Calos Réserve Malbec 2018

Bordeaux-born Hervé Fabre has won major acclaim for his top-notch Argentine Malbecs. He’s been honored with the International Wine Challenge’s prestigious Winemaker of the Year title and has a slew of other huge accolades under his belt. But for his latest winemaking venture, the French expat returned to his homeland, his favorite grape (and fellow France native) in tow ...

Most wine fans know that “Malbec has become a fashionable grape ... thanks in large part to the popularity of Argentina’s plush and vivid versions” (Wine Spectator). But fewer know that France’s Cahors region is Malbec’s home, and has been famous for its delicious “black wines” since the early 19th century. Why the nickname? Cahors Malbec grapes grow exceptionally thick skins, the source of a wine’s color, translating to a deep, dark red in your glass.

Hervé and his wife Diane have watched from the foothills of the Andes as Malbec developed and evolved in southern France. They grew increasingly impressed with the wines from Cahors, so they decided to make a Cahors Malbec as well.

The result is their special house release, Calos Réserve, which already boasts 90 points from Wine Enthusiast. Judges wrote: “This wine, with its firm tannins and mineral texture, is set for aging. The black fruits and powerful structure are full bodied and dense.” These qualities make it the perfect match for steak or other flavorful beef dishes.

If you’re one of the Fabres many (many!) fans, then you simply have to taste their new French Malbec. But we have limited cases, so act quickly.