BLACK BOX MENDOZA ARGENTINA MALBEC - 2008

The inaugural release of 3L Black Box Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina. 13.5% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Purple-red color with a slightly challenged nose of black fruit and cherry. Dry, medium-bodied, good acidity. The palate is dominated by black currants, blackberry, tobacco leaf and toasty charred oak. The finish is black cherry candy and creamy vanilla oak.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

85 PTS

A surprisingly vibrant and fresh fruit-forward Malbec. The oak is heavy and not quite to my liking, but I'd say that it probably gives this wine more mass appeal. Good complexity for a bargain wine. Retails for $25 which is the equivalent of about $6.25 per 750ml bottle. I challenge you to find a better Malbec for $7 or less in the marketplace. Overall, one of the better boxed red wines I've tasted. Malbec is a varietal rapidly growing in popularity due to its easy-to-drink, smooth and fruit-driven characteristics. The boxed packaging obviously keeps this wine fresher for a longer period of time, but I found the push button spout to be quite an aggressive dispenser and perhaps my only complaint. Unlike the twist or turn nobs on other box wines which drip wine in a steady stream, this one ejects the wine quite forcefully so proceed with caution to avoid spills or splashes. The Black Box Malbec is another prime example of the drastically improved quality of box wine that keeps emerging in the marketplace. Kudos to Constellation Wine for striving to revitalize the category and change perceptions.

TWO HANDS BELLA'S GARDEN SHIRAZ - 2005

15.2% alcohol from Barossa Valley, Australia.

TASTING NOTES:

Dark inky purple color with a huge grape jam nose. Thick, saturated and intense. Black currants, plum and blackberry flavors with a high note of sweetness on the big tannin yet smooth jazz finish. Some oak on the back palate.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

94 PTS

Douro-esque in its structure, clarity and fruit. The alcohol is beautifully integrated. A seriously impressive and complicated wine that is both a crowd-pleaser and heaven for the wine geek as well.

MONTHAVEN CENTRAL COAST CHARDONNAY - 2008

Packaged in the Octavin Home Wine Bar (3 Liters) with 13.5% alcohol. The fruit is from Santa Barbara and Monterey.

TASTING NOTES:

Gold yellow color with a muted nose of tropical fruits, oak and apple. Clean, smooth, balanced, round with apple and citrus notes.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

85 PTS

This is clearly the best box wine I've ever tasted. After years of pretty much dishing out highly negative commentary on box wines, it is nice to be proven wrong for a change. I've never quite understood why box wine has to be bad. It is simply packaging. Why not put better quality wine in the box if you want to change perceptions? People judge a book by its cover or in this case a wine by its container but the reason they do that is because of prior experiences. While we are probably a long time away from picking up a box of Chateau Haut Brion in box format, maybe this is the start of something out there in the wine world.

This Chardonnay may be straight-forward and lacking complexity but it does a good job of being solid quality. If you are looking for value (the 3L retails for around $24 or the equivalent of $8 a bottle), it definitely delivers. As an entry level Chardonnay this outshines many of the low-end introductory bottles that are often over-oaked and full of alcohol that overwhelms.