Premium Argentinian Malbec
Malbec continues to show why it is Argentina’s champion,’ said Amanda Barnes after this very encouraging panel tasting. Dirceu Vianna Junior MW agreed: ‘It was an excellent tasting that gave us a snapshot of the quality of premium Malbec at present, and illustrates why consumers are so seduced by it – especially those willing to pay a bit more.’
I was also impressed and, as noted by Vianna, it was pleasing to see that premium examples of Malbec are worth splashing out on. This should be welcome news to producers as Malbec remains Argentina’s undisputed star – and on this showing quite rightly so.
The key development for Malbec over the past decade has been the meteoric rise and progression of regional typicity. This was excitingly apparent throughout the tasting. While 15 years ago we talked largely about the Uco Valley and altitude plantings in a relatively generic manner, now the nuances between regions at altitude are clear to see.
Barnes explained: ‘Malbec expresses itself so well in so many different regions, from the brooding yet fresh Malbecs of Cafayate to the floral and silky wines of Altamira, it really is a great communicator of terroir.’
‘Unsurprisingly, the area that performed best was Gualtallary,’ said Vianna, ‘and I also found some beautiful wines from Paraje Altamira and Agrelo.’ I concur, and scored all but one of the 16 entries from Gualtallary and Paraje Altamira above 90 points. To illustrate the consistency of the tasting, Vianna scored two-thirds of all entries at 90 points or above.
I’d liked to have seen more entries from Salta (seven) and Patagonia (two). Both of these areas can produce superlative examples. I am a big admirer of the pure, vibrant expressions from Salta, which can exhibit vivacious, highly tuned palates that are like watching an ultra-high-definition television. Patagonia, meanwhile, can produce detailed, savoury styles with real structure and poise.
Argentina has experienced considerable vintage variation over the years, and here we had entries from every vintage between 2012 and 2020. ‘2019 is the star for me,’ commented Barnes,
