Wine & Spirits - October 2019 - 75

YEAR'S BEST MENDOZA MALBECS
then ferments and ages it in new French oak
barriques. That oak adds chocolate richness
to the wine's plummy fruit while acidity from
the high-altitude grapes keeps the wine from
feeling heavy. It's polished and elegant, with
a core of red fruit that outlasts the wood. §
Palm Bay Int'l, Port Washington, NY
124417

93 | Trapiche

$25

2016 Mendoza Medalla Malbec ^ A selection
of fruit from Trapiche's vineyards in Tupungato, aged in new French oak barrels, this is a
dark, brooding malbec. It's as dense as plum
pudding, and as concentrated in its fruit flavors; notes of black tea, black peppercorns
and pencil shavings add refinement, balancing the wine with their savor and grip. § The
Wine Group, Livermore, CA
124418

93 | Trapiche

$50

2015 Uco Valley Terroir Series Coletto
Malbec ^ Every year, Daniel Pi, Trapiche's
winemaker, chooses three vineyards to showcase in his Terroir Series. Coletto comes from
El Peral, at 3,697 feet in altitude in the Uco
Valley, where the cool temperatures allowed
Pi to bottle a malbec that's almost crunchy
in its sense of freshness. The cherry flavors
are floral and spicy, with a salty, herbal lift; a
vein of warm earth runs underneath, giving
the wine the body to stand up to fat sausages
off the grill. § The Wine Group, Livermore, CA
124804

93 | Zuccardi

$45

2015 Uco Valley José Zuccardi ^ Sebastián
Zuccardi makes this cuvée to honor the style
his father, José, developed in the early 2000s.
Malbec grown in Altamira provides the lush,
powerful fruit of the wine while a small addition of cabernet sauvignon adds notes of fir
tree and pencil lead. It feels generous and
regal, structured by mineral tannins, with a
hint of spicy alcohol adding extra force. This
is built for a thick-cut grass-fed steak. § Winesellers, Niles, IL
123499

92 | Altocedro

$24

2017 Mendoza La Consulta Select ^ Karim
Mussi Saffie took over this estate from his
father in 1999, redirecting the business focus
from grape-juice concentrate to wine. Based
in La Consulta, at 3,600 feet in altitude, he
farms 59 acres of vines, the oldest of which
are over a century. This wine is a blend of his
best parcels, mostly malbec, with some cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo and syrah. Fermented in cement with ambient yeasts and
aged one year in French oak, it first comes off
as simple, smooth and easy. Then it begins
to reveal detail-a rasp of red-berry flavor,
dark black-pepper spice and a wild, foresty

green note that lends freshness. It all comes
together in a wine with elegance and personality. (W&S 2/19) § Vino del Sol, Paso Robles, CA
124447

92 | Catena Zapata

$140

2016 Mendoza Fortuna Terrae Adrianna
Malbec ^ From a 12-acre parcel of the Adrianna vineyard, at 4,482 feet in elevation,
this is as loud as its ultraviolet purple color.
It feels just-pressed, the superextracted fruit
pure and unevolved; likewise, it wears its
24 months in French oak barrels plainly, in
notes of spice and charred wood. Impressive
in its clarity, this needs another decade in the
cellar. § MundoVino/The Winebow Group, NY
124561

92 | Finca El Origen

$20

2017 Uco Valley Gran Reserva Vista Flores
Malbec ^ This comes from the highest point
in La Esperanza, a vineyard of rocky alluvial
soils rich in calcium in Chacayes, Vista Flores.
It's young and vigorous, with spicy tannins
gripping the tart fruit, a mix of strawberry
and cassis flavors punched up with a salted
licorice note. Give this another year or two in
the cellar before opening with a ribeye steak. §
Carolina Wine Brands USA, Charleston, SC
124536

92 | Enrique Foster

$90

2013 Mendoza Firmado Malbec ^ A selection
of the best fruit off of 60-year-old vines in
Luján de Cuyo, aged in new French oak barriques for 15 months, this is an intense malbec, polished to a high sheen. The dark fruit
is layered with notes of leather and tobacco,
the wood adding a brown-sugar sweetness
and soft spice; the tannins coddle the fruit
in a smooth, gentle grip. It's lush and dark,
ready for prime rib. § Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., NY
124340

92 | MAAL

$29

2017 Luján de Cuyo Biolento ^ From a
95-year-old organically farmed vineyard,
this is as vibrant as its purple robe suggests.
Vinified with ambient yeasts and bottled with
minimal sulfur, it feels pure in its lush plum
flavors, the acidity and mineral tannins holding that precision through a long finish. § Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL
124321

92 | Viejo Isaías

$17

2016 Mendoza Malbec (Best Buy) ^ Rodrigo
Manuel Romero named his winery after a
farmer who lived for his vines and his roses,
flowers that still come into play on the label
of this wine as well as in the scent-a green,
floral scent that lifts this malbec's cherryberry fruit. It's fresh and spicy, with a meaty,
smoky richness that accents the velvet tannins. § Kysela Père et Fils, Winchester, VA

124421

92 | Roca

$16

92 | Zuccardi

$20

91 | Antigal

$50

91 | Roberto Bonfanti

$37

2018 Mendoza ombu Malbec (Best Buy) ^
Floral and supple, this malbec has a luxurious ease to it, its red-cherry flavor underlined
by a mouthwatering salinity. The wine feels
complete, with darker plum notes filling out
the bass line, and ripe tannins making them
last. § Specialty Cellars, Santa Fe Springs, CA
124796
2018 Uco Valley Q Malbec (Best Buy) ^
Sebastián Zuccardi blends this wine from
vineyards in Paraje Altamira and Vista Flores,
both regions high up in the Uco Valley. Fermented with ambient yeasts and aged in
a mix of concrete tanks and oak barrels, it
blends the herbal brightness of high-altitude
fruit with the rich, spicy warmth of riper
fruit. It feels polished, elegant enough for
a white-tablecloth dinner and brisk enough
to enjoy a glass before dinner. § Winesellers,
Niles, IL
124365
2010 Mendoza One La Dolores Vineyard
Malbec ^ Handpicked grapes from a number
of Antigal's high-altitude vineyards delivered
a dark, rich 2010, the plush fruit upholstered
with ample oak and tobacco notes gained
during 22 months in French and American
oak barrels. It's regal and savory, matured
through bottle age toward notes of musk
and earth to match polenta topped with wild
mushrooms. § Cork Alliance, Doral, FL
124654
2015 Mendoza Alfa Gran Reserva Malbec ^
A blend of fruit from old vines in Luyán de
Cuyo and Tupungato, this is lean, cool and
silky, the wild-berry fruit lifted by tart, tight
acidity. § Brazos, Brooklyn, NY

WINE & SPIRITS

OCTOBER 2019

75
https://www.specialtycellars.com/wines/imported-wines/argentina/ombu/
Wine & Spirits - October 2019

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