Black impenetrable black night miserably staining black ruby with bright purple black edges.  The colour extraction on this thing just boggles.  Big viscous nose, round and warm with raw beef and match heads and a fair chunk of alcohol.  Ripe banana and warm masa.  See, now… I am not the world’s biggest Malbec fan.  I like it for its quirkiness and some-times gameyness and never the fruit-forward styles.  Well, I can honestly say this is neither.  Unbelievably concentrated in the mouth–maybe not as concentrated as the colour and nose directed you, but it seriously is chewy.  Massive oaky fruit hit early and strong, thinning quickly to a simple acid and somewhat–surprisingly–meager core before exploding again into more of the roundness and ripeness, only this time visible alongside substantial–and unforgettable–tannin. Would people even believe this is Malbec?  Not sure where I would blind it, but bec is so far out of my daily radar, I probably wouldn’t even think of it.  Maybe a really flabby PS or Carignane?  This wine pulls off Malbec in amazing fashion and would certainly be–at minimum: a crowd-pleaser and I’m guessing at best garner a ton of converts to the varietal.  Guessed 14-9.  Label: 14-7.   ♦