Medium purple hue. Ripe blackberry & black cherry with hints of fresh tobacco. Upfront, it is all juicy and dark fruited - ripe plum, tangy blueberry with a touch of ribena sweetness - but to follow, a hint of smoky cured meatiness and fine chalky tannin serve to make the finish savoury yet muy refrescante. Fermented in open stainless steel vats on skins for 14 days. Gentle pressing off skins via airbag press. The brainchild of Guy Anderson and Thierry Boudinaud, Fat Bastard Wines came into being via an exclamation, "Now that is what you call a Fat Bastard!" The comment came in response to a barrel of experimental Chardonnay that Thierry had left on lees for an extended maturation. Both Guy and Thierry felt that the wines had to be shared with the world, and so Fat Bastard Wines was born. Now, the pair work with wineries and vineyards from all over the world, sourcing fruit and juice from a myriad different regions and countries. But one factor remains the same: they make unapologetically full-bodied wines, packed with flavour and vibrancy.

Sevenhill was originally set up in 1851 when the Jesuits who settled in the area planted the Clare Valley’s first vines to produce sacramental wine. The estate’s wines, along with its old stone winery, stately St Aloysius’ Church, College building and spacious gardens has made the Sevenhill name famous. So much so that they have recently won the Gourmet Traveller Award for best Large Cellar Door in the Clare Valley! Ray Jordan gives their 2021 Malbec a solid 92pts, "Malbec is a variety that does rather well in Clare, especially as a major blending component with cabernet. Still this one does it solo, and it does it well. Lots of the distinctive red floral fruits on the nose have that stamp of malbec. Bright and alive on a high energy palate with plenty of ripe red fruit characters with chalky tannins and understated oak in support."

COSSE MAISON NEUVE Les Laquets, Cahors Rouge 100% Malbec. A nose marked by black fruits and a mouth on blackberry, blueberry and black cherry. A silky material with a remarkable tannin. The fruit for the Les Laquets is sourced from a 5.5 ha vineyard with an average vine age of 60 years planted on soils of red clay and cracked limestone. The juice is vinified in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats with several piegages. The wine then spends up to two years in barrels before being bottled without filtering.

Woodlands Clementine Cabernet Malbec Merlot, Margaret River Clémentine is sourced entirely from the Woodlands Brook Vineyard, part of Woodlands since 2008. It is also on this property that Andrew and Marie fell in love, leading to their daughter Clémentine! Notes from the Winery

Intense red colour with deep oral aromas, especially violets and berries. This Andeluna Altitud Malbec has beautiful soft tannins of great volume giving a long and luscious finish. Suitable for ageing. Aged in French oak barrels for 12 months, followed by at least 8 months in bottle before release.

This wine from South West France has been created by the famous winemaker Pascal Verhaeghe, owner of Chateau du Cedre. This velvety and fruity red wine, with notes of blackcurrant and spices is a great expression of French Malbec.

Inviting and complex aromatics welcome you into this wine; brambly, leafy notes backed up by deep dark fruit with subtle spice and char interplay on the nose. There is a deceptive density to this wine's aroma that hints at what lies beyond. The 2016 release builds on that breakthrough style - the wine shows plush generosity but there is a layering of flavours and complexity to this vintage that invites not just a second but third look. Generous, accessible primary fruit sits pretty up front but let the wine breathe and suddenly these dry, fine and lightly chewy tannins build on the back palate, lending a savoury edge to the dark fruit finish of this baby.

Aromas of violets, spice, ripe blueberries and boysenberry, with hints of mocha oak. The palate shows fresh fruits of red cherry, fresh cranberries with savoury chalky tannins which give length and finesse.