Alta Vista Atemporal Red Blend 2017
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Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Blend: 53% Malbec, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Blackberries, blueberries and hints of rose stem undertones. Medium to full body. Firm tannins with freshness and energy. A blend of malbec, cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot. Needs time to soften. Try after 2022 and onwards.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The red blend 2017 Atemporal was 53% Malbec, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Petit Verdot, a blend that changes with the vintage, but it's always produced with fruit from their vineyard in Vista Flores. It fermented in concrete vats and matured in 50/50 second and third use oak barrels for 12 months. They love to blend at Alta Vista (it's their Champagne roots!), and I must say this Bordeaux blend rocks. I'm not a fan of Petit Verdot on its own, but I think it's a grape that contributes a lot to blends. It's spicy, herbal and peppery, with ripeness but without excess. They have started using some larger barrels, not just 225-liter ones, so the oaking is subtler and the aromas and flavors are very integrated and in the background.
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Wine
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.