Winemaker Notes
Intense red with purple highlights. An amazing combination between intensity and precision. Reveals a ripe fruit and sweet character of blackberry, plum and red fruit marmalade. It rounds off with elegant notes of pepper, bay and cinnamon. Intense black fruit, great amplitude and marked sucrosity. Stands out for its fine ripe and silky tannins and delivers an elegant and complex mouthfeel. Ageing will enhance the wine ´s complexity.
Ideal to pair with fatty meat, game meat, spicy, slow cooked or grilled dishes.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Las Compuertas Malbec is sourced from selected plots of their 15-hectare organically farmed vineyard in Las Compuertas at 1,300 meters in altitude that has ungrafted old vines planted at high density—5,000 plants per hectare. It fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and had a long maceration after a cold soak; it aged for 12 months in new French oak barrels and was racked three or four times. It's very classical and has some developed aromas of brick dust, paprika and smoke over a core of ripe fruit, with some elegant rusticity. It has the house style with polished, elegant tannins and is round and approachable, as they like to release the wines when they are ready to drink.
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.