Malbec World Day is on the 17th of April and I've got five wines from Argentina to review leading up to the big day. I'll doing full reviews on Colomé wines with their 2018 Estate Torrontés, their 2016 Estate Malbec (which I'm reviewing right now), and their 2017 Auténtico Malbec. And I'll also be doing some quickie reviews of Amalaya wines, starting their 2018 Blanco and ending with their 2017 Malbec on Malbec World Day itself. Both Colomé and Amalaya are owned by Hess Family Wine Estates.
Bodega Colomé is one of the oldest working wineries in Argentina, and home to the highest vineyards in the word (expect for recent plantings in Tibet). Based in the Calchaqui Valley, high in the Salta region of northwestern Argentina, Colomé was established in 1831, with vineyards planted at high elevations on original rootstock imported from Bordeaux. Vines from these historic plantings are still bearing fruit today.
The vineyards for the 2017 Auténtico Malbec are over 100 years old and 7,500 feet above sea level. It's produced using old winemaking techniques and doesn't see any oak at any point. Instead, it's aged for 10 months in stainless steel tanks and then 10 months in the bottle. The ABV is 14.5%
This wine is dark violet purple as all hell. And what a beautiful nose this wine has. Blue raspberry, cherry cough medicine, figs, tobacco, and a little mint. Just like the 2016 Estate Malbec it's really boozy. The expressive ethanol is a big part of this wine's character. But it's medium bodied with a soft mouthfeel and more restrained tannin, although the tannin is still tightly grained. There's flavors of black cherries, raspberries, mocha, and French vanilla. Then it finishes with mocha and French vanilla.
This is much more relaxed and refined than the 2016 Estate Malbec, although it's just as boozy. I've got to give this a recommendation as well. Man, I've been on quite a roll with these full reviews lately! How many recommendations is this in a row? It's got to be a record for this blog. Let's hope they keep coming!
Don't forget that Malbec World Day is April 17th, which is next Wednesday!
QUALITY VS PRICE RATING
Price: $25
Rating: 4/5 = Recommended (what does that mean?)
The bottle used was provided free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.
The bottle used was provided free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.
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