Tasting - Diseno Malbec

Name: Diseno 

Variety: Malbec

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina
Year: 2016
Price: $12

Winery Review: Argentina's most highly respected vingerons supply Diseno Malbec from old growth vineyards in Mendoza. Vines grow in fertile soil rich with old mineral deposits, irrigated by heavy winter snow melt from Andes glaciers.

Diseno Malbec is a rich wine with an inviting bouquet of stone fruit. A hint of coffee complements the blueberry, spice and chocolate flavors.

My Review: Let me start off by saying that the winery review is total crap. I got none of that from this wine!

I was tasked with pairing our dinner of steak, blue cheese, and cauliflower with a wine. I had previously had raving success with a California Cab Sav so I thought I try something different. I had never had a Malbec before and thought this might be a good time to try it. Boy, oh boy, was I wrong!

When I smelled it, there was a warm cinnamon, spicy thing going on but finished like it had honey or something like sweet cherries in it. I was under the impression that this wine would taste good.

When I tasted it however, it was very peppery and acidic. It was slightly tannic, but the acid really took over and made the wine taste sour. It's what I thought wine used to taste like if it was Moscato and before I knew how to appreciate a good red. It was light in body and was like eating very under-ripe tart cherries. BLAH! I was hoping that food would pair better with it and all would be fine.

I was wrong. The food made it worse. The acid from the blue cheese on the steak made this wine even more sour. The cauliflower did nothing and the steak, well.....the wine overpowered it and you couldn't taste it. I was so freakin' disappointed with my choice. So much so that both my husband and I didn't really finish dinner. We just picked around the food on the plate and then gave up. After the horror that was this wine, we decided to call it a night and settle down with a glass of Black Box Cab Sav to wash out the taste of whatever was in the Malbec bottle.

It was a total fail on my part. I bought a different style of Malbec that is in the pantry, but now I'm scared to open that one either. I was thinking that since local foods typically go with the wine that I might try the other with Mexican food and a sauce that is very hearty like a cream sauce. This might help cut down the acid in the wine and bring out whatever flavors it might have. Or it'll just sit there in the back forever and eventually I can say I have an old bottle. Who knows.....I won't try it soon though.