By TOM MARQUARDT and PATRICK DARR
Who claims there are no second acts in life?
Malbec, a virtually forgotten grape in its ancestral home of Bordeaux, has been reborn in a land thousands of miles away in another hemisphere. Although once an important part of the noble grape varieties of Bordeaux, a severe freeze in 1956 and a history of challenges led to a dramatic decline of Malbec. It is still popular in the Cahors region of France, where it makes up at least 70 percent of the region’s red wines.
Malbec’s second act opens in Argentina in the 1800s when vine cuttings were imported from France. However, it wasn’t until the second half of the 20th century that Malbec gained steam in Argentina from grape growers who sought to improve the quality of their wines. Today, Malbec is the most popular grape grown in Argentina, while plantings have shrunk to only 1 percent of red grapes planted in Bordeaux. It is the 6th largest wine imported into the U.S.
The reason for Malbec’s popularity is its reasonable prices, easy tannins, and the berry, plum flavors. Often Malbecs are offered for sale under $20 in wine shops and make frequent appearances on many restaurant wine lists.
We tasted several malbecs recently, sampling to get a reference for the state of Argentine malbec imports. Following are our impressions:
Luigi Bosca Malbec Mendoza 2020 ($20). Lovely plum fruit notes with some violet notes. Soft tannins. Very good.
Argento Estate Malbec Cabernet Franc Agrelo Single Vineyard Mendoza 2020. ($35-40). A bit lighter than the Bosca with plum notes a more apparent floral notes, and more tannins.
Trapiche Medalla Malbec 2022 ($20). Violet, floral and vanilla aromas are followed by ripe cherry and raisin flavors with a hint of spice.
Domaine Bousquet Gaia Malbec 2022 ($25). This organic and biodynamic Malbec from a prolific and respectable producer has intense cherry flavors with a long finish.
Domaine Bousquet Reserve Malbec 2023 ($18). Deep color with cherry aromas and cherry, plum flavors with a dash of spice and herbs. A great value and is consistent year after year.
Colome El Arenal Single Vineyard Malbec Valle Calchaquí Salta Argentina 2020 ($60). A blend of four ultra-high-altitude vineyards ranging from 5,500 to 10,100 feet. Bright berry, plum fruit with mocha notes. Soft and round. Very good.
Trivento Eolo Eolo Vineyard Lujan De Cuyo Mendoza Malbec 2019 ($100). One of our favorites of this tasting. Very deep with cherry, cassis notes. Ripe, rich and elegant. A real winner even at this price.
Achaval Ferrer Finca Bella Vista Malbec Perdriel Argentina 2019 ($115-125). A bit brighter than the Trivento. Cherry and plum notes with a hint of cedar.
Kaiken Mai Malbec Mendoza 2021 ($90). More tannins than the previous two. Cherry and mineral notes with a hint of flowers. Some oak notes are present.
Alto Adige pinot noirs
Alto Adige, the northernmost viticultural area in Italy, is a unique area to grow grapes and make wine. The winegrowing areas of this region are located in the foothills and mountains of the Dolomites, wedged between Austria and Switzerland. Italy annexed the region after World War I – both German and Italian are spoken here.
What appears to be a cool climate growing area is quite warm with growing conditions resembling Sonoma Valley. The local climate offers large diurnal temperature shifts with significant temperature variation to encourage the development of lively acidity in the ripe grapes.
White grapes dominate the vineyards with Pinot Grigio leading the pack. However, red grapes make up 35 percent of production with Pinot Noir starring along with the indigenous lagrein and schiava.
In the past, we have enjoyed samples of both lagrein and schiava. We haven’t tasted many examples of Alto Adige Pinot Noir, so we were curious as to how they compare. We recently had the opportunity to taste these wines side by side.
The Rottensteiner Schiava Suditrol Alto Adige DOC 2023 ($20) offered a very light color — like a dark rosé. However, the wine was full-flavored with mouth-filling plum and cherry notes. This Schiava reminded us of a full-bodied Pinot Noir.
The Franz Haas Pinot Nero Schweitzer Alto Adige DOC 2021 ($50) had bright, sweet and tart cherry notes with a bit of cranberry. Some may feel that this wine is too tart now, but we found it softened over a couple of days.
The Ignaz Niedrist Berger Gei Suditroler Lagrein Gries Riserva 2021 ($40-50) had a dark color that reminded us of a Northern Rhone syrah. Plum and berry elements with a hint of mocha.
Wine picks
The Hilt Estate Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills 2022 ($50). Soft and luxurious texture with classic black cherry flavors and a hint of tobacco and herbs.
Prince Hill Vineyards Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2022 ($95). This awesome Pinot Noir embraces all that is good about Oregon Pinot Noir. Using a Dick Erath suitcase clone from Clos de Vougeot, it has balance and seductive blackberry fruit that is not over-extracted or alcoholic.
Capezzana Trefiano Riserva 2020 ($75). Sangiovese gets a little help from Cabernet Sauvignon and Canaiolo in this dense, luscious blend from Italy’s Carmignano region. Made only in good vintages, it has round cherry and blackberry flavors with a dose of spice.
Capezzana Ghiaie della Furba Toscana IGT 2021 ($67). Bottled only in the best vintages, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Merlot is fermented and aged for 18 months. It has dense cherry and blackberry notes with a hint of chocolate and tobacco.
Capezzana Barco Reale di Carmignano DOC 2022 ($19). Youthful fruit character from the blend of sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, canaiolo and cabernet franc.
Disclaimer
The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components
