Celebrate World Malbec Day

 2-Hawk Vineyard Malbec “Darrow Series,” Rogue Valley, Oregon 2017   $49

With so many solid, pleasant drinking Malbecs available for under $25, anything above that price point has to be exceptional to get my attention. I was looking for a special Malbec to celebrate the occasion.

Well, I recently discovered an exceptional Malbec from 2-Hawk,  a small winery in Southern Oregon. “Darrow” refers to the dominant soil profile in the home vineyard.  As winemaker Kiley Evans notes, “ Malbec is one of the real stars in the Rogue Valley because it shows a consistent ability to ripen while at the same time being sensitive to vintage variation.” 2017 was an unusually cool vintage with the last Malbec picked in early November. And the wine, blended with 21% Cabernet and aged for 20 months in 50% new French oak, is a show stopper. Dark in color, it displays layers of blueberry, licorice, and leathery aromas mingled with hints of thyme and cassis. The whole package is more elegant and refined than blockbuster, powerhouse. It finishes with persistent fruit flavors joined by light toasty oak spice and refined tannins.  341 cases made. 95

http://www.2hawk.wine

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Author: robywine, norm roby

My career as a wine journalist/critic began in 1975 when my article about California Petite Sirah was published. My focus remained on California as I edited a monthly wine magazine and then moved on to The Wine Spectator in 1982. Over the following years, my column appeared under the banner of “Stormin’ Norman, and I also wrote articles about wine collectors and wine auctions. Without getting into a year by year bio, let me try to summarize here. During my time with The Spectator which I enjoyed immensely, I taught wine classes at a culinary school and at other venues in San Francisco. Before venturing into wine, teaching was my thing, English Lit and Rhetoric. After The Spectator I was the U.S. Contributor to Decanter Magazine, writing mostly about California, but also expanding into Washington State and Oregon. My Decanter years began in 1992 and after buying a summer home in France in 2000, I traveled throughout France and eventually published articles about St. Emilion, Castillon, Bergerac, Minervois, Roussillon, Luberon, Provence, and Alsace. Also, around 2000, my wife began working for Cousino-Macul in Chile, so we tasted and traveled our way through Chile and, of course, managed to fly over the Andes and explore and taste our way through Argentina. As travel lovers, we have also spent many interesting days visiting the wine regions of Spain, Italy, Portugal, Scicily, Greece, and New Zealand. And to come to a close, I was Director of Winesong, a Charity Wine Auction for 20 years, 1992-2000 that benefitted a local hospital. That brought me in contact with wine collectors and to the auction scene. And finally, I co-authored a book, The Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine published by Alfred A. Knopf. It went through 4 editions and sold over 500.000 copies.

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