OK………I admit it………I love Malbecs.  There, I said it.  Yes…I prefer Malbecs to California Cabernets.  I love the blueberry and boysenberry fruits enveloped by soft tannins and minerality.  It’s hard not to pair it with grilled beef.  And best of all, they are so darned affordable!  You can pick up a tasty, quality Malbec these days for under $20 at nearly any spirit store.  Of course if you want to go hog wild, you can ascend the price scale and hit triple digits for the top of the top.  But for most of us, that’s not is our budget.  You can learn more about these wonderful wines in the Wine Education article by Chris Horton (Great Wines Taste Great...). 

The other night, my wife and I discovered still another reason to love the wines that this country produces.  We prepared some AJ’s Chilean sea bass seasoned with dried fish spice (salt, garlic, ginger), oven baked it and finished it off with a Chardonnay mustard.  The combination of the spices, mustard and natural fish oils yielded a rich and rounded flavorful taste, the mustard really bringing the dish to life.  Then I went on the hunt for a full bodied white.  I do have some Loire Chenin Blanc that I love and would have been a fine choice except for my stumbling upon one lonely bottle of Chardonnay.  Now I have to admit, I’m not a huge fan of the rich, oaky and vanilla-toast stained whites.  I much prefer to taste the true expression of the grape and its wine.  But when I looked at the producer, I suspected that I had found the match.  It was a Catena Mendoza 2007 Chardonnay.  I forgot that sometime back, I wanted to try his Chardonnay so I picked up a bottle and threw it into the cellar. 

For those of you unfamiliar with Nicolas Catena, he is a world class wine producer in every sense of the word.  He earned a PhD in economics, has taught at the University of California as a visiting professor and most recently, was honored with Decanter (wine) Magazine’s Man of the Year for 2009, having literally put Argentinean Malbec on the world wine map.  His Malbecs are world renown from entry level on up. 

As soon as a cracked open the bottle and poured, I knew that this wine would work.  The medium gold color hinted at some richness.  But it was the aromas that got me; pineapple and pear and maybe just a little nuttiness.  On the palate, I sensed the pear and pineapple and the texture was smooth, not overly rich.  As good as the wine was as a stand alone, it was that much richer with the sea bass.  This was one of those pairings that didn’t have to work hard to convince you.  It was effortless.  And oh yes, the price….about $18…..still another reason I love Argentina.

And don’t forget to check out Malbecs in Tucson in our Wine Finder.

Tags: Catena, Chardonnay, Malbec, Mendoza, sea bass