Malbec

Okay, so we've tackled this subject several times in the past.  Hang with me.  We've found a new angle on this one.

Black Cabra is one of the real bargains in Argentine Malbec at a mere $12.99/btl.  We thought we would post about it here only to find importer Vino del Sol really has nothing in the way of relevant information about the product.  Moreover, depending on the vintage, the  "estate bottling" on the label may refer to different estates in Argentina.  So while Black Cabra isn't winery-specific, to our way of thinking, we're fine with it as long as Vino del Sol maintains the quality it has.

So we pivoted to a quick study of the Malbec grape and learned a few things.  While the experts believe Malbec originated in Burgundy, Cahor in southwestern France is the current home for Malbec today.  Now popularly called Cot, in the Cahor AOC the grape produces an inky tannic dark purple version that contrasts with the more popular style from Argentina.  

Why is that?  It has to do with Malbec's vineyard problems in France where diseases like coulure, downy mildew and rot from frost inordinately affect the vines.  It has become so problematic that Bordeaux has largely replaced Malbec plantings with Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

So once again, why is Argentine Malbec so different from the French version?  It's because the Malbec vines in Argentina which date back to 1868 are not the same as what is currently in France.  Over time that clone of Malbec was in all likelihood ravaged by disease into extinction.