In case you didn’t know, April 17 is Malbec World Day. So designated by Wines of Argentina since 2011. Wines of Argentina is an organization that promotes Argentinian wine worldwide and assists Argentinian wine producers it developing their export strategy.
For us, it’s a great excuse (I mean reason) to try a new Malbec. If you are not familiar with this varietal wine, it’s a great time for you to learn about it and give it a try. It’s one we enjoy very much. We decided to celebrate yesterday, a day early, we couldn’t wait!
Malbec originated in Cahors, located in southwest France, where it is know as Cot. It is a very old variety that spread from Cahors to Bordeaux where it became a blending grape. It is still allowed as a blending grape in Bordeaux, but is not used frequently. Between the phylloxera epidemic that began in 1863 and a severe frost in 1956 that damaged Malbec in Bordeaux it is not widely planted there. It continues to be widely planted in Cahors where the wines must be 70% Cot to be labeled Cahors.
Malbec was introduced into Argentina in in 1853, just ahead of the phylloxera epidemic in Europe. Malbec flourished in the warmer climate. Due to an economic down-turn, acreage was significantly reduced in the 1980s. By the 1990s Malbec plantings were on the increase and by 2000 exports of Argentinian Malbec began to rise significantly. Today, Malbec is the most widely-planted red grape variety in Argentina.
Mendoza is the primary wine growing region in Argentina. It is located along the eastern side of the Andes in the western portion of Argentina. The climate is described as continental, with very little rain. It lies in the shadow of the Andes which snatch most of the moisture. Irrigation is necessary. The soil is alluvial, with sand over clay.
Malbec does particularly well in the higher elevations of Lujan du Cuyo and Uco Valley, located at 2800 to 5000’ elevation. These areas are located in the foothills of the Andes mountains. That is what we are drinking this year to celebrate Malbec World Day, a high-altitude Malbec.
I took a trip to one of our local wine purveyors and found a 2009 Finca Lalande Malbec Tupungato Valley. This wine was a medium ruby color in the glass, still youthful and lighter that you might expect for a Malbec. Dark fruit, plums and spice scents float from the glass and are followed by flavors of blackberries and black pepper. It has a very light weight in the mouth, smooth tannins and a moderately long finish. This wine has lots of flavor without being too ripe. We both liked it very much.
The vineyard is at 3900′ in elevation within the Tupungato region of the Uco Valley in Mendoza. The bottle indicates the grapes are organically grown, though the wine does contain sulfites.
This wine paired very nicely with our dinner for the evening. I modified a recipe from the current Food and Wine Magazine and it worked out deliciously. We had grilled lamb with pepper and tomato salsa, roasted Yukon Gold potatoes and roasted asparagus. The Finca Lalande Malbec stood up to the spicy salsa and the wine tasted even more complex with food. A great pairing.
Interestingly, we had tasted this wine before, which I didn’t realize this until this morning. We had a different opinion of this wine last time we tasted it and we are both glad we tried this wine again. It’s a keeper.
Happy Malbec World Day!
Cheers!
Reference: Wine Grapes by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding, Jose Vouillamoz
