Argentina 2, France 0

After accumulating some Cahors from the 2011 vintage, I decided to do a small tasting; it didn’t take long, and my kitchen drainpipes are cleaner than ever. All were rather heavy, over-extracted, and unyielding, in an expression of a certain style of winemaking rather than terroir or what the grape (Malbec) can do. The most interesting thing to emerge was the prominence given to the grape name rather than the region—either Cahors was completely omitted from the front label, or in smaller type than Malbec, which has, of course, been popularized by some lovely wines from Argentina. (Another sign of its popularity is the way clothing retailers now refer to a deep shade of purple in their fabrics as “Malbec” instead of “Burgundy.”)
          Many of the Cahors also came in heavy bottles with deep punts and minimalist labels, imitating too many from North and South America trying to bull their way into the winner’s circle on appearance alone. (I’m beginning to be wary of the very deep indents in the bottoms of these ambitious bottles, intended to announce seriousness, but really just telegraphing the punchiness of their style—I think of them as “Parker punts.”)

Malbec: Take three to tango

We tasted our way through a run of Malbecs last week, quite a mixed bag. The rejects went down the drain for what’s becoming the usual reason: Rampant body-building. Most of the overblown, over-oaked, musclebound versions were easy to spot before their corks were pulled, by heavy bottles with deep punts and minimalist designer labels—ego-driven wines, determined to bluster their way into the winner’s circle.
       Three made the cut and livened up our barbecue weekend, with burgers and ribs for lunch, steak for dinner, and a boned-out leg of lamb stuffed with feta cheese and oregano for Sunday supper. Las Moras 2009 was perfect for lunch and Altos “Las Hormigas” 2009 for dinner, both dark and luscious and supple, with buoyant, persistent, plummy fruit, while the Yauquén 2009, a little more serious, tannic, and fuller, matched Sunday's lamb (it could age a while, but its angular edginess is attractive now, and it would be a shame to lose that aspect).
       Malbec has clearly come into its own in the last few years, but with no consensus at all about style—and a lot of attempts to make it into faux-Cabernet big boys--it’s something of a minefield, and not easy to navigate. (Price and effusive back labels offer no real help.) The good ones are worth the search, though.