Carinae Malbec Reserva

Posted by Edmund in Malbec | 0 comments

Carinae Malbec Reserva 2007
100% Malbec
Not available on Wine-searcher. $15 for the 2006.

As noted in my review of the Carinae Malbec Finca Deneza, Carinae produces masculine and feminine Malbecs. In contrast to the Finca Deneza, this wine is considered feminine, meaning the focus is on creating a softer, lighter wine, specifically one accentuating the fruitier flavors of the Malbec grape.

The color is a rather nice ruby, with many reddish and violet tints, but it is much lighter and less intense than that found in the Finca Deneza.

The smell is, oddly enough, a bit earthy, like dirt or rock, rather than fruity, at least to me.

In terms of taste, however, the “feminine” ideal really shines. This Malbec is light, fruity, soft, and in general, much more pleasing to drink than the much harsher Finca Deneza masculine Malbec. There isn’t quite so much structure, but there is a lot of flavor to compensate, and the wine has some great complexity to it. It tastes a bit like dirt, soil, oak, wood, and spice, in addition to the fruity notes. This wine really does have some nice character to it.

Overall Score: 3.8/5.0.