Mendoza is Argentina's largest and most successful wine region, producing upwards of 70% of the country's total output. And when wine lovers think Mendoza, they think Malbec. We've swooned over some terrific Mendoza Malbecs in recent years, including Kaiken Reserve 2005, Alessandro Speri, Prodigo 2004, the Catena 2005 and its second label 'brother', the Alamos 2003. But just as New Zealand is no longer a one-trick Sauvignon Blanc pony, adding delicious Pinot Noir to its repertoire, Argentina doesn't live by Malbec alone.  We'd heard rumblings of fine Cabernet coming out of Mendoza and recently bought two $20 bottles from well-regarded producers to put the Cab to the test. As always, we  first tasted the wines without food, then paired them with complementary flavors—this time a spicy chicken sausage.

The Cheapo Challenge

• BenMarco 2006 Mendoza     The Winner
  
• Catena 2005 Mendoza         Also Very Good
  

BenMarco 2006 (85% Cab; 15% Malbec)   
When the wine buyer at Cambridge Wine & Spirits recommended the BenMarco, we thought we'd stumbled on a little-known gem.  Some research set us straight.  BenMarco is a big Mendoza label headed by Pedro Marchevsky, an almost mythic figure in the Argentine wine community, dubbed "one of the most educated, experienced viticulturists in Argentina (if not the world) by one ardent wine reviewer. Marchevsky toiled in other people's vineyards (including mega-producer Catena) before starting his own label, named (in Hebrew, no less) in honor of his father, Marcos. Marchevsky's wife Susana Balbo, another Catena grad, is BenMarco's talented winemaker.

Enough with the back story—how was the wine?  In a word, wow! From the gorgeous, deep red/plum color to the intense cherries on the nose and the full-bodied fruit flavors, this is a winner. Pre-food (and without much decanting) we noted a raisin flavor, but not much else. After 30 minutes, the Cab had opened beautifully and complex flavors emerged. Tobacco, licorice, wild and untamed.  Gary said, "this is surprising me by the minute."

Catena 2005 (100% Cab)
Catena is like the Mondavi of Argentina. A century of winemaking, four generations. Some great wine, some not so great. As we noted at the outset of this post, we're fans of the Catena and Alamos Malbecs and don't hold the family's regional domination against them. The Cab is quite good, but did not eclipse the BenMarco.

The Catena was deeper in color than the BenMarco, more dark ruby than plum. We didn't note any fruit on the nose, but did pick up some leather and licorice. The first taste brought a smokey flavor, with deep fruit—maybe blackberry. The second taste, with the chicken sausage, extended the smokiness and deepened the fruit. And yet, when it was time for a full pour, we both returned to the BenMarco. It was more balanced, had a longer finish, and, frankly, was more fun to drink.