Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 84

YEAR'S BEST MENDOZA MALBECS
95 | Weinert

$124

1994 Mendoza Tonel Unico No. 111 Malbec ^ Of the four barrels of 1994 malbec held
back for long aging, only two went into the
1994 Estrella (also recommended here). At
the time of bottling, No. 111-a 4,800-liter
cask of malbec-was still tight and nervy,
so winemaker Hubert Weber left it alone. It
wasn't until 2017, after 23 years of aging, that
he bottled it. Most of the lot went to the UK
Wine Society, a private club; this bottle was
part of a limited released to the US market.
It's beefier, woodier and more tannic than
the Estrella 1994, with notes of cigar smoke,
beef stock and leather that conjure up a cigar
lounge (if such a thing exists anymore). But
after you open it, give it time recorked on the
counter (I gave it a week), and the fruit wells
up from the center, still sweet and plummy,
still immensely pleasurable. § Broadbent Selections, Richmond, VA
125942

94 | SuperUco

$75

2016 Valle de Uco Gualta ^ The Michelini
brothers make this blend at their winery in
Los Chacayes, where the stony, calcareous
soils inspired them to plant a biodynamic
vineyard in 2012. This wine comes off a vineyard planted earlier, in 2008, at 4,600 feet in
altitude. A blend of 65 percent malbec cofermented with cabernet franc, then aged in
225-liter French-oak barrels, it speaks clearly
of the chill in the air at those heights: It's lean
and peppery, with green and black spice, and
a grapefruit acidity driving the flavors in a
vertical line. At the end of a long tasting of
malbecs, this was the wine I went back to, as
much for its pure, cleansing refreshment as
for another view of Mendoza's breathtaking
heights. § Brazos, Brooklyn, NY
125768

94 | Trapiche

$50

2017 Gualtallary Terroir Series Finca
Ambrosía Malbec ^ This comes from vines
planted in the early 2000s in Gualtallary,
a high-altitude region with limestone soils
within Tupungato. It lives up to its name in
its sunlight-saturated flavors, as dark and
juicy as a black plum in August. Notes of
roses and licorice come up as the tannins
assert their presence, their gravelly firmness
giving the wine shape. It feels young and
unsettled right now, just beginning to reveal
its complexity in hints of spice and earth; give
it more time in the cellar before decanting for
a blue cheese-topped steak. § The Wine Group,
Ripon, CA

84

WINE & SPIRITS

OCTOBER 2020

125894

94 | Zuccardi

$29

2019 Mendoza Paraje Altamira Poligonos
del Valle de Uco Malbec ^ Sebastián Zuccardi
uses no oak and no cultured yeasts to make
this wine, a stunningly fresh, zesty malbec.
Sourced from a vineyard at 3,600 feet in altitude, where there's plenty of calcareous stone
in the alluvial scree, it feels almost Burgundian in its combination of complexity and
transparency. Give it a decant before you
serve it, as it takes time for the wine to shake
off its initial tension; then it blossoms, with
notes of fir tree, stone and fresh-picked berries. § Winesellers, Niles, IL
125933

93 | Alta Vista

$48

93 | Benegas Lynch

$45

2015 Valle de Uco Single Vineyard Temis
El Cepillo Malbec ^ Temis is a vineyard in El
Cepillo, at the southern end of the Uco Valley, planted in 1942. The sandy, silty soils
were an advantage in the damp 2015 vintage, draining away the moisture quickly so
that the grapes could retain their concentration. The result is a wine that's cashmeresoft and warm, with dense, toasty, plummy
fruit. Oak tannins add a pleasant drying
effect, streamlining the wine and carrying it
through a long, smooth finish. It's built for a
steakhouse meal, or for another ten years in
the cellar. § Kobrand, Purchase, NY
125811
2015 Mendoza La Encerrada Estate Single
Vineyard Malbec ^ From a vineyard at 4,757
feet in altitude in Gualtallary, this is a brute:
Made with extended pre- and post-fermentation macerations and 18 months in new
French oak barrels, and at 15.7 percent alcohol, the volume is turned up to 11. But give it
plenty of air and the wood tones and alcohol
settle down, allowing a core of sweet, violetscented fruit to shine. Notes of cherries and
herbs emerge alongside the acidity, a refreshing, energetic element that knits everything
together. Allow this another five to ten years
in the cellar if you can. § Golden Ram, NY

125902

93 | Domaine Bousquet

$25

2018 Tupungato Gran Malbec ^ This comes
from a vineyard planted by Jean Bousquet,
the founder of the domaine, who'd discovered the sandy, stony soils of Gualtallary
while on vacation in 1990. The winery is now
run by his daughter, Anne, and her husband,
Labid Al Ameri, who farm 670 acres under
organics; winemaker Rodrigo Serrano joined
the team in January 2018, in time to see this
wine into bottle. Small amounts of cabernet
sauvignon, merlot and syrah (five percent
each) bring complexity to this malbec, balancing the variety's purple plushness with
notes of green peppercorn and pencil shavings. It's long and savory, with a cherry-skin
savor and a touch of warming heat. § WISD,
Miami, FL

125823

93 | Caro

$21

93 | Catena

$24

2017 Mendoza Amancaya Reserve (Best
Buy) ^ The partnership between Domaines
Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) and Catena,
launched in 1999, produces this "second"
wine with a higher proportion of malbec
and less time in oak barrels than the flagship wine (also recommended here). In 2017,
Amancaya is the more elegant of the two.
The blend includes 33 percent cabernet sauvignon and spends a year in barrels (20 percent new): It's smoky, dark and earthy, with
fine cocoa-powder tannins giving the violetscented fruit a lithe line. § Taub Family Selections, Boca Raton, FL
125827
2018 Mendoza La Consulta Malbec ^ Winemaker Alejandro Vigil culls grapes from several vineyards in La Consulta for this wine,
fermenting it in stainless steel tanks and
aging it in French oak barrels. Smoky wood


https://www.zuccardiwines.com/en/vinos-de-pueblo/ https://www.domainebousquet.com/en/vinos/domaine-bousquet-gran-malbec/ https://www.wine.com/product/caro-amancaya-2017/525030

Wine & Spirits - October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - October 2020

Contents
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - Cover1
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - Cover2
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 1
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 2
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 3
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 4
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - Contents
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 6
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 7
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 8
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Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - Cover3
Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - Cover4
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