ABOUT: The Domaine Bousquet Gaia Malbec is made way up in the Gualtallary Valley in Argentina’s Mendoza region. French winemaker Jean Bousquet hiked up this valley to 4000 feet and found no vines. He figured it would be a good place to plant some organic grapes and he was correct. Being the first to realize the potential of high altitude grape growing has paid off big time. Today, Domaine Bousquet is one of Argentina’s largest producers, exporting 95% of their produce (100,000 cases going to the US alone). At the controls are Jean’s daughter Anne and her husband Labid Al Ameri, with Rodrigo Serrano making the wines. From day one the wines have been made free of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, a true feat for a producer this size. And the wines are high quality, delicious, and an incredible value to boot. We’re knocked out by their operation and are happy to have their wines on board. TASTE: The Domaine Bousquet Gaia Malbec 2019 ticks many of our Tuesday night wine boxes. First, it’s an Argentinian Malbec and that’s cool. The color is always dazzling and the fruit flavors harmonize with a wide array of quick dinner options. A bonus with this Gaia Malbec is that it isn’t an over-extracted monster. The body and alcohol are on the low end of the medium+ scale, and tannins are fine and acid catches a medium to medium+. Juicy flavors of cherries, raspberries, and blackberries. Black pepper, chocolate and iris mingle with the fresh fruit flavors, supported with cedar and baking spices. Both fruity and savory with a Tuesday night price. PAIR: Chipotle roasted carrots and corn, black bean and sweet potato empanada, chanterelle and leek pizza, and sizzling vegetable fajitas.
