Rutini Encuentro Malbec 2016
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Deeply concentrated garnet red, with violet glints. Typical Malbec nose also offers floral notes (violet) and spice combined with fresh red and black fruit (cherry cassis). In the mouth, tannins are rounded and rich in hints of bitter cocoa and macerated fruit. intense and complex, with a very crisp acidity that allows an aging potential up to a decade. Food Pairing Smoked cold meats and sausages, grilled meats, roast lamb or stew, coq au vin, vegetable casserole, hunter's rabbit stew, meat pie, stuffed pastas with Bolognese sauce.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
A malbec with firm and silky tannins that are dry at the same time emphasizing the dark fruit and hints of fresh herbs. Medium body, bright and delicious.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Encuentro range was created by two winemakers, Mariano di Paola and Californian Paul Hobbs, and named for their encounter. This range contains various varietals and blends, including the 2016 Encuentro Malbec. The wines don't usually specify origin on their labels, even though this one was produced with grapes from Gualtallary. It fermented in stainless steel with selected yeasts and matured in French oak barrels for nine months. It is a little closed, not very expressive and is even a little reduced. It slowly opens up and reveals floral and fresh aromas. The palate is medium-bodied, with fine-grained tannins and very good balance.
Other Vintages
2019-
James
Suckling
From the start, Felipe Rutini was guided by the motto “labor and perseverance”. This attitude shaped the development of his wines, which became synonymous with superlative quality. In 1925 the winery began to plant vines in the Uco Valley. From those first pioneering vines, the region continued to expand its plantings and become one of the primary wine-producing areas in Mendoza.
In the 1990s, the original Bodega La Rural facilities in Coquimbito were completely renovated, incorporating cutting-edge technology into the nineteenth-century structure. Today that property houses the Bodega La Rural Wine Museum, where visitors can learn about Felipe Rutini’s first forays into wine production and witness the evolution of traditional techniques and machinery. In keeping with its founder’s drive for excellence, in 2008 construction began on a new Rutini Wines facility in Tupungato, within the Uco Valley. This is where Rutini’s top level wines, such as, Apartado, Colección Rutini, Encuentro, and Trumpeter are currently produced.
The Uco Valley vineyards comprise more than 400 hectares at an altitude of between 1,050 and 1,200 meters above sea level. An additional 120 hectares of fields that are currently being planted with vines will expand the winery’s possibilities for producing unique wines that are carefully tended to and nurtured from the very beginning.
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.