Vinalba 2015 Malbec Gran Reserva, Mendoza

Owner of Vinalba Hervé J. Fabre, was born in Bordeaux. Seeing the incredible potential of the Argentine terroir, Hervé bought a number of Argentina’s oldest Malbec vineyards, planted in 1908 in Luján de Cuyo, near Mendoza. His Bordeaux background dictates an elegance and subtlety to his winemaking and Viñalba Malbec Gran Reserva is an outstanding example of his focus on balance, power and elegance.

100% Malbec, the grapes for this wine were sourced from old vines averaging 60 years of age, grown at 3600-4600 feet in the foothills of the Andes mountains. Hand harvested and meticulously sorted, the grapes underwent cold maceration for 5 days followed by fermentation in temperature controlled tanks with 20 days of maceration. The wine then aged for 12 months in 100% French oak barrels.

This wine scored 95 points in the International Wine Challenge. They said "At its best Malbec manages to be a luscious crowd pleaser as well as a serious fascinating red. This beauty is a perfect example - rich damson and raspberry fruit, heady floral scent and a powerful but appetizing tannic bite and acid freshness."

and Decanter Magazine gave this a 97 point rating and said "Saturated dark black-purple in color, with arrestingly floral aromas, alluring plum, damson and sloe fruits and a grind of pink peppercorn, too: so splendid in its youthful appeal that it seems a shame to wait any longer, though the depth of the wine suggests that it would take ageing in its stride. On the palate, the wine is dark, concentrated and once again head-turningly floral and fresh,without any evident 'heat' or overripeness. Brilliant Malbec from a great site. 2018-2023.”