In a recent article, WSJ journalists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher analyzed the recent American taste for Argentinian Malbecs and expressed some reservations about the qualities of the lower end priced wines: "All that said, we also feel it's a good time to raise a yellow flag because more wines than we would have expected -- and more than in past tastings -- were not very pleasant. They tasted too much like bulk wines, made with little fruit and less care. Too many were dripping with vanilla-oak tastes that obscured any real fruit flavors. And here's an interesting note: One of the charms of good Malbec is its zingy acidity, which helps to leaven its bold tastes; some of these, however, tasted almost like acid had been poured onto the top, leaving an overlay that was so strong it actually tasted more like a layer of ReaLemon. Oddly, some even tasted like they had a little shake of salt. We don't like salt in our wine."

How did they explain this evolution? "In the past, we have found that wines that gain sudden popularity end up suffering for it (see "Merlot"). Simply put, here's the equation: Everybody and his brother and sister decides to get in on the action, so they plant vineyards in less-choice areas. Maybe they allow the vines to grow like crazy, producing watery grapes. And then, to make up for the deficient fruit, the winemakers use all sorts of shortcuts that ultimately give the wines an overlay of flavors -- often oaky, vanilla flavors -- that leave the wines tasting like sweet, woody water with some coloring added."

Of course, there are still very good Argentinian Malbecs to be found in the US at a very good price. Ms. Gaiter and Mr. Brecher recommended quite a few. But there are Malbecs that are far from suffering the mistakes of their Argentinian counterparts: it's the Malbecs from Cahors. Produced in a very limited Controlled Appellation area in the South West of France by 200 producers, the Malbecs fo Cahors offer all the qualities of a real Malbec: they are tasty, strong, mellow, with hints of floral and fruit, earthy flavors. They are also a very good bargain since in the price range of $8 to $15, the wine consumers find delightful and very good bottles. Gary Vaynerchuk, one of the best wine critics of the new generation and author of "101 wines", is a big fan of Cahors Malbec as he expressed it in his podcasts and on twitter.com: "I adore Malbec especially from the Cahors in France!"

Why not take a little trip in your bottle and experiment some French Malbec?