The 2011 Origin Malbec is a Supermarket wine, no that is not a derogatory term, it is a wine brand made exclusively for Albertson’s, Lucky, Jewel-Osco, Shaws, Cub Foods and Farm Fresh stores. This Malbec is produced and bottled by Andean Vineyards in the Mendoza region of Argentina. Produced and bottled means a winery fermented, aged and bottled the wine, but it does not mean they grew the grapes. All the stores mentioned had been owned by Supervalu, but Albertson’s, Shaw’s and Jewel-Osco have recently been sold off, which may effect the availability of the Origin brand wines. I found this Malbec on sale at a Jewel-Osco store selling for $5.99. The alcohol content is 12.5%.
The color is a rich, dark, but see-thru black cherry red. The nose is a little on the sweet, candied side, strawberry hard candy, blueberry, cinnamon and spiced gum drops. This wine is kind of thin for a Malbec, not a light bodied wine, it just lighter than usual for a Malbec. It starts with concentrated blackberry and licorice, followed by a soft brush of chocolate powder and a hit of tart cranberry. The tannins are subdued, but there is a solid amount of acidity. The finish is fairly full and does linger.
The 2011 Origin Malbec is not a bad tasting wine, it is just that there are a whole slew of Malbec’s in the $10 range (and less on sale) that are tasty, complete wines, with depth and complexity. If you are a fan of a lighter style of Malbec, the Origin Malbec may be what you are looking for. Otherwise, pay a couple of bucks more, the usual inexpensive Malbecs found on store shelves are pretty good values.
