Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A wine that shows its wood aging from the mint aromas and dark, dry texture. At this young stage, the 18-month barrel aging weighs heavily on the fruit, but this should certainly soften .... An impressive wine showing the richness of 2009. Editors' Choice.
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Wine & Spirits
This is one of Emmanuel Rybinski’s more traditionally styled Cahors. After a long maceration and fermentation without added yeasts, he left it for two years on the lees in foudres. The initial impression is one of freshness and verve, the color defiantly purple, the scents deeply juicy; then the tannins come along in a wave of ferrous flavor. Those flavors last with a combination of firmness and energy.
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.
Within the Southwest of France, this is the one region outside of Argentina that is today almost exclusively dependent on Malbec. Locally the variety is called Cot, and makes a dense, earthy and black fruit dominant red wine. Both the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean both have a strong influence on the climate of this region.