Savour a delicious 93p Malbec with with "fabulous fruit concentration" (Halliday) from a cool-climate single vineyard and the excellent Bryan Currie. Though a Hunter Valley winery, Hungerford Hill uses fruit from both Tumbarumba and Hilltops (they were the first winery to use Tumbarumba fruit, the second to use fruit from Hilltops). “Ripe, plush, weighty and inviting with fabulous fruit concentration and a faint sanguine edge. Dark berry fruit plus scented red rose petals and a hint of musk. Just the right amount of varietal rusticity. 93pts” (Toni Paterson, The Halliday Wine Companion).

The first time we saw this funky little label it was showcasing a plush, aromatic Malbec. It’s back, and there’ll be plenty who will welcome it fondly! The name? Somewhat academic but a Mach number is defined as the ratio of two speeds. An aircraft travelling at Mach 2 is going twice the speed of sound, which itself is affected by composition and temperature. Dig a little deeper and you'll come across terms such as 'compressible flow' ... and if you're someone who is more interested in the social side of wine enjoyment rather than the science behind it, you'll probably be wanting to stop reading and pour yourself a glass of this juicy and very delicious Malbec showing swathes of fruit to coat your tastebuds.

Argentine Malbec doesn't get much finer than this. From a Bordeaux wine family, Hervé came to South America to look for a vineyard and fell in love with old vine Malbec. He not only bought vineyards but also made his home there. Having started in Mendoza, he now has an estate in Patagonia too. He runs his properties like a top Bordeaux château, with impressive barrel cellar and meticulous attention to detail. This hugely impressive cuvée comes from 30 year old Malbec vines grown in Patagonia's Río Negro. Made like a fine claret, the juice was pumped over to extract colour from grape skins during fermentation then aged for 12 months in French oak barriques. Silky with violet and liquorice aromas and dense black fruit, it's perfect with beef.