THE WINE CONNOISSEUR by FAZENDA
THE WINE CONNOISSEUR by FAZENDA
Malbec Ad Alta...
Nobody drinks Shiraz anymore. At least not in our restaurant, anyway. With the greatest sympathy to our Australian friends, Malbec and meat have become almost synonymous and the quality of the best Malbecs now is breathtaking. The rise in percentage sales in recent years of Argentina’ s flagship wine is in triple figures; if you find a restaurateur who has not put it on their wine list, please give them a good shake to make sure they have not been asleep for the last five years.
Less well known is that, as with the world’ s most commonly planted grapes Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec is originally from France and grew widely across Bordeaux and the south west. In our last article we mentioned the Bordeaux Classification, which categorised all of the best Chateaux from first growth( e. g. Lafite etc) down to fifth. Back in 1855 when this was put together, Malbec was a key constituent of the blend. A few years afterwards, disease wiped out pretty much all of the vineyards, and when they came to replant, Malbec did not really work. And so, it has nearly disappeared from the region of its birth, un-growable, so the Bordelais moved on. With some fair success, it must be said. The only place left making Malbec is Cahors.
Before this catastrophe had hit, thankfully for us, some samples of the vine had been taken from France via Chile to Argentina, where they found their new spiritual home. This was over a hundred and fifty years ago, so why is the grape only being discovered internationally now, when Argentina produces so much of it? The answer is ridiculously simple. They drank it all. Yes, all of it. But now less so – in 2000 they drank on average 47 litres of wine per year, per person, compared to 20 litres in the UK. By 2012 Argentina dropped to 32 litres as younger people turn to beer and spirits( or perhaps just sobriety). So this has driven a change from quantity to quality, and we are loving it.
The region of Mendoza has a remarkable terroir. Incredible sunlight most days of the year, very dry, but high altitude to moderate the temperature; this is crucial to retain freshness. It is a harsh climate but the intensity of the sun can ripen grapes and soften the tannins in a way that just doesn’ t happen in France, even in good vintages. You would not want to sunbathe there, that’ s for sure. In France the wines can take many years of cellaring to be approachable, but Argentina you simply don’ t need to wait as long to enjoy them, though the best wines can still age and improve for many years.
Catena have been a pioneer for Argentina, first coming to the world’ s attention for their Cabernet Sauvignon blend, strangely enough. Their Catena‘ Alta’ was the first premium wine, named after the height of the vineyards. Then in 1997 they produced‘ Nicolas’- blind tastings were held in 2000 where they beat or matched Latour, Opus One and Solaia. This fame has allowed them to focus on become their country’ s most famous premium exporter, planting Malbec at different altitudes in different sub-regions of Mendoza.
This experimentation has led to the demarcation of preferred regions to achieve different flavours, and the creation of a French style“ appellation” system so you know what to expect once you’ ve seen the label. And what you come to expect is pretty good- Appellation Vista Flores is a stunning Malbec, with hints of violet, smoky oak and dark cherry. It is easily our most popular wine for very good reason. Last year, your very fortunate writer was also lucky enough to be able to try an extremely rare 2004 vintage of the Catena Alta Malbec. All I can say is wow. Our mission to collect old vintages makes any trip to our temperature controlled wine room a real treat. It is to our good fortune that Argentina and southern Brazil are as famous for meat( and the barbequing thereof) as they are for wine, because it gives us a truly amazing combination. The Aussies can throw as many shrimps on the‘ barbie’ as they like, it leaves more steak for us.
28 wirrallife. com