September 25th I had to answer the question whether I was Pure or Extravagant at the iYellow Wine Cave. I had the chance to taste two wines from Argentinian winery Trapiche. One was an unoaked Malbec and the second was a Malbec based Red blend. Both wines are very good and well priced at the LCBO. What is remarkable about the unoaked Malbec is how light the wine is on it’s own but how well it paired with chocolate, and rare beef. The red blend however, will pair with just about everything. We tasted it with deep fried frog legs, duck tongue tacos and cricket/chocolate donuts. The chocolate covered crickets were interesting and more texture than flavour… but trust me they were as good as they look.
2013 Trapiche Pure Malbec – LCBO 370924 – $15.95 – I wasn’t sure about this wine when I first tasted it. If you’re a die hard Malbec fan you might be disappointed by this wine… but it’s a great expression of terroir. Very (VERY) peppery on the nose and palate. Underneath that you have nice red fruit cherry and cranberry with nice acidity. To be honest this wine tastes like Gamay and Malbec had a child. Nice acidity on the finish of this wine will make if a great match for food. I tasted this with dark chocolate and rare beef tenderloin it was a perfect mate to both.
2013 Trapiche Extravaganza Red Blend – LCBO 360776 – $15.95 – The answer to our first question Pure or Extravaganza for me is definitely extravagant. This wine opens strong and finishes strong. Even though this is a blend it is very much Malbec dominated. Huge flavours of Cherry, Raspberry and Plum with baking spice all mixed in with a hit of smoke on the finish. This will definitely be a crow pleaser and a great match for beef. I enjoyed this with deep fried frog legs. While I think beef would be it’s ideal match it will be suited to just about anything but the lightest dishes.
