The 2006 Rutini Malbec also spent 12 months in 50% new French oak. It reveals a slightly brooding bouquet of cigar box, incense, black cherry and plum. Slightly muted on the palate and not as expressive as the Cabernet, it is a soft, mellow effort for drinking over the next 3-4 years.Importer: Pasternak Wines, Harrison, NY; tel. (800) 946-3110

Smoky and big on the nose, with crusty black-fruit flavors backing that up. The wine is less deep and more hard and scratchy than some Mendoza Malbecs, but it’s solid and sure-footed even if the mouthfeel is stark. Probably better with food than others due to its leaner, less opulent style.——M.S.(12/1/2008)—— 87