Repent. The End Is Near.

I can’t believe I’m writing about one of “his” wines. This is the guy I make fun of. I use his winemaking style as an adjective for overly alcoholic, pretentious, overpriced wines that taste like blackberry jam.

Who is he? Movie buffs might remember him as that guy in Mondovino, the 2004 documentary about the flying winemaking consultant. For wine and food buffs, you know “him” as the French guy who ruined many balanced, food-friendly wines. His name? Michel Rolland.

I have tasted many of Monsieur Rolland’s wines over the years. It is the rare bottle that I have found tolerable. The rest have not been my cup of tea, something best described a wine shooter or a mild version of port. And furthermore, his wines, which are produced by wineries around the world, are north of $50 a bottle. Who’d pay a premium for a wine you can’t even eat a meal with?

So why am I writing about a wine made by this man, who I have built up so much distain for? Well, he made a wine that I liked…a lot. It has depth, character and finesse. It is a blended wine from Argentina based on the malbec grape, which you can actually identify. What absolutely sold me was the reasonable price tag of $18.

If I could flick a crumb of criticism toward the wine—called Clos de los Siete or Vineyard of the Seven (named for Rolland and his six co-investors)—it is this: The wine comes in at 14.5 percent alcohol, on the low side for Rolland-style wines. But I’m wondering if this percentage is correct. Alcohol percentages can vary as much as 0.5 percent above and below what is printed on the label. I think the label info is perhaps on the high side.

Could it be? Michel Rolland made a wine approaching 14 percent alcohol. Nobody ever accused this renowned winemaking consultant of being behind the curve. Maybe this wine is the harbinger of more reasonable winemaking trends to come. Either that or the apocalypse has arrived in a 750 ml bottle.

2007 Clos de los Siete, Mendoza, Argentina

• $18

• Two Thumbs Way Up

• Intoxicating aromas of chocolaty cola with perfume-like dark berries. A full-bodied wine with a velvety texture, you can taste the meaty, chocolate, plum-like qualities of malbec, but also the blackberries, eucalyptus and black cherries from the other varieties.