Argentina’s Gift to the World

Argentina specializes in red wine made from the Malbec grape. If you’re not familiar with this varietal, you’re not alone. It’s primarily grown in a small corner of France called Cahors. The Argentine version just shines - inky black with a nose of crushed roses and flavors of plum and big blackberry.

The primary growing region here is called Mendoza with several sub-regions within. Mendoza is at the foothills of the Andes mountains with vineyards sitting between 2000-4000 ft above sea level, some of the highest in the world. These vines are generally growing above the cloud line meaning they get full sun every day with minimal hydration for the vines coming only from irrigation provided by mountaintop snow melt. Above the clouds means no rainfall. It’s this very dry condition and unlimited sunshine that Malbec grooves on. We have two gems of Malbec on the shelves that I’ll share with you:

Riccitelli “The Party” Malbec 2020 – Uco Valley, Mendoza $25.59
This micro-producer has recently come into the US with freaking sensational bottles. This one uses the hipster techniques of whole cluster fermentation (crushed by human feet!) and inert concrete egg-shaped vessels instead of oak barrels to age the finished wine. The result is a freshness and vibrancy in the fruit notes. Think bing cherry, black plums and a little licorice. 

Dona Paula Estate Malbec 2021 – Uco Valley, Mendoza $18.59
Harvested from two vineyards the winery owns and manages at 4000 ft over sea level; certified sustainable using the latest international standards of sustainability. The Malbec clusters are cold-soaked prior to fermentation and aged 12 months largely in neutral oak barrels. Black fruits and violets on the nose followed by good concentration with a slight mineral-quality spiciness on the tongue - great freshness & elegant balance. This bottle scores 90 points with wine publications and wine critics year after year. 

Some of you in the store have heard me talk about consistency for any wine maker and how important I think that is. If the wine maker makes only one wine, it’s kind of slam dunk easy to make one good wine. Making several different bottlings of consistent quality, year after year after year requires real skill. There are so many excellent and consistent wines on the shelves at D. Schuler’s – just ask. 

Cheers,
Eric