Bodega Tapiz Classic Malbec 2022 Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina 75cl

Malbec is what the Uco Valley does best, and Bodega Tapiz’s Classic bottling is its friendly, everyday take on Argentina’s flagship grape. The fruit grows on the estate’s high vineyards, watered by Andean snowmelt and warmed by long, sunny days. It is Malbec at its most inviting.

This is pure Malbec, made for immediate pleasure: ripe fruit, a soft frame and a light brush of oak for warmth. Altitude and cool nights keep it fresh, so it stays lively and drinkable rather than heavy or jammy. It is Malbec for easy, unhurried pleasure.

The 2022 is an open, current-drinking vintage. We hold little on the growing season, so the description leans on the wine in the glass rather than any invented detail. It is a red to enjoy now, not to lay down. Open it tonight and it gives everything it has.

It shows a purplish-red colour and a nose of red fruit, plum and cherry, with oak lending delicate vanilla and chocolate. The palate is rounded and juicy, medium-bodied, with soft tannins carrying an easy, welcoming finish. There is nothing to puzzle over here, just ripe, sunny fruit, generous and open, and easy to keep pouring.

A crowd-pleasing introduction to high-altitude Argentine Malbec, honest and satisfying. Serve at around 17 degrees with grilled steak, empanadas, a Sunday roast or a plate of hard cheese. If you like a soft, fruit-forward everyday Malbec rather than a big, oaky bruiser, this is squarely your glass, a friendly and generous first step into Argentine reds.