WEEKEND WINE PICKS
Santa Julia Reserva Malbec-cabernet Franc 2017, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina
$16.99 I 89/100
UPC: 7791728008128 They call this the mountain blend because the Malbec and Cabernet Franc grow in the Uco Valley at 954 metres and 1,402 metres above sea level. The result is super pure fruit with a peppery, savoury undercurrent, and firm tannins that line the walls of this wine through the finish. Red fruit, a Zuccardi signature, pops from the glass, reminiscent of plums, black raspberries with a dusting of spice. Reliable, affordable and ready to drink with grilled beef, or you can hold this another five years and expect it to improve further. Crazy value.
El Esteco Don David Reserve Malbec 2018, Calchaqui Valley, Salta, Argentina $15.99 I 88/100
UPC: 7790189001129 The label pays homage to the winery’s founder, Don David Michel, and the DD Malbec is harvested from vines that are closing in on 25 years of age. The fruit is all estate-owned from the Cafayate Valley from vineyards well above 900 metres. The wine is awash in rich black plum flavours with a whiff of dried tomato with the freshness and the minerality of Salta. Ready to drink, but this will hold for three years or more in the bottle — best with the classic: grilled meats.
Escorihuela 1884 Estate Grown Malbec 2018, Mendoza, Argentina $15.99 I 87/100
UPC: 7790415130234 1884 is a much better proposition in 2018 offering up strong floral, savoury scents with ripe blackberry fruit and smooth, chocolate coffee oaky notes that fit the bill at this price point. Serve up some sausages or burgers and crack a bottle or two and enjoy the evening.
Valle Las Acequias Malbec Oak 2015, Mendoza, Argentina
$21.99 I 89/100
UPC: 7798067083731 From 85-year-old vines from the Don Angelino estate in Medrano, Mendoza. The attack is dense and chewy, the fruit is black and intense, followed by dusty spices and still a few sticky tannins. It spends 10 months in French oak that seems more about getting some air into the wine rather than wood. Ripe and savoury, you could give this some more time in bottle or serve it now with a grilled steak.
Amalaya Malbec 2018, Calchaqui Valley, Salta, Argentina $19.99 I 89/100
UPC: 007798104763039 It’s been a while since we have seen this wine, but I would reach for it in any store without hesitation. Now perfected under screwcap, it smells like it tastes: stony, mineral, dusty with an inviting black cherry, tobacco, black pepper, savoury, palate flecked with orange peel and espresso. Wonderfully dry and fresh the palate is round and juicy, and the tannins light but structured: steak or a Tuscan pizza. The ‘Milagro’ waiting for a miracle ‘Amalaya’ is grown at some of the highest vineyards (1,800 metres absl) in the world. It is mostly Malbec mixed with 15 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Tannat and it is a bargain at $21.99.