2022 Escala Humana “Credo” Malbec, Uco Valley, Argentina

The Moment

Some Malbecs are built around weight.
Others are built around clarity.

The 2022 Escala Humana “Credo” Malbec is the kind of bottle that reminds you how compelling Malbec can be when it is driven less by oak and muscle and more by lift, shape, and site. Public importer and retailer notes place the fruit in El Peral, Tupungato, Uco Valley, from an old vineyard planted in 1944, with native yeast fermentation and élevage in well-seasoned large-format oak. That already tells you a lot: this is Malbec with intention, not just volume.

The style reads as dark-fruited and floral, but also taut and refined. One detailed merchant note describes opaque fruits, purple flowers, and spice-driven accents, with a palate that is seamless, elegant, and dense while maintaining a taut, lifted core. A recent critic teaser points toward a similarly lifted profile, mentioning tea, hibiscus, and cherries. Even without the full review text, the throughline is clear: this is a more composed, more vertical kind of Malbec.

What It Feels Like

Think steak resting on the cutting board, low light, somebody asking what the bottle is because it tastes more serious than they expected, and a wine that keeps tightening into focus as it sits in the glass.

What makes this bottle work is the combination of depth and tension. You get the dark fruit and generosity Malbec lovers want, but it is framed by floral lift, spice, and structure rather than pushed into jamminess. The old-vine source, calcareous-and-granite-influenced soils, long maceration, and seasoned oak all point toward exactly that kind of experience: layered, savory, and polished without being glossy.

In the Glass

Aromatics
Dark fruit, purple flowers, cherry, tea-like lift, and spice.

Palate
Blackberry, plum, cherry, floral notes, and savory spice, with a lifted, more structured expression of Malbec.

Texture
Dense but refined, with medium tannin, balancing acidity, and a taut core rather than a plush one.

Finish
Long, savory, and persistent, with fruit, spice, and floral notes carrying through the close. This is an interpretive summary based on the published notes.

Why We Love This Bottle

A More Serious Kind Of Malbec
This is not the broad, soft, oak-sweet style. The core identity here is old-vine fruit, lift, floral complexity, and a firmer spine.

Old Vines, Real Structure
The fruit comes from a vineyard planted in 1944 in El Peral, Tupungato, and the wine is handled in a way that preserves shape and site rather than burying it under makeup.

For People Who Like Their Reds With Tension
Dense and elegant at the same time is a very good lane, especially for customers who want a Malbec that feels a little more grown up at the table.

Pair It With

• Steak
• Lamb
• Short ribs
• Mushroom dishes
• Aged cheeses

These are my pairing recommendations based on the wine’s old-vine Malbec profile of dark fruit, floral lift, spice, balancing acidity, and medium tannin. Beef and lamb are also consistent with broader pairing references attached to this wine.

Technical Notes

Producer: Escala Humana
Cuvée: Credo Malbec
Region: Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
Subzone: El Peral, Tupungato
Vineyard: El Facha
Grape: 100% Malbec
Vine Age: Planted in 1944
Soils: Clay loam with granite and calcareous sections
Farming: Sustainable
Yeast: Native

Winemaking: 30–40 day maceration, around 30% stem inclusion, basket pressing, and maturation in 500L well-seasoned François Frères barrels.

Body: Medium-Full
Structure: Medium tannins · balancing acidity · taut lifted core

Flavor Profile
Blackberry · Plum · Cherry · Purple Flowers · Tea · Spice · Tobacco · Bay Leaf

Drink Window
Now–2032

2024 Iruai “Cosmic Cowboy” Cabernet Sauvignon, Rogue Valley, USA

The Moment

Some Cabernets want to impress you with size.
Others would rather charm you with attitude.

The 2024 Iruai “Cosmic Cowboy” Cabernet Sauvignon is very much the second kind — a Cabernet that steps away from the usual heavy oak, dense extraction, and buttoned-up seriousness in favor of something fresher, looser, and way more alive. The winery says it plainly: this is not the ten-pound, barrel-scented version of Cab. Instead, it trades in fresh plums and berries, saddle leather, and wafts of tobacco pouch, built as a more rugged, old-school red to pour alongside grass-fed beef and country dinners.

What makes this bottle so compelling is that it feels like Cabernet translated through Iruai’s lens — less boardroom, more roadside America. A style that is brighter, fresher, and more old-school than modern, with structure, savory character, and a kind of dusty ease that makes it feel approachable even if you are not usually reaching for Cabernet.

What It Feels Like

Think burgers on the grill, jeans still dusty from the day, somebody putting a record on, and a bottle that feels more like a good leather jacket than a power suit.

What makes this wine work is the way it shifts Cabernet away from sheer muscle and into something more wiry, savory, and human. You still get dark fruit, but it is framed by tobacco, leather, and a dry, western kind of earthiness that feels intentional. This is a bottle with personality — and more importantly, a bottle that does not take itself too seriously while still being very good.

In the Glass

Aromatics
Fresh plum, berries, tobacco leaf, saddle leather, and a lightly dusty, old-school Cabernet edge.

Palate
Fresh plum and blackberry fruit with savory tobacco and leather notes, built more around brightness and character than oak weight.

Texture
Lighter on its feet than many Cabernets, with a more rugged, old-school structure rather than a plush, heavily extracted feel.

Finish
Savory, dry-toned, and easygoing, with fruit and tobacco lingering through the close.

Why We Love This Bottle

Cabernet Without The Costume
This bottle moves away from the oaky, oversized version of Cabernet and into something more honest, fresh, and grounded.

Savory In A Very Good Way
Plum, blackberry, tobacco, and saddle leather is a great combination for people who want Cabernet with character, not just power.

A Little Wild, But Still Table-Ready
Even with all the attitude in the label and copy, this still sounds like a very food-friendly red — especially for grilled meat, burgers, and smoky dinners. That part comes straight from the winery’s own framing.

Pair It With

• Burgers
• Grilled steak
• Tri-tip
• Smoky beans
• Sharp cheddar

These are my pairing recommendations based on the wine’s brighter Cabernet profile of plum, berry fruit, tobacco, leather, and savory structure.

Technical Notes

Producer: Iruai
Cuvée: Cosmic Cowboy Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Rogue Valley, Oregon, USA
Grape: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: 13%
Production: 400 cases

Winemaking: 100% whole-cluster fermentation.

Body: Medium
Structure: Fresh fruit · savory edges · lighter-footed Cabernet shape

Flavor Profile
Fresh Plum · Blackberry · Tobacco · Saddle Leather

Drink Window
Now–2029