9 Best Malbec Wines Under $15

If you are looking for a red wine to pair with brisket, burgers, brats on the grill, even pasta with red sauce or pizza, look no further than malbec. With their inky bluish-black hue, malbec wines have a juicy, fruit-forward palate with a tannic backbone and enough acidity to keep it in balance. The red grape variety is native to France, yet has spread to other parts of the world, including America, Australia, and New Zealand. However, few areas deliver the same quality and affordability as the wines of Argentina. Grapes here thrive in the high-elevation foothills of the Andes Mountains where warm days and cool nights ripen grapes while locking in freshness. 

Through my training and travels as a Certified Sommelier, Certified Specialist of Wine, and as a wine writer with 20 years of experience, I've tasted some of the world's finest malbec wines. I've compiled the wines in this recommendation to serve as guidance on the quality and affordability of malbec, proving you don't have to spend a lot to get a great quality wine. You'll notice that some of the best sub-$15 wines on this list come from Argentina, though you can also find selections from outside of this region that are terroir-driven yet still affordable. 

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region. Some recommendations are based on first-hand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer/distributor/etc.

In 1993, the Catena family, led by Nicolás Catena and his daughter, Dr. Laura Catena, began Bodega Alamos as a value-driven offshoot of its prestigious Bodega Catena Zapata. The Catena family is wine royalty in Argentina. Nicola Catena was an Italian immigrant from Italy's Marche region who settled in Mendoza in 1898. He planted a vineyard and made wine, as did his son, Domingo. However, it was his grandson, Nicolás Catena Zapata, who would transport the family winery from large-scale, sub-par wine production to smaller-production wines of quality from high-elevation vineyards that show terroir-driven craftsmanship. Considered a revolutionary pioneer in the industry, Nicolás Catena Zapata redefined Catena's winemaking and, with it, much of the country.

The goal for the winery, owned today by Gallo, was to showcase high-elevation fruit growing in the Mendoza foothills of the Andes Mountains. Here, soaring daytime temperatures retreat as the sun sets, cooling the vines to ensure a long, steady growing season. Alamos hand-harvests its fruit from desert vineyards sitting between 3,000 and 5,000 feet above sea level.  

The wine is juicy and full-flavored, showing fully-ripened, acidic, and fresh malbec fruit. Layers of black cherry, red berries, and laurel meld with crushed stone and wild herbs with a touch of spice and vanilla, characteristics that six to eight months of French oak aging lend. This 13.5% alcohol wine is typically available for around $12.

Nicolás Catena Zapata's son, Ernesto Catena, carries on his father's sense of interest and discovery in the wines that he is crafting today. Ernesto Catena sees wine as art, with each bottle telling as much of a story as a song, painting, or sculpture does. His Finca de los Padrillos wines celebrate his love for horses, with their wild nature coming through in his expressive malbec wines. The blend of grapes delivers much more than you would expect from a wine with an average price of $13. The blend of grapes comes from high-elevation vineyards in Argentina's Uco Valley and North Valley. 

With 14% alcohol by volume, the 100% malbec wine layers red and black fruit flavors of blackberries, black plum, and red cherry, with floral violets, wild woody herbs, and a touch of peppercorn. The wine ages for a brief period in a mix of new and used French and American oak, mellowing the fruit's natural tannin while imparting subtle spice and bitter, dark chocolate notes. The young, dry red wine is easy and approachable, with juicy, fruit-forward appeal that pairs well with traditional Argentine fare, such as beef empanadas or a fugazza, a South American pizza smothered with sweet onions.

Domaine Bousquet shows the essence of terroir in its certified organic, biodynamic, and regeneratively farmed vineyards in Gualtallary, a high-elevation area within the northern part of Mendoza, Argentina's Uco Valley. Vineyards within the area are planted at elevations of over 5,000 feet above sea level. Intense sunlight at these elevations causes the grape skins to have more intense color with increased tannin, producing malbec wines with an inky deep purple color and fleshy, chewy tannin, as displayed in Domaine Bousquet Reserve Organic Malbec. 

Hand-selected parcels of low-yielding vines produce wines with concentration and age-worthy style, while six months of partial French oak aging after fermentation adds structure and finesse. Domaine Bousquet manually harvests the fruit to maintain its integrity from the vineyard to the winery. The resulting medium-bodied wine shows the character of the land, revealing layers of juicy red berries, Morello cherry, and a touch of dark chocolate, with an undertone of garrigue-like woody wild herbs that make the 14.5% alcohol-by-volume wine ideal for pairing with a meaty bone-in ribeye. While the average price of the selection is $15, retailers across the country offer it for as low as $11 – a steal for the quality.

With roots dating back to 1884, Don Miguel Gascón is one of Argentina's oldest continuously producing wineries. The winery also carries a historical distinction, as it was the first to bottle a 100% single-variety malbec in the country in the 1940s. 

The 13.8% ABV Gascón malbec is made from hand-harvested, high-altitude, Mendoza fruit. It opens with classic notes of Morello cherry, blackberry, and black plum. However, there is more than fruit to this wine. Hints of dusty leather, mocha, and black licorice unfold, with subtle layers of toasted cedar and spice, thanks to the seven months of oak aging the wine undergoes. 

With a full-bodied, rich, well-rounded flavor and a well-balanced palate, Gascón's malbec is easy to enjoy from the moment the bottle is opened. From vintage to vintage, I find it is a wine that overdelivers what is expected from an affordable malbec wine. The average price of the wine is $13, which is a bargain for the wine's quality. Still, you can find it for as low as $10.99 at some retailers, making it a wine I would buy by the case for this quality at that price. With its fruity profile, chewy tannins, and just the right amount of acidity to lift the palate, the wine pairs beautifully with the flavors of an Argentine asado, such as a hearty grilled ribeye with fresh chimichurri or grilled lamb chops with white beans.

Doña Paula captures high-altitude craftsmanship with its estate malbec. The wine blends sustainably grown Uco Valley, Mendoza fruit from its estate vineyards in Alluvia, Gualtallary, sitting at 4,430 feet above sea level with fruit from Los Indios, El Cepillo, sitting at 3,610 feet above sea level. The area's malbec vines struggle due to little rainfall, requiring them to dig deep into the earth to find water and nutrients. The resulting wines have an intensity of flavor, showing complexity and concentration. Layers of brambly black fruits and wild herbs meld with hints of crushed stone and graphite. The palate has freshness, with well-integrated tannin balancing the fruit. 

With 14% alcohol and an average price of $15 (though you can find it as low as $8 at some retailers), the wine is a crowd-pleaser that delivers more than expected and is sure to please any group of red wine lovers. Doña Paula, which was established in 1997, prides itself on only using estate-grown fruit in its expressive wines that reflect authenticity and the character of Argentina in every glass, making it a pleasure to enjoy, particularly with grilled Italian sausage sandwiches, hamburgers, or better yet, a combination of the two: a pork sausage burger with peppers and onions.

Susana Balbo emerged as Argentina's first female winemaker. She is a titan in the industry, forging an untraveled path, making her own rules, sometimes dealing with setbacks along the way. Still, her unyielding determination and dedication to her craft laid the groundwork for those to follow in the country, both women and men. 

Balbo's Crios wines were born out of her desire to forge a legacy for her children. Overlapping hands on the bottle represent the family bond and the power to create. Crios Malbec is a fresh, focused, balanced wine with a medium-bodied palate, fruit-forward flavor, and authentic Argentine character. It's sourced from Balbo's Mendoza vineyards in Uco Valley, sitting at approximately 3,445 feet in elevation.

Ripe red berries, black cherries, and wildflowers meld with earthy, crushed herbs in the balanced, fresh, easy-to-drink wine. Partial aging in French oak for eight months lends subtle notes of warm baking spice and toasted vanilla to the ripe fruit flavors of the 14% ABV wine.  This story-filled malbec, which is available for as low as $11.95 at select retailers, is equally as delicious with a simple pairing of cured meats and cheeses or a penne pasta with spicy arrabiata sauce.

It is refreshing to find a well-made, quality wine crafted with social sustainability in mind at such an incredible price. Tilia embodies this in each of its Argentine wines. Tilia Malbec is a 100% organic red wine available for around $13 a bottle. Its grapes are sourced from vineyards throughout Mendoza's East and Center Valleys. 

With desert-like conditions and a hot, dry climate, high-elevation vineyards produce fruit with concentration, displaying firm tannins and just enough acidity to keep the overall wine's profile balanced. Tilia's malbec opens with supple notes of blackberry compote, black cherry, and plum, with soft herbs, vanilla, and warm spice notes, enhanced by a brief six months of aging in French oak. While the 13.5% alcohol wine is not overly complex, it has a lovely softness, with a fresh, fruity palate and smooth, long finish that is easy to enjoy with straightforward flavors, such as grilled herb and garlic chicken or a simple roasted pork tenderloin with a cherry gastrique.

Wapisa is redefining what classic malbec from the Patagonia region of Argentina can be. Argentina's vast, southernmost region has a desert-like, dry yet cool climate. Patagonia's viticultural area lies near the Neuquén and Río Negro rivers, an area suitable for grapes due to its water. Fincas Patagonicas Wapisa Malbec comes from vines growing in San Javier, Río Negro, located just 25 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Vines enjoy a maritime climate, with evening coastal breezes blowing through vineyards and keeping vines cool and acidity high, while infusing briny, saline-filled character into the wine. The natural mineral richness of the area's soils enhances this saline-like character. 

There is incredible freshness in this sustainably crafted, 13.9% alcohol wine, showing earthy, herbaceous, crushed-stone qualities with a touch of oceanic salinity. These characteristics meld with juicy black plums and blackberries. Eight months of oak aging adds toasty spice, leather, and dark chocolate qualities. The wine combines the bold intensity of a classic malbec wine with a freshness and vibrancy that is often lacking when producers push the malbec's limits, creating over-extracted expressions of the variety. While the average price of this exceptional wine is $24, it is available at select Costco locations for only $14.99.

Although the focus has primarily been on the wines of Argentina so far, it is only appropriate to include one of the wines from the French home of malbec: Cahors. Château Laur is a sixth-generation family vineyard and winery in France's southwest Cahors region, farming almost 114 acres of vineyards. Château Laur is one of the leading wineries in the region. Its Cahors malbec is available for $14.99 at select Costco locations. 

The winery's focus is on producing malbec wines, known locally as côt, from the area's mineral-rich limestone, clay, and gravel soils. Malbec is a variety that typically requires an abundance of sunshine to fully develop phenolic character. With its warm temperatures, ample sunshine, and little rain, which ensures vines will not succumb to the frost or fungal issues found in other regions in France, Cahors proves to be the ideal climate to grow the variety. 

Unlike the malbec wines of Argentina, which benefit from relative consistency from one vintage to the next, producing plush wines with fruit-forward character, Château Laur's malbec is more rustic, showing earthy, Old World style. Black fruit notes fill the wine, mingling with woody herbs, lavender, violets, and cedar, with an earthy, crushed stone and mineral undertone. With a lower ABV than many of the other wines featured, only 12%, the wine is ideal for pairing with food, as the alcohol will not overpower the palate. Enjoy it with a hearty French cassoulet or classic boeuf bourguignon.

I referenced my training, knowledge, and expertise as a Certified Sommelier and Certified Specialist of Wine to select this list of the best sub-$15 malbecs. I chose the featured options based on a range of criteria, first and foremost being their overall flavor. I also considered the historical significance and backstory of the winery, or whether it takes a more modern approach. 

Additionally, I considered the provenance and terroir-driven character of the wines, many of which focus on sustainability and environmental prowess. The featured wines showcase a sense of place telling the story of the land. Each wine does this while delivering a product at an inexpensive price point. I believe the selections all offer authenticity, high quality, and excellent value.