Ruca Malen Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2007, $17.99

OK. As much as I love cabs from Argentina, I fought with this wine right off the bat. As I used my fantastic Houdini wine opening device, I noticed myself fighting with the cork. As I finally ripped the cork out, I noticed the bottom portion was ripping apart. Great. If I find any cork pieces floating around in my wine, I'm not going to be happy.

At first smell, I catch a whiff of pungent alcohol. Whew. This is a 13.9% alcohol content, all right. But as I take a another deep sniff, I notice the berries. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries. Then there's a little black pepper component. It smells luscious. And the back of the bottle proclaims that there's "black fuit, blackberry, and...figs along with emerging peppery notes" on the nose. BINGO! I love it when the back of the bottle gets is right.

Looking at this wine in the glass, it's a very pretty, grapey cabernet. It's so heavy-bodied that it takes 15 - 20 seconds for the legs to form down the side of the glass. And - wait, what's that? Cork? There are pieces of cork floating around in my wine! Anybody got a tissue? I am seriously depressed. The only way to lift me out of this depression would be for the wine to taste amazing.

On the bright side, this wine does taste amazing. Even with the cork bits floating around in it. At first it tastes like bitter tannins, but then the tanning become smooth & velvety. The have a great mouthfeel (!!!), really polished and elegant. There's a hint of vanilla lurking in the background, which gets a bit stronger on the finish. And talk about a long finish - it's about ten seconds long.

Such a great wine. I you like Hispanic reds, this is one you've gotta try. Hit up www.bodegarucamelen.com for more info.

Cheers!

Kate