We tasted Malbec the other week, and by all accounts I wasn't very positive about the above, so they sent me another bottle to make sure that I was sure that I didn't like it.

As our haggis cooked I re-tasted and I just don't like Malbec. However, it was originally tasted blind, against other Malbecs and so that tasting was objective and against other (less expensive) wines, it didn't show well.

I'm driven by aroma and freshness in the mouth, plus mouth feel, length of flavour and general complexity.

The wine in the glass smells of dull red wine. There's no life to the aroma. In the mouth it's dull - like a sack of spuds landing in a pile of, say, twenty duvets. This goes thunk, not nnnnyyyaaww (racing car noise). There's no life, no vibrancy, just a dark, baked, thunk of dark flavour.

Not faulty, but I hold onto my original tasting that it just doesn't do it.

Not exactly an MW tasting note, but I hope you understand the meaning.

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mel

Yeah, I generally agree with your assessment.
One of the reasons that this wine could be somewhat dull and a bit lifeless is that 2007 was not so good in Mendoza, I believe.

I deduce this from reading the reports about 2006 Argentina (Mendoza) vintage and some of the tasting notes. I've had super rich Cabs S. from Mendoza, and once laid two down for 10 years and they were fab, but generally, the Malbec is used to "pad-out" a cuvee in other parts of the World.
Why produce a 100% Malbec ??? Petit Verdot would have been more interesting when grown in that climate !

Can you think of a wine that is 100% Malbec that you have really enjoyed ? I can't.

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Duncan