I thought I should do something special to celebrate #MalbecDay... Well, the most "special" I had was this bottle of Montchenot Grand Reserva
1973.
This wine was aged in oak for 10 years in oak barrels and for 11 more in bottle before leaving the winery. All looking "nice and special", right? Yes, but the problem is, this was not really a Malbec... but rather a blend with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot... and I couldn't even find the percentage of Malbec that was used... but I know now that Cabernet Sauvignon was the predominant grape variety!
So the question "Do you think a Malbec from Argentina can age well for many years" is not really a valid one and this quest of finding a Malbec from Argentina that ages REALLY WELL will have to continue, but I had promised tasting notes and comments when I posted the question on Facebook and Twitter, so here they are:
I got a little scared when I poured the wine. Even though the cork was in a pretty good condition (giving the time it had been there), the brick color of the wine, with some light hints of light brown were a sign that the wine could have suffered severe oxidation.
The nose confirmed it, as some nutty notes were dominating the bouquet, but some very ripe fruit - mostly prunes, some dark berries as well - were still there to give me hope that I hadn't waited too long to open this Malbec (or, what I thought was a Malbec).
The same repeated in the mouth, but almost in a perfect reverse order, as the ripe fruit totally dominated the palate, with the nutty character only "happening in the background".
Very silky texture. A pleasant and long finish. Elegance meets complexity in this 39 years old bottle of wine!
By the way, my wife thought the wine was delicious... :)
PS: I have another bottle that I'll save until it turns 40 next year.
Cheers,
LA
1 comment:
It sounds like the wine wasn't quite up to snuff. I would expect that because the producer kept the wine so long in barrel and bottle, it was meant to be consumed at release or soon thereafter.
Last thought: I'm not a malbec expert, but the tastings I've experienced -- including very high end retail and the more bargain level wines -- have strongly suggested that the predominant style in Argentina is fruit-forward. They don't strike me as good candidates for extended age.
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