2008 Malbec has a very deep garnet-purple color with varietally expressive aromas of prunes, warm raspberry, black pepper, violets, coffee grounds and a whiff of smokiness. Medium to high acid balances the concentrated dark berry flavors and medium to firm tannins give a nice bit of chew. Spicy in the long finish. Drink 2011 to 2018. Twenty-five years ago Mark Davidson started Tamburlaine as a boutique winery, in the days when the Hunter had only 20-25 wineries. Today he produces around 100,000 cases of wine from vineyards in the Hunter Valley, Orange and Mudgee – all Australian Certified Organic (though this is not automatically accepted by USA labeling standards).Around 65% of Tamburlaine’s sales are domestic with a very strong mailing list following. These Reserve wines are not currently available in the USA but a selection of Tamburlaine wines are imported by Guardian of the Grape, Cary, NC.; www.guardianofthegrape.com