If I had to pick a "favorite winery," Elizabeth Spencer, a small husband and wife team with a tasting room in Rutherford might be it. It seems they cannot go wrong!
The 2004 Napa Valley Malbec was just beautiful tonight (with steak and even seafood). Some colleagues joined me for a pre-meeting dinner in Vallejo. decent food (but pricey for the quality). Evereyone kept going back to the bottle for a little more wine. ..yep, a little more.
I'm not sure Jenise would like this, but the wine was full of flavor.
A nice rich purple color. Some good fruit on the nose with a little high tone sharpness not evident on the palate. Rich blackberry and blueberry, but it didn't really taste over the top-it was still balanced. I keep saying this about good Malbecs, but the wine TASTES PURPLE. I just can't describe it in any other way. There were some pretty big tannins-the first sip or two had the teeth coating feeling, but they seemed to relax by the second glass.
The wine was not all fruit, it had that nice fuzziness I like in Petit Sirah and Malbec. There was also a distinct brief bitter note on the finish that frankly did not bother me but just provided a unique extra flavor. Some may consider it a flaw? My only criticism might be the wine does have a short finish, but overall, I would easily give it 3.5 or even 4* Bravo!