Winemaker Notes
Blend: 95% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Sweet blueberries, fresh blackberries, violets and hints of walnut and rosemary. Elegant, with some light blueberries on the palate, rounded by tight, fine-grained tannins.
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Vinous
The 2019 Malbec Gran Reserva Calcu contains a 5% dash of Cabernet Sauvignon from Marchigüe, Colchagua and was aged for 12 months in used barrels. Dark purple in color. The nose presents notes of ripe plum and blackberry and a whiff of herbs. Broad and smooth in the mouth, with an expansive flow channeled by slightly grippy tannins. The ripe flavors return on the finish.
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.
Well-regarded for intense and exceptionally high quality red wines, the Colchagua Valley is situated in the southern part of Chile’s Rapel Valley, with many of the best vineyards lying in the foothills of the Coastal Range.
Heavy French investment and cutting-edge technology in both the vineyard and the winery has been a boon to the local viticultural industry, which already laid claim to ancient vines and a textbook Mediterranean climate.
The warm, dry growing season in the Colchagua Valley favors robust reds made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec and Syrah—in fact, some of Chile’s very best are made here. A small amount of good white wine is produced from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.