Winemaker Notes
Blend: 100% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2020 Tapiz Black Tears Malbec is an outstanding and powerful wine with a lasting palate presence. This wine excels with aromas and flavors of dramatic raspberries, blackberries, and jammy fruits. Enjoy this wine with slow-roasted short ribs. (Tasted: March 26, 2024, San Francisco, CA)
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Vinous
The 2020 Malbec Black Tears comes from San Pablo in the Uco Valley. Aged for up to 18 months in French oak barrels, this deep purple-hued wine showcases red and black fruit with a balsamic, mountain herb layer, including menthol, laurel, orange peel and cedar notes. Dry, intense and juicy, it has a smooth, voluminous palate with a soft violet infusion. It's a cushioned Malbec with a plush, attractive texture.
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James Suckling
Rich blackberries, blueberries, black pepper, incense, dark chocolate and dried herbs. Flavorful, brooding and concentrated but not forcefully extracted. The tannins are plentiful and polished, showing chalky texture and focus. Rich and long but driven. Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Blackberry jam and light notes of violets are inviting on the nose of this fruit-driven and structured Malbec. Ripe fruit flavors add volume to the full-bodied palate. Optimal acidity injects freshness and leads blackberries and cherries to a delightful finish.
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.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.