Auxerrois from the other side of the world: Etchart Rio de Plata 2004/2005

Etchart has been producing wine since 1850 but I've only been keeping track for a couple of years! Here are the two most recent vintages of their Rio de Plata Malbec, both of which you may find stocked on shelves and on sale in Quebec at the moment. (With discount this Malbec is $9.85 including taxes -- click on the bottle image for details.) Also note that Etchart's reliable Torrontes 2006 from its Cafayate range is also discounted until Sunday.

The Rio de Plata range is a self-professed line of wines called "easy-drinking" and by that you should interpret the wines to mean their immediate opening and enjoyment. These are very fresh cuvées, which belies their made-for-export pedigree. Zippy, balanced and quite suave, the Etchart Malbec masks the often sweetish, indelicate and over-oaked attributes of many industrially produced wines. I'm not sure what the total output of Rio de Plata is, but I don't doubt the designed-for-export nature of this range of Malbecs and Merlots. (Their Merlot varietal is also a wonder and fine example of crafting high-quality, pleasing wines within an international market.)

There's a real deft touch Etchart has developed in recent years, a by-product of the modernization of their centuries-old wine production and one that I would consider a definite plus.

Here are notes I took when I opened these wines on two separate occasions.

Etchart Rio de Plata Malbec 2004 is a simple and effective expression of the Malbec grape. Here, the grape comes from a place far away from where it was originally grown and traditionally known as Auxerrois. It kills me this $10 South American version of Cahors can so nonchalantly please, even if it's not exactly long nor profound on the finish.

Etchart Rio de Plata Malbec 2005 also conveys winemaking craft at its height, again equally pleasing in this succeeding second vintage. It features the perfect blend of ripe freshness and oaky vanilla with typical licorice tones. Ideal dinner wine in a pinch. Who needs arty when this comes in at only $9.85? Not showy. A workmanlike wine with fine balance and acidity.

Bodegas Etchart, Mendoza, Argentina. 13.5%.

Etchart beats a path to your wine shop: Etchart Rio de Plata 2003

Etchart is probably Argentina's most dependable wine producer. They are one of the most established too. From its wine pressed from the white Torrontes grape to that of Cabernet Sauvignon -- the more well-known resident of the Cafayate Valley atop the Salta region -- budget-minded folks are rewarded by returning to this producer year in and year out. Michel Phaneuf has routinely recommended the full gamut of their products in Quebec for the last three vintages running.

From the region of Mendoza comes the Etchart Rio de Plata Merlot 2003. While the 2004 is now the release most stocked on shelves and is ready to be drunk, the 2003 is still full of richness and character. International in style, this Merlot excelerates alongside roasted food. At first it seemed to be calling out for accompaniment, but this low pricepoint purchase is more substantial than you think. It builds up notes of chocolate and hyperripened berry fruit. So much so that I began to believe that for $10 more I might've gotten a similar punch out of a Barbaresco. Rio de Plata has a strong nose and the big chewy tannins that you might expect from a Merlot varietal. It's definitely no Conti Brandolini d'Adda Vistorta, but it doesn't aim to be either.

With this particular bottle I proved to myself that a container of appropriate size with a good seal can keep leftover wine in good drinkable condition for up to a week. Obviously not all wine will gain something or sustain itself after recorking, but so many bottles I open do, especially from the 2003 vintage (being mainly an Old World wine consumer has something to do with that since European harvests were so spectacular that year). Regardless, this Mendoza is another case in point: treat your leftovers with respect and you'll be repaid for it. Three evenings after its initial opening, the wine was every bit as enjoyable. But what is fine on the first day will be oxidized the next if you allow air to take up space in your bottle. Minimize the amount of air space that remains in your mini-bottle. This will also reduce the surface area of the wine, which is important. Screw-top mini-bottles are even better for this since you don't have to guesstimate for the displacement of an inserted cork.

Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina. 13%.