Alamos Selección Malbec 2012: Elegant, creamy black fruit, baked plum, cherry, spice on the finish, tinge of redcurrant tang; medium-full body, dry, fresh, smooth, supple tannin, taste of oak, vanilla, pepper; terrifically palate-friendly and delicious with depth and complexity. Alamos calls this the “pinnacle of our portfolio,” and it achieves its mission. The wine sells in nearly 60 countries and is made with attention to quality and priced below what it could command because Alamos wants this to represent Argentinian wines, especially Mendoza malbec, to the world. That means huge value-for-price for us and splendid example of what malbec can achieve with the high-altitude vineyards, snowmelt irrigation, and cool nights of Argentina’s premier wine country in the foothills of the Andes. $20 (often available for $15-17)
