Three Argentinian Malbecs
Several months back I met a lovely new wine friend. Here in Turkey on vacation with her (equally lovely) mother, she got in touch with me on Instagram. I love wine Instagram! We got together so I could show her some of my favorite Turkish wines. In turn, she, from Argentina where she’s an up and coming winemaker, brought me three beautiful Argentinean Malbecs.
I have had and enjoyed not a few Argentinean Malbecs in my life. But this was the first time I was able to compare three wines from three regions and three completely different elevations. Such fun.
Zuccardi Q Malbec, 2019
Perhaps one of the most famous Argentinean wineries, Familia Zuccardi once again won best winery in Argentina for a reason. Its wide range of wines includes the “Q” series which highlight grapes harvest from different vineyards within the same region. The grapes for the Q Malbec all come from the Valle de Uco, in Mendoza: from IG Paraje Altamira, San Carlos at 1100 meters and IG Los Chacayes, Tunuyán at 1120 meters.
The Zuccardi Q Malbec fermented with native yeast in concrete then aged in 500 liter untoasted French oak. The resulting deep purple wine displayed aromas of purple petals and tobacco flowers, plum, cola, and milk chocolate. On the palate it was medium-full bodied with plush, round tannins and persistent acidity. Mouth-filling flavors of plum and fig jam, rosemary, and cola lead to a mouthwatering finish.
Colomé Auténtico Malbec, 2018
Established in 1831, Bodega Colomé got a fresh start in 2001 under Donald and Ursula Hess. Taking over the oldest running winery in Argentina couldn’t have been a small undertaking, but the Hess family not only managed it, but did it without changing the winery’s sustainable farming and production of quality wines.
Grapes for the Colomé Autético Malbec come from vineyards in the Valle Calchaqué, Salta that sit at 2300 meters. Some of the highest vineyards in the world. The vines in this semiarid-desert area grow on their own roots (i.e. no grafting) and are farmed with low intervention in alluvial, sandy loam soils peppers with gravel. The wine saw no oak but aged for 10 months in tank then another 10 in bottle.
This poured BLACK and I mean black! Compared to the Zuccardi, the aromas were deeper and yet more floral. Blue plum and violets leapt out of the glass. A quick swirl released aromas of tobacco and cacao nibs. Tannins were big and biting on the attack then smoothed and rounded out as the wine traveled to the back of the mouth. Refreshing acidity brightened the fruit sensed on the nose and added waves of uncured tobacco and flowers.
Bodega Malma Family Reserve Malbec, 2017
Significantly newer in the scene than Colomé Bodega Malma launched its wines in 2004. Located in Patagonia, the winery’s vineyards in San Patricio del Chañar sit at 39º south. A significant diurnal swing here allows grapes ripen slowly and constant breezes keep vineyards healthy.
Aged in French and American oak, the wine poured opaque but comparatively paler and less purple than the previous wines. While the color may have been paler, that was the only thing that was. WOW the nose. Redolent with tobacco, leather, purple flowers, and sugar plums. I wanted to bathe in this. Medium-full bodied, it felt like having a mouth full of silk. Intense flavors of purple fruit, flowers, and tobacco saturated the palate and lingered like it didn’t want to say goodbye as much as I didn’t want to stop drinking it!