Septima Malbec 2010, Mendoza, Argentina (£7.65 Wine Rack)
Reasonable but a bit obvious, with sweet toasty oak, plummy berry and (honest) chirimoya to the fore, honey and liquorice in the background. Finish is jammy too with slightly bitter tannins. C+

Viñalba Patagonia Malbec Syrah 2009, Rio Negro, Argentina (£8.98 Asda)
Rich and ever-so-slightly jammy, but there’s still some freshness to the blackcurrant and black cherry/kirsch flavours, pepped up by notes of tar, vanilla and cocoa in support, and a juicy, silky finish. B(+)

Caliterra Tributo Edicion Limitada Carmenère/Malbec 2009, Colchagua, Chile (£14.99 Cheers Wine Merchants, Taylors Fine Wine, Hailsham Cellars, www.slurp.co.uk)
Classic Chile blackcurrant pastilles with a touch of menthol, also a note of kirsch. Can’t fault its intensity, but there’s a sweet, confected character, and the finish is a little dry and charmless. B-

Caliterra Tributo ‘Quillay’ Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Colchagua, Chile (£10.99 Ann et Vin, Luvians, Partridges, www.slurp.co.uk)
Very ripe plum and slightly baked berry, mellowed by age, plus some vanilla plushness, but (again) this substitutes intensity for freshness and charm. B(-)

Emblem Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, Napa Valley, California (£27.23 Bibendum)
Starts off dumb but opens up to show warm plum and baked-on berry flavours and a fair bit of tannin. Reasonable enough but on the overripe side and not the most complex of wines – at this price, I expect more vitality. B+