Thursday, October 11, 2012

Shelton Vineyards 2007 Malbec, Yadkin Valley


A funny thing happened during the first presidential debate. No, I’m not talking about the Big Bird comments. We opened up a Malbec from North Carolina – and it was really good.

A couple years ago the Green Dragon visited her mother in North Carolina and they visited a couple of wineries, including Shelton Vineyards. She picked up a bottle of their estate grown Malbec and its been in our cellar since that time. I’ve thought that it was a special bottle, so I had resisted uncorking it for everyday drinking. I also didn’t open it for any special occasion because I really wasn’t sure of the quality. As a result, this lovely bottle sat and sat.

We knew we would need something to drink during the debate and so I decided the time was now. I cautiously took a sip, half expecting some unrefined funk. Wrong! It was delicious.

This is the first every Malbec produced by Shelton in the North Carolina wine Mecca of Yadkin Valley. It retails for $20, but appears to be sold out on the winery website. The grapes come from a block of 3.3 acres of Malbec on the estate.

Ripe berry aromas greet the nose and there are rich flavors of plum and blackberries. The wine is a deep, inky indigo and has a round, expansive mouthfeel. The finish tapers off smoothly. It is a very well made wine.

Yadkin Valley has a similar climate and growing season to some of Europe’s top wine growing regions. The Yadkin Valley AVA is one of the largest on the East Coast.

No debate about it. This is a smooth and sensible wine that deserves your vote.

Rating: 3.5 of 5   Value: 4 of 5
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