A chill has ripped the air, and the leaves have begun to turn. Pumpkin spice everything has gripped the the land. Cheap costume stores, which sell them at inordinate prices, festoon the land in a wash of zombie stores that will be gone at the end of the month. To make matters worse, cheap wines with creepy bottles crowd the shelves. Have no fear, First Pour Wine’s Best Wines for Halloween 2016 kicks off today with Skeleton Malbec!
Sight: Deep purple core with a pinkish edge, and slightly brownish elements.
Smell: The nose is young, with volatile elements of cranberry and cassis. Red plum and hints of spice jump into the game with a healthy dose of herbal elements. The nose is hot, and stays rather green.
Sip: The body is moderate, but the character is very hot. The acidity is on the crazy end of high, and heating up the general character of the wine. The flavors that are present are mostly underripe red fruits, that leave a bitterness to the wine.
Savor: The ending is well structured tannin wise, but needs a bit of help from an acidity stand point. Primary flavors are plum jam and balsamic vinegar.
Skeleton Malbec is unpleasantly underripe and overly acidic. The character swings between balsamic and green vegetables with a lot of dark fruit fighting to seem relevant or concentrated. The body itself is unstructured, and the character is flimsy. The net result is an unclear wine, where flavors are muddled at the best of times. Overall, Skeleton Malbec is a great decorating piece, but a relatively unfortunate wine.
Verdict: Balsamic, Black Plum, Tart, Herbal
Rating: 63
Price: $10 – for 1L
Napa Valley, California