Winemaker Notes
A Malbec with an exquisite Carmine red color. This wine offers a complex blend of aromas: red fruits such as crushed strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry jam, and a touch of dried oregano and sage. The palate is round and fresh, giving flavors
of blackberry, juicy black cherry, fresh cracked pepper, and licorice candy with a rich texture and velvety tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Produced from vines on chalk soil, the wine is one of three produced by California-based consultant Paul Hobbs in partnership with the Vigouroux family in Cahors. Textured with strong touches of minerality as well as tannins, the wine has a richly juicy character as well as powerful black fruits. Concentration and wood aging give the wine its potential, which is not yet realized. Drink from 2022.
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Wine Spectator
Full-bodied and suave, with blueberry paste, violet and blackberry tart flavors woven together with forest floor, licorice and a hints of cedar and vanilla. Refined tannins. Drink now through 2029.
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.