Friday, April 8, 2011

2008 Dona Paula Malbec

I had a tart, citrusy experience with this wine back in January so I thought it was time to re-visit (and kill off my last bottle). While the 2008 Dona Paula Estate Malbec, Mendoza wasn't overly tart or acidic this time, it was still a far cry from a pleasant drinking experience. This time around, the nose seems jammy-sweet with a raspberry-like aroma more reminiscent of a new world Grenache than a Malbec. There's a bit of black pepper and alcohol in the background, but you can really sense the sweet fruit is going to dominate. And dominate it does on the palate. Sweet, thick, syrupy red fruit flavors with frightening alcohol (seems much higher than the stated 14%) and a really "artificial" acidity. Kind of reminds me of an inexpensive, highly acidic Zinfandel that you might have gotten from the 1997 vintage.

I've had a number of estate wines from Dona Paula, both Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, and I haven't been impressed with any of them. But I do indeed enjoy their lower-end Los Cardos "second" label; particularly the Malbec rose.

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