Issue II: Navarro Correas Colección Privada Edition

Navarro Correas Colección Privada [Malbec]

In many ways, it’s fairly easy for a wine to get on my list. As long as the bottle cost me less than $20 and I find the taste enjoyable, there’s a good chance that it will make the list the next day, even if as SPA-Only. One of the characteristics for the higher level of Standard is that it be consistent, of a greater value and the taste be considerably better than others on the list. Enter this gem.

A quick look around the web will yield a number of glowing accolades for this wine and there’s little reason to wonder why. Hailing from the region of Argentina, which is making a stronger case for itself lately as a wine-producing region soon to catch up to the major hitters, it is nonetheless the only wine from that entire country (I’ve tested plenty) to actually make my list. Actually, if memory serves, this was one of the very first to make that list.

This is a very smooth-drinking wine, as the Malbec, both in color and heaviness, falls somewhere between the lightness of say a Merlot one end of the scale and the much denser Cabs at the other. There’s a slight fruitiness to it, reminiscent of berries (currants, blackberries, etc.) but not a great deal of bite, other than initially out of the bottle. This, like nearly all reds in this series, is not a pour-and-drink. It needs a good 15 minutes exposure for it to lose most of the harshness, but the sweet spot is more between 20 – 30 minutes.

For $12 or less a bottle (often you can find this for below $10), this makes it easy enough to pick up, even when not on SPA, but when I do find it on SPA, I generally get a few bottles. I’m still trying to determine exactly which of the standard wines I’ve gotten the most, but if this one isn’t at the top, it’s definitely in the running.

This is another easy pick for a Standard, as it’s priced right, readily available and the flavor is always consistently there. This is always consistently excellent, which makes it a fine “saver” for the wine weekend, even if we wind up with a dog the night before.