2012 Bodega Norton Privada

Happy Friday evening!  I must admit it's seemed like a very short week since I've been on the road for much of it, but alas it's time to relax for the weekend!  And to get things started I've decided to open a bottle of surplus wine that my boss gave me, the 2012 Bodega Norton Privada, a blend of Malbec (40%), Merlot (30%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (30%) from Mendoza Argentina.  So let's see it this is as good as it looks!

The wine is a deep purple color in the glass, classic for an Argentine Malbec.  The nose presents aromas of leather, green grass, dried herbs and black fruit.  The taste is really quite nice, with some lovely black fruit notes of plum and blackberry up front, intermingled with some vanilla bean notes.  Midpalate we have mineral notes of dusty limestone that fit will with the young, tightly wound tannins.  The finish brings a reprise of sweet blackberry amid the long, smooth and very dry finish that you want to keep going and going.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a pleasant drinking wine and a good value in the $25 price range.  This is a classic steak wine, which is a good thing since tonight I am pairing this one with a rare grilled New York strip, baked potato and haricots vert almondine.  Cheers!