Winemaker Notes
Violet-red and very intense, with black and red fruit aromas, hints of tobacco and chocolate from the contact with the oak. In the mouth, it is very complex with a combination of blackberry liquer, smoke, and sweet earth. Shows great structure combining heady fruit flavors with strong tannin structure and a long, persistent finish. Definitely a special occasion wine, it will pair well with strong-flavored foods, marinated/grilled meats, and fancier ingredients like truffles, exotic mushrooms, and foie gras.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Included in February 2011's issue, "Year's Best Argentine Malbecs!"
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2006 Malbec El Regalo is a barrel selection aged in 100% new French oak. The average age of the vines is 69 years and it too was bottled without fining or filtration. Purple-colored, the expressive perfume reveals notes of pain grille, mineral, white pepper, plum, and black cherry. This is followed by a medium-bodied, elegant wine with outstanding depth and concentration, layers of savory black fruits, silky tannin, and a pure, fruit-filled finish. Give it 3-5 years to fully blossom and drink it from 2012 to 2025.
Most distinguished and celebrated from Argentina’s Mendoza, Malbec has seen runaway success since the early 2000s. Mendoza’s agreeable, continental climate with hot, dry summers and cold snowy winters allows the perfect conditions for growing outstanding Malbec. This grape is easy to like for its lusty, deep flavors and aromas of blackberry, plum, red cherry, autumn spice and tilled earth. It’s easy to find delicious, fruit-driven, affordable everyday examples and in prices beyond, quite exceptional ones with dense, supple textures that make them capable of aging.
VNCANER06_2006 Item# 107728