After comparing the 2006 Amancaya to the eminently serviceable 2006 Catena Malbec last week and finding the former the best QPR so far in Argentinean wine, I decided to compare the Amancaya’s more expensive senior brother, the Caro, with the next most expensive malbec in the Catena stable, the D.V. Catena Malbec-Malbec (named after Domingo Vicente Catena), a blend of different malbecs made for the Argentinean market and available in Brazil (but, according to Wine-Searcher, not in the US).
2003 Bodegas Caro 14% (US price $30/Brazil price $55)
Dark plum color. Very elegant nose with cherry, cassis, oak and hints of cedar and cocoa. Tasted without food, this was surprisingly acidic and bitter. After food and some aeration, it came into balance, with additional licorice notes. Good mid-palate and finish. Perhaps a little bit too much new oak for the fruit. Evolved well as the evening wore on. Good wine, but not great, especially at this price point. I prefer the Amancaya, even without adjusting half the cost. Produced by Bodegas Caro, a joint venture between Catena Zapata & Château Lafite-Rothschild. Aged 14 months in French oak, 60% of it new.
2004 D.V. Malbec-Malbec 13.5% (US price N/A/Brazil price $34)
Dark plum color. Markedly different nose of green stems and sous bois. Without food, this is much less acidic than the Caro and initially better balanced, but delivers much less fruit and complexity. Somewhat hollow mid-palate. Did not evolve much in the glass. A disappointment, especially compared to the superior and less expensive Catena Malbec. Makes you wonder why they confine this to domestic markets... Aged 12 months in French oak, 50% of it new (not noticeable).