Having recently tasted two exceptional Argentine Malbecs, we decided to feature both in March. They are very different wines that reflect different approaches to growing grapes and making wine in Mendoza. And this way we hope to get our customers to buy two bottles instead of one!

Temporada Malbec is an Argentine wine made by a Frenchman. Hervé Joyaux Fabre was born in Bordeaux to a family of wine negoçiants. In the early 1990s, he bought a Malbec vineyard in Luan de Cuyo, Mendoza, that had been planted in 1908. His Fabre Montmayou winery produces expensive estate wines as well as the Temporada label from vineyards owned by some of his neighbors. Fabre insists on vineyard management practices that make up for the fact that his neighbor's vines average only ten years of age; for example, deleafing and green harvest limit the yield to 60 hl/ha. Although high for a world class wine, that is low for a $10 bottle and is partly responsible for the depth of this wine. Harvesting is also done by hand using small (40 lb.) trays to avoid bruising the grapes. The grapes are meticulously hand sorted to ensure that only the best grapes are used, quite unusual for a $10 wine. Fermentation is done with indigenous yeast, and the maceration (skin contact) is a lengthy 20 days. Bottled after aging in stainless steel tanks for four months, the wine is very flavorful and quite varietal, yet it has a certain restraint and balance that reflect its French influence. Fresh and powerful red fruits and spices explode on the nose and palate. Blackberry flavors dominate, and there is a soft, rounded, juicy finish. It is perfect with grilled meats, pasta, cheeses, risotto, and Thai food.

El Portillo Malbec is ebullient, lush, and packed with fruit. Its softness works with spicy dishes like chile or tacos to give them some lift. El Portillo (meaning "portal" or "gateway") is a label made by Bodega Salentein, an award-winning gravity-flow winery situated on a high plateau (1100 meters) in the Uco Valley within Mendoza. Alluvial soils here lay atop a gravel bed with good permeability and drainage. El Portillo Malbec 2007 was described by Wine & Spirits as an "extreme value. Aromas of strawberries and cherries blend with saddle-leather scents. This wine's juicy freshness balances a base of fine tannins. For braised beef." Food and Wine: "Warmly spicy and a pleasure to drink, this black-fruited wine will convert Malbec doubters. High-altitude vineyards explain the intense flavors."