2014 Forgeron Malbec

Happy Wine Wednesday!  It's been a lovely day so why not end it with a wonderful dinner and a nice bottle of wine?  Yes on both counts!  Tonight I've decided to open a recent wine club bottle from Forgeron Cellars in Walla Walla.  I've been a fan of Marie Eve and her wines since I visited there in 2012, or maybe it was 2010, in any case, they have been doing some wonderful things with some less explored varietals in the region, including Malbec.  This particular wine is 100% Malbec from the Stone Tree Vineyard (89%) on the Wahluke Slope in Washington's Columbia Valley with the remainder from the Minnick Hills Vineyard (11%) in the Walla Walla Valley.  So let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a stunning, deep purple color in the glass, picture perfect for Malbec.  The nose is a symphony of aromas that bring you to images of gauchos in the Andes of Argentina, leather, smoke, black cherry and hints of white pepper spice and mocha over the top.  The taste is refined and complex, pretty much the opposite of a big, gut punching Cabernet that's so popular among so many today.  There is a rush of ripe fruit up front, cherry, pomegranate and currant that transition effortlessly to some notes of peppery dark chocolate midpalate.  The finish is just the best part of this wine, with incredibly polished tannins supporting a velvety smooth finish that seems to last the better part of five minutes.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, maybe even a 9.5 as this has to be one of the best Malbecs I've had.  This wine practically begs to be paired with a big hunk of beef, and it would certainly be delicious with a prime ribeye, but tonight I am going off the rails again, pairing this wine with a lovely grilled mango marinaded pork tenderloin with grilled peppers and Brussels sprouts.  The wine just brings out the richness of pork while the complex fruit just makes the perfect complement.  Cheers!