Winemaker Notes
The Malbec delivers its deep purple-red color, with aromas of violets, ripe red fruits, a slight touch of spices and generous tannins. The Cabernet Franc contributes black fruit, a balsamic hint and tannins that structure the middle of the mouth. A perfect combination that results in a flavorful wine with great concentration, elegance, complexity and a pure finish.
Blend: Malbec 70%, Cabernet Franc 30%
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Precision and focus to this red with blackberry and mint character. Some currants. Full-bodied, tight and very refined. The polish and refinement to the tannins are very impressive. Needs another year or two to soften.
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Wine & Spirits
Cabernet franc grown in La Consulta infuses this wine with verve. Thirty percent of the blend, it’s there in the wine’s spicy scent—in the tang of tobacco leaves and the crunch of green herbs—as well as in its tannins, a little more angular and pointed than is typical of malbec. Those aspects keep the wine feeling fresh and elegant even as age has begun to turn its rich red fruit toward caramel, earth and roasted red pepper tones. It’s approachable now, but it also has enough structure and freshness to warrant more aging.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The perfumed, floral and showy 2015 Iscay Malbec Cabernet Franc is also herbal and has contained ripeness, coming through as expressive but serious. It's medium to full-bodied, with abundant, fine-grained tannins and a long, dry finish. It has 30% Cabernet Franc. It was bottled in December 2018.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.