I was making gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce and toasted walnuts along with turkey meatballs for a few friends coming over tonight. I was looking through cellar tracker for a red to pair with this (knowing that I would probably be the only one to drink white with this meal). Browsing through CT, I found this bottle;
Zaha Malbec 2014
This bottle of “WTF is this doing in my cellar” is the only one I have and I’ve never tried this producer or any producers Argentinian Malbec. You can call it a blind spot, I call it foresight.
I read through the CT tasting notes and most suggested a plush wine with little structure. I thought this might pair with the meal and figured this was as good a time as any to try this.
Definitely not my cup of tea but not a badly made wine. I opened a couple of hours in advance and as time went on the nose added some dried herbs to the pungent fruit, vanilla and pie spices. The tannins are fully integrated (were there tannins?) but the little acidity does help keep the fruit on the red spectrum (red berries, plums). The oak is not overbearing and there is no overt sweetness. This was a hit with the guests.