Bodega Norton Malbec 2005

This is another Malbec from Argentina, but at a higher quality with a higher price tag. I found this wine at Costco in Palm Desert as a special promotion. It was $12.99, and well worth the price. What drew me to it was the Wine Spectator rating of 91 for the 2004 vintage. It's not often we can sample a wine that's rated 91 for under $20.


I found the Norton website, and it had good information on the this bottling. It comes from a vineyard that is 80 years old. It was aged 12 months in oak, then an additional 10 months of bottle age. There was a slight amount of sediment in the neck of the bottle confirming the bottle aging.

The wine is a deep red color with touches of purple. Considering the oak aging, there's very little oak in the nose or finish. It has ripe berry, violets, and a slight tobacco flavors. A very clean finish, especially with the alcohol level at 14%. It's one of the best examples of Argentina's Malbec, and you can't beat the price.