The results

Gripes with oak and regional identity marred what was otherwise a consistent and reliable line-up of simple, fruit-forward wines for early drinking. Tina Gellie reports

UsinG a car analogy, Dirceu Vianna Jr MW compared these wines to an audi. ‘Very reliable; i can recommend them with a degree of confidence,’ he said. ‘But i was hoping they’d make me feel like i’d driven a Lamborghini – be exhilarated and amazed; getting goosebumps.’

Fellow judges Phil crozier and Patricio Tapia agreed, saying they felt underwhelmed due to the lack of subregional definition, and because Malbec as a variety doesn’t reflect its terroir well. ‘argentina should focus on Malbec blends,’ added Vianna Jr. ‘Or red blends in general. They are its best wines. Many 100% Malbecs, as we saw here, are one-dimensional and not very complex.’

But it wasn’t a poor tasting, said our trio; wines showed a high level of quality, consistency, and stylistic diversity. ‘say Malbec to a consumer and they think they are all big, easy, oaky, sweet, juicy, opulent wines. There is no one style of Malbec, which is great for different tastes but also confusing for the consumer,’ noted Tapia.

Looking at the sub-regions, crozier said the one that defined its terroir more than any other was altamira, though it also had the highest proportion of entries: ‘its muscular, minty, eucalypt-menthol aroma and flavours of red fruit and chalky, wild sage set the wines apart.’ He also praised the best La consulta and Los chacayes wines for their purity and balanced ripeness.

Vista Flores and Gualtallary provoked the most discussion. Vianna Jr said they were opposites – the former being ‘richer, meatier, broader and riper’ and the latter fresher and more lifted with brighter acidity. ‘is it only the terroir speaking,’ he asked, ‘or is it a human element?’ He explained that winemakers in Gualtallary were younger, worldly and more experimental, taking risks with earlier picking, concrete eggs and minimal intervention. ‘The Vista Flores guys are more old school, established and traditional with late picking and oak use.’

crozier agreed: ‘Vista Flores lacks definition; there are no new producers coming in and breaking boundaries. it’s the same people doing the same things.

That’s not to say that they don’t do exuberant black fruits, meatiness, florals and black pepper spice well, but someone else needs to show a different side of it.’

He said ‘consistent but not very exciting’ was the tagline to this tasting, due to the challenging 2014 and 2015 vintages being the current releases on the market. ‘But 2013 was a wonderful year, with quality as well as quantity, and lower alcohol levels which will please many people looking for a more food-friendly style.’

alcohol, however, wasn’t as great a concern as the ever-present issue of oak. Vianna Jr said he understood the commercial sense of producers making wines to appeal to the ‘oak-loving american market’ but that did not excuse poor-quality oak, giving the wine ‘resinous, sappy notes’, or poor barrel hygiene that ‘led to off-flavours and brettanomyces’. He was also dismayed by excessively toasted barrels. ‘Why mask beautiful fruit by putting it in barrels with over-charred oak?’

crozier’s biggest gripe centred on ‘overcorrected’ wines: ‘Those that end up being too oaky or not fresh enough and winemakers try to compensate – too late – by putting in too much tartaric acidity that kills the fruit, makes the mid-palate hollow and gives a disjointed, angular, bitter finish’. He said others were green due to fruit being picked too early or co-fermented with another unripe variety like cabernet Franc (and undisclosed as a blend on the label).

Vianna Jr said this tasting showcased easy-drinking, fruit-forward wines – not very challenging or complex but nor were they overextracted. Open them now and over the next few years to enjoy them at their peak.

‘There’s no one style of Malbec, which is great for different tastes but also confusing’ Patricio Tapia

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their latest- release 100% Malbecs. These can be from single or multiple terroirs so long as 100% of the grapes are from the Uco Valley.