![]() ![]() Here’s what to look for when seeking out high quality Malbec wine:Įxtended Aging: Good Malbec can handle cellar aging. Malbec grows particularly well in sunny climates with cool nighttime temperatures. When you compare that to the icon wines of Burgundy – which start at $250,– Malbec offers incredible quality for the price. The icon producers in Sub Regions of Mendoza charge well above $100 a bottle, but you can find top-quality Malbec for around $50 from lesser-known producers. Extended aging (in tank or oak), brings out rich chocolatey flavors and velvety textures. This is what you should expect to spend for higher-end reserva, or select vineyard wines from high-quality producers of all sizes. Entry level wines, which are usually produced in large quantities, tend to focus on Malbec’s smooth, juicy-fruity style without much oak. There are essentially three unofficial quality tiers of Malbec from Argentina based on price. Price Quality Pyramid of Malbec Wines in 2017 How Much Should I Spend? Affordable Malbec wines may only get 4–6 months in oak whereas, top-shelf Malbec get as much as 18–20 months in oak. Malbec is so fruity and smooth, it often doesn’t need as much oak-aging. Mark your calendars! World Malbec Day is April 17th (add wine days to your calendar – iCal link).Malbec is a blending grape in Red Bordeaux Blends. Single-varietal Malbec wines are tasty, but be sure to try a Malbec blend with Cabernet Sauvignon. Malbec struggles to maintain acidity in lower elevations but does fabulously in higher elevation spots where there is a large diurnal temperature shift (cold nights and sunny days). Blind tasting clue! One of Malbec’s classic “tells” in blind tasting is its bright magenta rim and opaque purple color.Today, Malbec makes up three quarters of Argentina’s vineyards and is spread throughout the world. Before Argentina took on Malbec, it was just a minor grape in South-West France. These skins have high levels of the color pigment (anthocyanin). Sunshine helps ripen Malbec’s thick skins. It is a great choice with leaner red meats (ostrich anyone?) and does wonders with melted blue cheese. Try pairing it with a burger! by Mikko Kuhna Therefore, he believes they have a unique competitive advantage with their terrior.Blue cheese brings out the fruitiness in Malbec. Yerco said that malbec from the USA and Chile is also not as distinctive as that from Argentina. Cahors, the birthplace of malbec in France, produces some wonderful malbecs, but they are quite different from Mendoza malbecs – with more tannin and higher acid. Elsewhere they are usually larger, which results in less velvety texture and less intense flavors. He believes this is because the combination of sandy soil and dry winters/ springs, which cause the berries to stay small. I should mention that Yerco, an expert viticulturist from Chile, told the group that no other country in the world has been able to duplicate the unique taste of Mendoza malbec. He believes the older vines produce a higher quality wine. Roberto said he prefers to source his grapes from older malbec vineyards, and I was impressed with how many 80+ year old vineyards they have near Mendoza. Elevage includes 12 months in 100% new French oak. He said ML usually occurred in barrel the next spring. He gently presses with a pneumatic press and ages free run and pressed wine separately. He said it was important to encourage a slower ferment in order to develop the “texture” and mouth feel for which malbec is so famous. He added that color was not an issue with malbec, because it was easily achieved due to dark purple skins.įermentation lasts 3 to 4 weeks. Once the ferment starts, he performs pigeage (gentle hand punching) every day, stating that this was the method to get the seeds to the bottom of the tank gently so they didn’t impart harsh tannins in the wine. He immediately inoculates with 1118 yeast (in fact everyone I talked to used commercial rather than natural yeast), and ferments in very small cement and stainless tanks at 25 to 26C. Once harvested, he sorts it with a sorting table, destems, and then partially crushes the berries. If you missed it, the wine would not be as good. In order to accomplish this he spends much time in the vineyard and said there was only a 3 to 5 day window in which to harvest malbec. I asked Roberto the secret of making great malbec, and he said it had to do with two things: picking the grapes at the right time and ensuring the tannins are velvety and not harsh. It was a very elegant malbec with fine-grained tannins an excellent balance of ripe fruit, moderate French oak, med+ acid and 14% alcohol, and a long finish. He produces a high-end brand called Mendel Malbec ($24, 90+ ratings), which I tasted on my last night in town. 2, 2010) During one of the breaks I was fortunate to be introduced to one of Argentina’s most famous winemakers, Roberto De La Mota. ![]()
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