Not sure if it was the hectic morning arrival by bus to Mendoza or our excitement to finally be in Argentine wine country, but we needed a glass of wine!

For our inaugural bottle, we found a 2006 Carmelo Patti Malbec from the Lujan de Cuyo region South of Mendoza. Carmelo Patti had been recommended highly by our friends over at Vines of Mendoza and we couldn't wait to try it.  We were told that Argentinians like wine that is easy to drink and that is mainly what we had experienced with Malbec during our travels in Buenos Aires.

 The warmer climate in Lujan de Cuyo, though, makes a much richer style of Malbec than we had been used to thus far. The 2006 Carmelo Patti Malbec strikes a perfect balance and appeals to those who like easy drinking Malbecs but will also appeal to those who like bolder wines. Flavors of baked plum and boysenberries were rounded out with some cinnamon and spice.  This wine was very pleasurable by itself but would have been great with seasoned lamb, beef or even a stir fry dish. While the finish didn't linger for long, it didn't take away from the fact that this is a well-made wine.  

We look forward to hopefully meeting Carmelo during our visit to Lujan de Cuyo, but more on that later...