Winemaker Notes
This Malbec comes from the highest quality viticultural areas around Mendoza. Cool nights refresh grapes and help maintain zesty, fresh fruit aromas. Warm days impart ripe berry flavors and generous soft tannins. This wine is rich and inviting with 12 months of oak aging.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Alberti 154 Malbec was produced with grapes from ten to 15 different vineyards in the classical zone of Luján de Cuyo. It fermented with indigenous yeasts and was kept with the fine lees for 12 months. 2017 was a very low yielding year, and they produced 60,000 bottles when they normally do 100,000. It feels very young and primary, with good ripeness, clean fruit aromas and a juicy palate with very fine tannins. Really very good. It was bottled in April 2018.
Celebrated for its bold flavors and supple texture, Malbec has enjoyed runaway success in Argentina since the late 20th century. The grape originated in Bordeaux, France, where it historically contributed color and tannin to blends. A French agronomist, who saw great potential for the variety in Mendoza’s hot, high-altitude landscape, brought Malbec to Argentina in 1868. Somm Secret—If you’re trying to please a crowd, Malbec is generally a safe bet with its combination of dense fruit and soft tannins.
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.