Los Cardos, Malbec, 2002

From the bottle, Los Cardos Malbec is grown from berries in the Mendoza region of Argentina and is 14% alcohol by volume.

Where did I find it: Purchased at Costco.

What did I pair it with: a spicy, shredded beef salad

Appearance: Medium bodied purple, with flashes of velvet.

Smell: Bright cherry, barnyard, earth

Taste: Prune, chocolate, and cherry tannins, with a quicker finish than later vintages of this wine.

Price: $6 Quality rating: 86/100

Value rating: 51.33/60

Takeaway: If you have a 2002 Los Cardos Malbec, drink it now. Why? Because it is fading. The 2003 and 2004s seem to be still holding up, with more complexity than the 2002 – for the money, this is still a pretty good deal, but I doubt you’ll find too many 2002s on the market.