Argentina is changing, says Sarah Jane Evans MW, whose recent trip there opened her eyes to the wider potential of these wines. See five of the top wines she tried.
Picture the cliché of an Argentinia Malbec. Full of black and red plum fruit, usually with a cooked or syrupy edge. Alcohol starting at 14% and edging up to 16% (I’ve tasted 16.5% – you cannot finish the glass, let alone the bottle). These wines were part of a commercial boom.
The change occuring is apparent in Mendoza, the vineyard in the desert. Producers are investing in the Uco Valley to the west, beyond Luján de Cuyo, chasing higher altitudes, wider diurnal temperature ranges and different soils (above all, limestone). Gualtallary, Altamira and La Consulta are the among the small sub-zones that will be internationally famous. Careful work on row orientation and viticulture is bringing in fresher fruit. In the winery, there’s a welcome movement to reduce oak and replace new barrels with old oak and large foudres. Significantly, the new generation is investing in concrete. The symbol must be the new Zuccardi winery, rising from the rocky landscape, which Sebastian Zuccardi has filled with concrete eggs and amphorae.
Sarah Jane Evans MW’s Argentina Malbec wines to try:
Cheval des Andes, Mendoza 2011
October 7, 2015
Cheval des Andes, Mendoza 2011 Rating: 18/20pts A wine of serious Bordeaux pedigree. A blend of Malbec, Cabernet and a More…
Points 93
Dominio del Plata, Susana Balbo Mandala Collection Malbec, Vista Flores, Mendoza 2013
October 7, 2015
Dominio del Plata, Susana Balbo Mandala Collection Malbec, Vista Flores, Mendoza 2013 Rating: 18/20pts An intense and powerful expression of More…
Points 93
Matias Riccitelli, Vineyard Selection Malbec, Mendoza 2014
October 7, 2015
Matias Riccitelli, Vineyard Selection Malbec, Mendoza 2014 Rating: 18/20pts From Vistalba vineyards, along with Perdriel and El Cepillo. The new More…
Points 93
Mendel, Finca Remota Malbec, Altamira, Mendoza 2012
October 7, 2015
Mendel, Finca Remota Malbec, Altamira, Mendoza 2012 Rating: 18/20pts A play on winemaker Roberto De la Mota’s name and the More…
Points 93
Terrazas de los Andes, Las Compuertas Malbec, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza 2011
October 7, 2015
Terrazas de los Andes, Las Compuertas Malbec, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza 2011 Rating: 17.75/20pts Vivid expression of Malbec with silky More…
Points 92
If there’s any bad news – setting aside the regular political and economic issues – it’s that 2015 is seen as the worst vintage since 1998. The good news is that ‘at least we knew what to do, which we didn’t back then’.
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