Uncorked #12: Bodega Norton Malbec 2010

Welcome to Uncorked! Where I feature a wine that I’ve tried and let you know my thoughts on it. There is a little disclaimer: I am by far no wine expert –I am just going to tell my thoughts on a wine. Some wine snobs out there might turn their nose up at my opinion and that’s fine with me! Wine is meant to be savored and enjoyed! I might throw out some wine terms here and there and if I do, I will make sure that I give you the definition and try to explain them to the best of my abilities. My goal is to share some tasty wine picks with the world and hopefully encourage some of you out there to try a new wine. No bottle shall be discriminated against, price is no matter (with in reason), and this is just going to be all about exploring the world of wine.

This week’s wine is:

Description: Bodega Norton was founded in 1895 at the Mendoza River Valley. The estate winery is located at the foothills of the Andes, at altitudes ranging between 850 to 1100 m. above sea level. The climate at these altitudes is characterized by warm days and cool nights. This allows the grapes to mature slowly toward perfect ripeness, providing deep colour, rich aromas and flavors. This fresh and fruity wine invites you to discover the unique characteristics of its grape variety.

I know, another Malbec right?? Well, this one has been sitting on my shelf for a while and after my two week hiatus of not writing any Uncorked, I went for a my default wine…a red one 🙂 Normally I love me some cab, but today I thought I would choose something slightly different so I reached for this Malbec. I know I just reviewed a Malbec, but I just couldn’t help myself. Tonight’s dinner was pizza and I thought the spiciness of this wine would go great with our dinner. One thing I noticed right away with this wine is that I couldn’t smell the nose of the wine. Maybe it’s my allergies kicking in, but I was expecting the worst from this wine. Usually, no nose usually means no flavor, however I was pleasantly surprised by this wine. The taste is fruity yet spicy and there is something almost smoky* about the wine. It really went well with the pizza we ate tonight.

Would I buy it again? For sure! With the price of $9, I thought it was a pretty good little wine. I know I can’t smell the nose, which really is most likely my allergies, but I was really overall impressed by the wine. The last Malbec I reviewed had to breath for 30 minutes before it was great to drink. This one was great just out of the bottle, with no wait! With the busy moving/cleaning/parenting going on in my life, being able just to sit down and enjoy a nice glass of wine with some pizza (delivered of course) is such a nice treat to start my weekend. And yes, it’s Thursday night and the start of my weekend…No, I am not bragging, because my weekend will be moving the big stuff and unpacking 🙁

Fun Wine Fact: Malbec was originally grown in France, but a hard freeze in 1956 wiped out most of the plants. Malbec was introduced to Argentina in the mid-1800’s, and they now produce over 70% of the world’s Malbec grapes. Due to the increasing popularity of the wine, France has began to grow the grape again. Together the two countries produce over 90% of all Malbec wines.

Pairs Well With: Smoky meats, sausages, BBQ, (and pizza!)

“Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.”
– Benjamin Franklin

*Smoky– Some wines, either because of the soil or because of the barrels used to age the wine, have a distinctive smoky character.

~Beth