2002 Rigal Chateau de Grezels Prestige Cahors
I see so much Argentinian Malbec come and go that I had kinda forgotten about the true home of Malbec: Cahors. This region in France, nearish to Bordeaux, produces killer wines that are usually about 15 bucks. They are agers with some grip, usually blended with a bit of Merlot. (This one is 70/30 Malbec/Merlot). I think these are incredible bargains to stock up on and cellar.
And I’ll bet dollars to donuts that this wine drinks better tomorrow than today; I’m going to have to show some restraint here and make sure I have some leftover. (That’s why I keep cheap beer in the fridge; tallboys rule!)
Storing a wine once it is open is always the million dollar question for me. Such is life living alone, but I reckon that I think about it more than most. I find virtually all good young red wine unless it’s quite oaked will open up and be more enjoyable the second evening. Sometimes when you get back to 1999 or earlier it can be a bit risky leaving it around though. I never use the vacuum pump because I heard they can do damage to the leftover wine. There’s some discussion about the merit of transferring it to a smaller bottle with a tight seal, but that’s what I routinely do and I like the results.