Winemaker Notes
Pair with: The ultimate in steak wine. Try with grilled steak, bbq wings or smoked gouda.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Winemaker Jimena Lopez is a sweet, soft-spoken young woman, but her wine from Graffito, her personal project, has the opposite personality. This is an impetuous red, a wild version of the grape, with flavors of blackberry and black pepper flooding the palate and a grip that makes you think about cured meat or aged cheese to match it. A couple of years in the bottle will help to mellow this savage, allowing its complexity to show.
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.
With a winning combination of cool weather, high elevation and well-draining alluvial soils, it is no surprise that Mendoza’s Uco Valley is one of the most exciting up-and-coming wine regions in Argentina. Healthy, easy-to-manage vines produce low yields of high-quality fruit, which in turn create flavorful, full-bodied wines with generous acidity.
This is the source of some of the best Malbec in Mendoza, which can range from value-priced to ultra-premium. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay also perform well here.