Chakana Malbec 2005
Bodega
Range
Wine
Vintage
Origin
Price
Appearance
Deep inky purple with violet hues.
Nose
Plums, cherries, and an underlying gamey character.
Palate
Medium-full body. Surprisingly upfront floral characters of roses and violets, receding to reveal the ample black fruit (cherries, Black Doris plums) and a whole range of characters and complexities: game, leather, earth, figs, traces of vanilla. The palate is round, with gentle tannins, good acidity, and good, reasonably firm length.
Overall
An exceptionally satisfying drop for the money. It's in a bigger style, packing a high-ish 14% alcohol along with all that fruit and its complexities. Surprisingly dense for its youth - suggests very ripe fruit and (at a guess) 12 months in near-new oak. There's no excess of tannins or acidity, so you probably wouldn't want to wait more than a year or so to drink this. But in the meantime, it's simply delicious.
****+
(August 06)