Wine of the week: Yellow + Blue Malbec 2007

The Wine Curmudgeon has been looking for a great, cheap Argentine malbec for years. The Yellow + Blue ($10 for a 1-liter box) may be it.

A couple of caveats: Availability could be limited, and there’s no guarantee that the wine will be around after this vintage. That’s because it’s the project of a startup importer called J. Soif, and wine importing is a difficult business. What works one year may not work the next year.

Having said that, the Yellow + Blue is a $10 Hall of Fame candidate that delivers more than $10 worth of wine. It has well-done tannins, something that’s rare in cheap malbec, and the fruit isn’t so over the top that it covers everything else else up, another flaw in $10 malbec.

So what about the box? Soif boss Matthew Cain, who has worked for Kermit Lynch, one of the best importers in the world, says his focus is not only on quality wine, but on green wine. Hence organic grapes and the box, called a TetraPak, which is supposed to be less harmful to the environment than a glass bottle.

This is an interesting sales pitch, but the problem with selling wine as environmentally friendly is that most of the wine that makes that claim doesn’t taste this good. Consumers are stuck with a tradeoff between quality and carbon footprint, and what’s the point of that? If all I cared about was the environment, I’d drink boxed Franzia.

The green wine discussion deserves its own post, which I’ll get to soon. Until then, enjoy the Yellow + Blue.

Technorati Tags: malbec,Yellow + Blue,wine reviews,Argentine wine

Comments

[Matthew Cain]

Hi Jeff.

Matthew Cain here, owner and importer of Yellow+Blue. A friend shared your article with me, and I want to let you know how much I appreciate your kind words. We're working hard to change the perception of alternative packaging, and I am glad that people like yourself are noticing.

We are rolling out a certified organic Torrontes next month, and we plan to have a rose for release next March. We've already booked our 2008 quantities for both Malbec and Torrontes after a June Argentina trip, so we plan to be in business for a while!

Thanks again for noticing and writing about us. If there is ever anything I can help with, please don't hesitate to contact me.