Wine tasted: Wednesday, October 4, 2013 at 8:00 PM

Altas Cumbres 2012 Malbec by Lagarde, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina. Gifted. Priced a bottle at $10.14 (www.getwineonline.com). Alc. 13.9%.

This is a good, very drinkable wine as would be expected from a Malbec, an emblematic Mendoza grape that consistently makes for good and even extraordinary red wines. It presents with an intense, deep ruby color that portends a full bodied wine. It has a nice, interesting bouquet, including a hint of honey, berries and cassis. It has somewhat heavy, but pleasant tannins when swilled around the tongue, and a very long palate. This 100% Malbec is from plantings in 1906 and 1995 in the small but very bohemian and quite wonderful town of Lujan de Cuyo, right next to the city of Mendoza. All around, quite a nice wine and an excellent price/value ratio. I would recommend it highly with meats of any kind, and particularly with pastas and sauces.

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