Winemaker Notes
Gascón Malbec pairs well with grilled red meats, wild game, pasta dishes and chocolate molten dessert.
The 2009 growing season in Mendoza began with a warmer than usual spring, and continued the pattern throughout the season. A late-season frost in 2008 prevented normal bud formation in the spring, resulting in lower yields. The month of February saw unseasonably warm weather throughout the region, and consequently, veraison occurred earlier than normal in most areas. Throughout the summer, the weather remained both hot and dry, resulting in generally thick skinned fruit with very concentrated flavors. The fruit also maintained excellent levels of natural acidity, lending freshness and vibrancy to the grapes. Overall, the dry season combined with lower yields resulted in fruit with exceptional levels of concentration and complexity
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.