Tasting - J. Opi a.k.a. Rodolfo Sadler Malbec 2015

The fourth tasting of the weekend:

Name: J. Opi a.k.a. Rodolfo Sadler 
Variety: Malbec
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2015
Price: ~$14.00 ? (This is an estimate found at wsjwine.com, my mom paid $69.99 for the box of 15 different wines as part of the Wall Street Journal's Discovery Wine club introductory promotion)

Winery review: "Grapes for this expressive Malbec were hand-picked from our vineyard in the Maipu region of Mendoza, from vines irrigated with melt water from the Andes. It has an intense deep red colour; the nose and palate convey harmonious ripe blackberry and plum, underpinned by elegant smoke and vanilla notes. This attractive wine is the perfect partner to red meat dishes, spicy sausages and cheese."

My review: So I learned in doing a little wine research in several different wine books my mother has that Malbec is often characterized uniquely by its dark color with a lighter red ring around the rim. So when I poured this glass I particularly paid attention to its color, and it indeed had a dark, almost black color with a burgundy/red rim! So cool! I thought this had a very light, approachable smell. I couldn't detect any alcohol on the nose, something I appreciated since I hate the smell of booze. It also had floral, fruity notes of dark berries. When I tasted it alone, I found it too have a light mouth feel with jammy tones and a hint of spice. It also had a sweet undertone which I thought could maybe be vanilla. It also had a residual sweetness which was pleasing.

I tasted this at dinner with steak. I thought that this wine mellowed the saltiness of the steak while also revealing its fruitiness! It was great! Would definitely have this again!