2007 Doña Paula Malbec Mendoza

90 points Wine Spectator: "Dark and winey, with warm currant paste, cocoa powder and Turkish coffee notes backed by solid grip on the fleshy finish. Nice hint of grilled sage adds dimension too. Drink now through 2009." (11/08) 90 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The opaque purple 2007 Malbec reveals a brooding black fruit bouquet, ripe flavors, excellent depth and grip, and 2-3 years of aging potential. Drink this outstanding value from 2010 to 2018.During my visit to the winery, I was impressed by the spirit of experimentation and willingness to try new and different approaches." (Dec. 2008) Doña Paula has consistently churned out some of the best inexpensive malbec to come out of Argentina over the last few years. Did they sell their soul to do this? Did they come up with some new synthetic, highly addictive chemical additive? I say no! Their success can be attributed to something simple: they grow good grapes and don't screw them up in the cellar. Malbec is something that tastes delicious on its own merit; it really doesn't need much to make it sing. Take some vines around 40-years-old, throw some whole berries in the fermentation process to add some bright fruit and finish for six months in new French and American oak. Bingo! You have a delicious, inexpensive, chug-able bottle of malbec displaying unmistakable aromas of violet and blackberry and serious flavors of mocha, blueberry, sweet licorice and red plum. Load up for the party season! (Bryan Brick, K&L)