Matchbox Wine Co. Malbec 2012

Clever packaging too

14%, Screwcap, $30
Source: Sample
www.matchboxwineco.com

Fun comes in many different shapes and sizes. Here it is delivered via a joven style Clare Valley Malbec, drawn from 30yr old vines and wild fermented in seasoned puncheons. Made by Nav Singh, with a helping hand from his wife Louise Radman, this is a quite joyous expression of ripe fruit.

Love the colour here – bright, technicolour purple. Grimace purple even. The wonders of the ’12 Clare Valley vintage (which produced some amazingly bright coloured red wines) on show with this puppy…

The whole wine is about as close to grape hubba bubba as you can get – sweet grape juice (though fruit sweet) aplenty, finished off with a hint of skin tannins to finish. No oak in sight. Perhaps the only challenge is that this is a rather simple wine for the dollars – the purple juiciness is off the scale but you’re still searching for a little more structure to fill everything out. Or at least I was. Still a pretty moreish beast all the same.

Drink: 2013-2016+
Score: 16.5/20 88/100
Would I buy it? Probably not. I like the concept but I’m just looking for a little more craft for $30.