Battle of the Malbecs

Our last blog post extolled the virtues of newly discovered (by us) Malbec wines from the Cahors region of Southwest France.  We thought it might be fun to stage a shoot-out between a stately old world Malbec and a sassy competitor from the new world of Argentina. The venue was our kitchen with cheeseburgers at 30 paces….

2005 Chateau De Cenac Eulalie vs. 2005 Kaiken Malbec Ultra
We got lucky at the Cahors Malbec show and snagged a couple of bottles from our favorite winery Chateau De Cenac.  For the shoot-out we selected the 2005 Eulalie (100% Malbec), which impressed us at the show with its “spicy oak and blackberry nose and…delicious blend of smooth tannins that provided a truly long, enjoyable, silky finish.”                  

The challenger was an old favorite from the Mendoza region of Argentina (and something we had in our cellar), the 2005 Kaiken Ultra (93% Malbec/7% Cab Sauv).  In our October 2007 review, we noted the wine’s “deep ruby red color” and flavors “full of berries and maybe a hint of vanilla.”

We ignored decanting suggestions (2 hours for the Eulalie; 1 hour for Kaiken) but each bottle was open for 30+ minutes before serving. With delicious grass-fed beef cheeseburgers as an accompaniment, the shoot-out commenced.

The Kaiken was deep ruby/black plum in color.  The aromas recalled leather, vanilla, and blackberry preserves.  This fruit-forward semi-bomb bursts with blackberries, cassis, and hints of tobacco.  As expected with new world wines, the Kaiken Ultra is elegant but in-your-face; a serious, drinkable Malbec that would be perfect to enjoy with special friends at a barbeque or a casual dinner.  But on second taste—90 minutes after opening—the bright flavors had receded and it seemed to disappear.

By contrast, the Eulalie Chateau De Cenac Malbec started slow but had a fantastic finish. A deep ruby color close to Kaiken’s coloring, the French Malbec had intoxicating aromas of toasty oak, vanilla, cedar and cigar humidor.  At first taste the wine was thin and pallid, clearly needing the two-hour decanting time. An hour later, the grape was fully revealed. The taste was refined with some earthiness, chocolate cherries, and a long, silky finish.

Both the old world entry and the new Malbec were fine accompaniments to the burgers. The Eulalie was the wine we chose to savor beyond the meal.  We’d select it over the Kaiken for more serious dining but we’d grab another Kaiken out of the cellar for an impromptu meal that couldn’t wait for a two-hour decant.