likely to find the 2008 vintage on the shelves rather than the 2006. But if you do see a bottle or two of 2006, I’d suggest snatching them up. And if I find some 2008 I’ll give that a shot too and let you know if it’s as good as this.
Wine: Gouguenheim
Variety: Malbec
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 89
Price: $11.99
Find Gouguenheim Malbec with Snooth
thebrokewino said on October 13th, 2009
i had never heard of this producer either, and stumbled into a great wine accidently like you, i wrote a review of their torrontes on my blog:
http://thebrokewino.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/gouguenheim-torrontes-2008/
I found this 2006 wine (Gougenheim Malbec) at $7.99 at a local wine merchant in Orange County, CA back in fall of 2008. After tasting one surprisingly delicious bottle, I went back for more, again and again. I ended up drinking through about a case+, until it disappeared from the merchant’s shelves. Beautiful aromas of red berries and basil with flavors of figs, creamy raspberry, orange rind and smoke.
What a bargain! It rated a 90+ in my book. I have yet to discover a better Malbec at the same or lower price. As you say, the timing of your review on this could be a little late, and this wine may be hard to find.Cheers!
Absolutely delicious! I am coming back for more!
Wegman’s price: 8.99 !
Hi David. Thanks for sharing the price/location you found this. Cheers!