O’Fournier A Crux Malbec, Part II

Posted by Edmund in Malbec | 0 comments

[photos provided by and posted with permission of O'Fournier]

O’Fournier A Crux Malbec 2006
100% Malbec
Not available on Wine-searcher, but about $34.50 for the 2005.

Color is rather dark, even for a Malbec. Very intense, with numerous reddish and purplish tones. It’s great. It also has great legs to boot.

Muddy, very earthy, floral aroma. The aroma is big, especially on the smell of wild flowers. Also somewhat herbal.

My initial impression is that it’s very smooth and easy to drink, even a bit soft. It quickly turns oaky with a big tannin taste, in addition to picking up overtones of leather, dark chocolate, and hazelnut. Oddly enough, it’s not very fruity at all, though it’s a Malbec. You get a lot more of the earthier tones. The finish is very smooth, with a leather flavor (it’s really much better than it sounds).  The only problems with this wine: the taste is a bit too muddy and bland for me.

Overall Score: 3.8/5.0. This is a difficult wine to judge for 1 reason—I wasn’t feeling perfectly well during my tasting, so I can’t say it’s 100% accurate, especially considering I tasted the 2004 Malbec and thought it was excellent (4.3). It’s still a good a value, and I know many people who tasted this wine and loved it so much that they bought numerous bottles.