Côt, "Vielles Vignes," Le Rocher des Violettes, Loire, France, 2017 - Try w/ Duck

Vital Signs: Côt (the "t" is silent) is just Malbec by another name, although there's evidence that it was Côt before it was Malbec. (The grape has over a thousand French synonyms.) This offering comes from five acres divided into seven parcels, the youngest of which is more than 70 years old and the oldest of which was planted in 1891. It is fermented with whole clusters and raised for roughly six months in older barrels.

Uncle Bill's Take: This comes from enterprising young winemaker Xavier Weisskopf who makes soulful, sauve wines out of Montlouis in the heart of France's garden. I love the importer's tasting notes on this one: "It is deep, dark, and dense, yet surprisingly elegant and floral." This is world's away from Mendoza, utterly unrecognizable from the Malbec of popular imagination.