Malbec

Vilafonte Release a Seductive Series M Cape Bordeaux Blend from the Uniquely Cool and Classical 2021 Vintage…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Exceptional vintages have the ability to yield exceptional wines. Just think of 2000, 2005, 2009 and especially 2010 in Bordeaux, and perhaps 2004, 2009, 2015, and 2017 in the Cape. Without doubt, 2021 was another extraordinary vintage with ample winter rains followed by an unusually cold and wet spring and early summer. In an era of global warming and extreme weather events, getting a vintage like 2021 in the Cape must surely be a winemaker’s dream. So many I have talked to have described making wines that they feel they may never get the opportunity to make again due to the unusually cool, slow ripening conditions.

At Vilafonte in Paarl, flowering was largely even with good fruit-set, boding well for not only a healthy crop but also an ample crop. Early season growing temperatures were cool to moderate, warming gradually towards ripening, with a lack of February / March heatwaves a very noteworthy feature of the vintage. Berries were supple-skinned, bursting with flavour, showing a vibrant freshness and bold tannin structures. Harvest began on February 11th under mild weather conditions that continued for the remainder of the season. The resulting wines show a piercingly perfumed intensity, deep inky colours, sophistication and poise.

Vilafonte Series M 2021, WO Paarl, 14% Abv.

The 2021 Series M is a blend of 41% Merlot, 35% Malbec, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc that spent 22 months in French oak barrels with a 26% new oak portion. The aromatics are enticing and alluring, offering up notes of dark berries, exotic Asian spices, plum compote, black liquorice, graphite and wood smoke with subtle dried bay leaf nuances. Despite being dominated by Merlot and Malbec, the Series M often boasts a structure more in common with Cabernet Sauvignon blends, but in the cooler 2021 vintage, this wine remains very much in a Bordeaux right bank leaning style boasting precociously sumptuous notes of supple black currant fruits, mulberries, black plum with hints of cocoa powder, chargrilled charcuterie and pithy blood orange peel. Beautifully plump and opulent in the mouth, the tannins are velvety, supple and sweet, enveloping the palate and finishing with incisive saline acids and complex notions of baked blackberries, preserved plums and star anise. A wonderfully complete wine that already offers abundant pleasure in its youth. Drink on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vilafonte wines are imported into the UK and are available to trade on allocation from importer John E Fells, and are available retail from specialist South African merchant Museum Wines.

http://www.museumwines.co.uk

Another Stand Out Malbec 2022 Release From the Quality Focused Winshaw Vineyards Winery in Stellenbosch…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Brothers Pierre and John Philip (JP) Winshaw released some beautiful wines with their maiden 2017 Charles and Bill Winshaw Cape Red Blends, and subsequent releases have also followed suit with striking quality, impressive fruit selection and wonderfully precise winemaking. They visited the UK to launch their winery brand in 2023 and from the very first moment, critics were seduced by the intensity, purity and overall appeal of their delicious wines.

A particular favourite of consumers in the UK, there is simply no holding back the success of single cultivar Malbec wines whether from Argentina or indeed South Africa. Handled correctly and vinified with care and attention, some very attractive, fruit forward Malbec wines are able to be created in South Africa and Winshaw Vineyards, along with the likes of Vilafonte in Paarl and Doolhof in Wellington, are becoming leaders in the category. The 2022 vintage should hit the UK retail market in mid-2024 and retail for approximately £26pb.

Winshaw Vineyards Malbec 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

The sumptuous 2022 Winshaw Vineyards Malbec continues almost exactly where the 2021 left off despite the vintages being fairly different in overall character. Made from MC71 clone vineyards planted in 2001, these 21-year-old vines are really starting to hit their stride, producing wines with great depth, breadth and character, suitable for single cultivar bottlings as well as making an attractive blending partner within the Charles and Bill Winshaw cuvees. The aromatics show wonderfully spicy, picante dark broody black berry fruit aromatics with lashings of black currant, black cherry, mocha chocolate and chargrilled meat nuances. The palate texture is plush, seductively inviting and delightfully accessible, with beautifully silky soft sweet tannins, sleek, cool spicy blue and black berry fruits, with hints of crème de cassis, cherry kirsch liquor and a slightly sappy, plummy finish that is suitably bright and attractively mouthwatering. This elegant Malbec is sure to be as big a hit with customers as previous vintages, but be warned, quantities produced are once again very small. Drink now and over the next 4 to 6+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Winshaw Vineyards wines are imported exclusively into the UK by specialist South African merchant Museum Wines.

Polkadraai Hills On the Rise – Another Impressive De Toren Edition Z Release from the 2019 Vintage…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Many producers said that rain and cooler conditions in some South African regions at the end of February and early March 2019 might have hampered some later ripening red grape varieties, but for earlier ripening Merlot based wines, quality was excellent and the finished bottled wines at De Toren are really starting to shine. The cool daytime conditions (and especially nights) of December and January meant that the earlier varieties ripened with lovely vital acidities and great fruit freshness, mostly at lower alcohol levels. But as always, the precision viticulture at De Toren delivered excellent quality fruit with very consistent results.

De Toren Edition Z 2019, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

This big bold De Toren Edition Z is another opulent, fleshy expression very much in the style of an expressive, generous Right Bank Merlot based blend. The aromatics are rich and powerful, packed full of sweet perfumed violets, stewed black plums, warm blueberry pie, salty cassis and melted black liquorice thoughtfully complimented by hints of sweet cedary oak and a vanilla pod dusting. The medium to full-bodied wine coats the palate with an intensity and concentration of dark berry fruits, dried thyme, black cherry confit, and subtle tarry, black currant notes that linger on the creamy, softly tannic persistent finish. This is a beautifully accomplished Cape Bordeaux red blend that offers seductive drinking now and the power and poise to age beneficially for at least 8 to 10 years.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The De Toren Wines are imported into the UK by The Wine Treasury and Edition Z retails for circa £42pb.

De Toren Wines Releases Their Patronus Malbec 2021 That Rivals Many of the World’s Greatest Malbec Reds…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Born from a desire to craft one of the finest ultra-premium Malbec wines in the world, comes the distinct De Toren Patronus made from several decade old Malbec vineyards in the Polkadraai Hills of Stellenbosch. A super premium expression priced at R3,666 per bottle cellar door (£160), this wine unashamedly puts its trust in precision viticulture to challenge, head on, some of the most famous benchmark premium Malbec’s produced primarily by wineries in Mendoza, Argentina.

Some may think that South Africa has no right to muscle in on yet another international variety and produce expressions that annoyingly, clearly rival some of the world’s other great examples. But South Africa has a knack of doing this… with Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand & Loire), Chenin Blanc (Loire Valley), Syrah (Rhone), Cabernet Sauvignon (Bordeaux and Napa Valley), Cabernet Franc (Loire Valley), and now Malbec (Mendoza and Cahors). All these examples go a long way to illustrate how exceptional and versatile the multiple vineyard terroirs in the Cape truly are. After tasting the Patronus 2021, you may now also have to add Malbec to your long South African shopping list!

De Toren Patronus Malbec 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

This 2021 Malbec from De Toren is one of the few superstar expressions of premium Malbec produced in South Africa where you get to witness the true majesty and opulence of this cultivar delivered with full impact concentration and kaleidoscopic aromatics. Beautifully seductive in its youth, the nose boasts a broad array of floral magic… pressed violets and rose petal perfume accompanied by smoky layers of cigar ash, cocoa powder, crushed granite minerality, and spicy cedar oak nuances all supported by plush, sumptuous raspberry, sappy black currant and sweet cherry tobacco hints. The medium-bodied palate is soft, supple and powdery with sweet fine-grained creamy tannins that melt into layer upon layer of sweet mulberry, black berry compote and pomegranate fruits, all wonderfully framed and shaped by refreshing, lively energetic acids. This is an exceptionally well balance expression of Malbec that follows a path of elegance and precision and delivers a beautifully long, vibrant, expressive finish. Drink this beauty on release after an hours decant and over the next 10 to 15+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The De Toren wines are imported into the UK by The Wine Treasury and are available from specialist merchants like Museum Wines.

An Unusually Cool Vintage Yields An Exceptional Wine – Tasting the New MR de Compostella 2021 Cape Bordeaux Blend…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 3 Comments

Every vintage, critics and avid collectors watch out for the one or two wines that will ‘move the market’. A few years ago, it was the 100-point Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2015, and this year it was possibly the Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2020 or the Taaibosch Crescendo 2020. However, every year there are a handful of classical Bordeaux Blend cuvees that offer up candidates for most profound wine of the vintage and in 2021, we seem to be spoilt for choice. An incredibly cool, long, and slow maturing vintage, Lukas van Loggerenberg commented to me recently that he thought it was possibly the longest and latest harvest on record since the fabled 1997 vintage that saw late ripening cultivars like Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot being harvested into late May.

Most producers thought that the late, slow harvest was definitely worth the wait. Consumers can really look forward to remarkable wines from the 2021 crop with the cooler weather conditions enabling producers to harvest their grapes at exactly the right time, with viticulturists and winemakers especially excited about the good colour extraction, low pH levels and high natural acidity in cases where vineyards were managed effectively – which all points to exceptional quality premium wines.

The MR de Compostella 2020 was also released to phenomenal mainstream acclaim (and another 97/100-point scorcher from Neal Martin), but I have it on good authority that other well know critics have openly acknowledged that they perhaps underscored the 2020 MR vintage. With 2019 being declassified into a turbo charged Raats Jasper Red Blend, Bruwer and Mzokhona have stood steadfastly behind their draconian tasting and selection process for the component parts of the MR de Compostella final blend.

Tasting with Bruwer Raats in July in London with the next generation, Daneel Raats.

The 2021 vintage is, in Bruwer’s own words, the finest vintage of MR that he feels he has made to date. The rest is up to the consumers and the critics to agree or disagree. With samples in hand, I took on the taste challenge and opened a bottle of 2021 ahead of its impending commercial merchant release at the end of October in the UK.

MR de Compostella 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

1.9g/l RS | 5.85g/l TA | 3.59pH

The MR de Compostella from Bruwer Raats and Mzokhona Mvemve possesses one of the most successful critical track records out of almost any red wine produced in South Africa let alone just in the Cape Bordeaux Blend category. The newest 2021 release astonishingly takes this wine to yet another higher niveau of quality with a blend of 26% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Malbec, 20% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. Made from vines aged between 9 and 22 years old, all grown on deep decomposed dolomitic granite soils with table mountain sandstone, the aromatics are wonderfully bold and exuberant displaying seductive notes of blackberries, crème de cassis, violets, sweet cherry tobacco, black cherries and tart black plum. The lifted perfumed intensity is incredibly pure and piercing with salty liquorice, cedar spice and beautifully detailed maritime oyster shell nuances. In the mouth, the concentration and focused steely intensity is astounding – tart, bright and architecturally soaring, shaping this wine into a powerful, linear, multi-dimensional masterpiece. Packed full of salty cassis, tart plum and black currant, the tightly wound core of power, refined extraction and polished marble tannins leave you in no doubt that this harmonious, vibrant beauty is a spellbinding, timeless classic in the making. If you wanted just one wine to convince an international fine wine connoisseur of the true greatness of South Africa’s finest terroirs and winemaking, you have found your candidate! Simply an incredible wine. Drink this beauty from 2024 and savour over the next 30+ years. But you might need more than just one or two cases in your cellar!!

(Wine Safari Score: 99/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

MR de Compostella and Raats Family Wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Alliance Wines and is sold retail by specialist South African fine wine merchant Museum Wines. Retail will be circa £70 per bottle for the 2021.

Vilafonte’s Seriously Old Dirt 2021 Bordeaux Blend Represents Another Impressive Fine Wine Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Seriously Old Dirt brand and winery is certainly a project that has finally come of age. With production topping over 200,000 bottles per year already and the brand being given its own dedicated winery and dedicated winemaker in the form of Arlene Mains, owner Mike Ratcliffe has empowered this venture to continue growing not only in terms of quantity but also quality.

The 2021 vintage was another very fine red vintage with the harvest taking place roughly two weeks later than average owing to the unusually cold and wet conditions experienced in spring which delayed bud-break. Ample rains continued into early summer with flowering largely healthy and even, boding well for an abundant crop.

Seriously Old Dirt’s winemaker Arlene Mains.

2021 was also noteworthy for its lack of heatwaves that normally occur in February and March in the Cape. Berries were healthy, vibrant and flavourful with freshness and bold tannins. Harvest began in the second week of February with mild weather conditions prevailing for the remainder of the season.

Vilafonté Seriously Old Dirt 2021 Red Blend, WO Western Cape, 13.5% Abv.

The 2021 Seriously Old Dirt is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 2% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc and shows a bright and piercing black cherry coloured core with an enticing ruby red rim. The aromatics are wonderfully seductive showing attractive notes of ripe mulberry, pressed violets, sun raisined black cherries, smoky wood embers, dried herbs and subtle earthy black currant nuances. Given time in the glass, the wine unfurls to reveal a complex savoury earthiness underpinned by sleek plush velvety tannins, soft sumptuous acids and a seamless core of red and black berry fruits with a definite Cabernet crème de cassis signature note. This is an incredibly fine-tuned, focused red blend from a great vintage that is silky and soft textured with incredible length and persistence. Devotees of Seriously Old Dirt are in for a thrilling treat this vintage as this exceptional wine will allow immediate drinking but will also reward 6 to 8+ years of extra cellaring.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The wines of Vilafonte are imported into the UK exclusively by agent John E. Fells and sold by leading South African fine wine retailers like Museum Wines. The Seriously Old Dirt retails for circa £29 per bottle.

Winshaw Vineyards Release Another Delectable Range of Stellenbosch Reds…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Brothers Pierre and John Philip (JP) Winshaw released some beautiful wines with their maiden 2017 Charles and Bill Winshaw blends, both of which sold incredibly well. The range is continuously evolving and being fine tuned and this year sees another very impressive set of 2018 Cape Bordeaux blends but also a fabulous Malbec 2021 as well as a new edition to the range in the form of a pure Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Winshaws combine traditional farming with grape growing on their Stellenbosch property Klein Welmoed, selling fruit to some of Stellenbosch’s most notable producers. But the brothers not only make their own wines under the Usana label, but they have also stepped up their focus on the more premium Winshaw Vineyards label. I tasted the current releases earlier this year with the Winshaw brothers ahead of the release of the wines in the UK.

Winshaw Vineyards Malbec 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

This Malbec shows picante dark broody black fruits with lashings of black currant, black cherry, mocha chocolate and graphite spice. The texture is seductively inviting and accessible, beautifully silky soft and sleek with cool spicy blue and black berry fruits, crème de cassis, cherry kirsch liquor and a supple, dry mineral granitic finish. A very focused, fresh and elegant expression of Malbec. Drink now and over the next 5 to 8 years. (Only 1,300 bottles produced)

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Winshaw Vineyards ‘Bill Winshaw Cuvee’ 2018, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

A distinguished red blend made from 45% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 10% Malbec that shows impressive aromatic lift, seductive perfume and attractive floral notes of violets, white flowers, sweet herbs, sun raisined black berries and subtle hints of balsamic, soy and black berry pastries. The entry is cool, soft and silky with classical Cabernet Franc elegance, a plush fleshy accessibility with inky, spicy layers of blueberry, black currant, sweet cedar and a supple creamy musky purple rock candy nuance on the elegant finish. So pretty and so harmonious with soft fresh acids, creamy plush tannins and a spicy, mineral finish. This is good to drink now and over the next 8 to 10+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Winshaw Vineyards ‘Charles Winshaw Cuvee’ 2018, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

A blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec, the wine displays compact aromatics boasting broody black berry fruits with hints of purple flowers, blueberry, sweet raspberry herbal tea, crème de cassis and purple rock candy with a kiss of graphite. The palate shows more power, textural density and depth than the Bill Winshaw Cuvee but an equal amount of elegant harmonious black fruited breadth, creamy black cherry and a soft supple, inky saline black berry length. A really delicious expression of a Cabernet Sauvignon based Cape Bordeaux blend. Drink now and over the next 10 to 15 years.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Winshaw Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.26% Abv.

A new edition to the Winshaw premium range being 100% pure Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a serious effort straight off the bat showing graphite, violets, crushed granite, pithy black cherry and subtle black chai tea notes covering a creamy tannin structure with a confident density, power and textural frame. Very precise, polished and pinpoint with impressively seamless acids and a beautifully supple, grippy mineral finish. Drink now and over the next 8 to 10+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

A selection of the Winshaw Vineyards wines are imported exclusively into the UK by South African specialist fine wine merchant Museum Wines. http://www.museumwines.co.uk

Bodegas Noemia Reaching New Quality Heights in Patagonia – Tasting the New J Alberto 2021 and Noemia 2019…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The J Alberto from Bodegas Noemia’s owner Hans Vinding-Diers, comes from four hectares of vines planted in 1955 with an ungrafted massale field blend selection, of mostly Malbec but with some 5% Merlot, that was planted at the time in Mainqué, Río Negro. The vineyard has five separate plots that are managed and harvested individually, as they have different soil characteristics, but are all organically and biodynamically-farmed.

For much of Argentina, 2021 was a cooler vintage which brought its own challenges but also offered the potential for fresher styles of wine. Covid restrictions were still in place for the 2021 vintage in Argentina although, after their experience of 2020, wine producers were much better equipped to deal with the extra challenges. In southern Argentina, in Patagonia’s Rio Negro and Neuquén regions, winemakers reported a relatively dry, windy summer with warm daytime temperatures and cooler nights. This combination of conditions for the harvest 2021 led to wines with piercing concentration but also wonderfully fresh acidities with lower pHs.

Bodega Noemia J Alberto Malbec 2021, Patagonia, 13.5% Abv.

A beautifully fresh fragrant vintage showing an attractive aromatics of sweet violets, black cherry, saline creme de cassis, smoky graphite minerality with hints of caramelised blueberries, vanilla pod spice and cherry kirsch liquor nuances. The palate is all about freshness and vibrant energy in perfect symmetry with pure intense saline black berry fruits and seamlessly sweet tannins. While this wine always boasts a powerful depth of fruit and profound textural balance, the 2021 shows an extra special vivacity and invigorating personality making this undoubtedly one of the best J Alberto vintages produced to date. A class act through and through. Drink now to 2040.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Noemia’s flagship wine which combines concentration with tremendous elegance and refinement is made from 100% Malbec from 74 year old vines. A Malbec from Mainqué, planted in 1932, aged in 600-litre barrels for 18 months, it boasts a combination of elegance and liveliness that Hans says marks the beginning of a new path in which this old vine vineyard is managed with greater attention to detail and precision. The results in the 2019 Noemia are certainly clear to see.

Bodega Noemia Malbec 2019, Patagonia, 13.5% Abv.

Always one of my highlights of the year, tasting the new vintage of Bodega Noemia from Hans Vinding Diers, who’s knocking it out of the park with his beautiful Patagonian expressions of Malbec. This 2019 is another highly accomplished expression showing impressive elegance, luxurious precision, and a harmonious equilibrium. The aromatics are deep and broody with complex notes of earthy black currant fruits, purple flowers, pithy black cherry and subtle balsamic hints. On the palate the oak is seamlessly integrated allowing a real purity and textural symmetry to prevail. Silky soft with creamy fine powdery tannins, soft fleshy black berry fruits, Parma violets and pink musk rock candy nuances, finishing with a deliciously plummy, saline black fruited persistence. Never short of freshness and energetic vibrancy, this wine is remarkably well made and characterful, becoming a great flag bearer for premium non-Mendoza Malbec. Drink this now or over the next 15 to 20+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Bodegas Noemia wines are imported into the UK by The Wine Treasury. Retail price is circa £45pb for the J Alberto and £120pb for the Noemia flagship red.

Vilafonte Release an Exceptional Series M 2020 Bordeaux Blend with All the Hallmarks of Concentration and Restrained Classicism…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

After a highly successful 2020 Series C launch earlier this year, April sees this premium boutique winery release their latest right bank’esque expression in the form of the Series M 2020, a wine that is always built around dominant components of Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, although not necessarily in that order. Tasting the new releases from Vilafonte every year is probably the event most akin to tasting in Napa Valley itself, as the wines possess an underlying aesthetic that is very similar to the greatest estates of California. Of course, that phenomenon has not occurred by luck or chance as the foundations of the whole Vilafonte project were fashioned by owner Mike Ratcliffe along with the expert guidance of American viticulturalist Dr Phil Freese and his eminent wife Zelma Long, both long time Napa Valley industry power players.

But where this new release departs from previous expressions, though not necessarily in terms of scoring, is how the styling has seen a subtle but noticeable shift towards a more Bordeaux’esque vision of power with overt classicism and restrained potency. There is definitely something very St Emilion Grand Cru about this wine which I could not get out of my mind when tasting and reviewing this new release. Whether based on winemaking, a changing winery aesthetic or purely vintage variation, I couldn’t tell you. But all I know is that what winemaker Chris de Vries has managed to put in bottle is very, very smart indeed. Trust Mike Ratcliffe to keep consumers on their toes!

The 2019/2020 growing season brought fair and favourable conditions with a return to a more traditional cold and wet winter int the Cape. With Spring came warm, fair-weather conditions resulting in an even, two-week early bud-break. As is often the case in the Cape vineyards, windy conditions during flowering resulted in a variable berry set and looser clusters with small intense berries. Thankfully, temperatures during ripening remained modest without any heatwaves, leading to an even, measured pace of ripening and picking. By the time the national Covid-19 lockdown was announced by the national government on the 26th March 2020, Vilafonte had already processed all wines safely to barrel.

Vilafonte Series M 2020, WO Paarl, 14% Abv.

The 2020 Series M from Vilafonte reverts back to a right bank Merlot dominated blend with a 43% Merlot, 37% Malbec, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc assemblage and stands out as being particularly old world and classical in style showing pronounced notes of dusty limestone, sweet violets, lilac, dried herbs, sweet cedar, piquant black currants, black cherry and an intense black chocolate cocoa spice. But it’s the palate structure that departs from many more recent vintage releases of Series M revealing a notable St Emilion / Pomerol style elegance, richly illustrated by a fine-grained mineral restraint and a classically pithy black berry complexity that delivers a compelling tension combined with subtle hedonistic nuances. This Series M seems so very grown up, multi-dimensional and mineral-laden, finishing with mouth coating powdery tannins and a soft, plush, understated mocha-laden persistence. Another wonderful expression with incredible energy, intricate earthy accents and a seamless mineral patina. Drink from 2024 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Bodegas Noemia Reaching New Quality Heights in Patagonia – Tasting the A Lisa Malbec 2021…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Bodegas Noemia’s owner Hans Vinding-Diers is a South African born Dane whose father Peter produced some epic wines at Rustenberg in the 1970s. Indeed, Hans was born on the Rustenberg estate in Stellenbosch. To complete the vinous triangle, Hans is the cousin of that other renowned Danish winemaker, Peter Sisseck of the iconic Ribera del Duero winery Dominio de Pingus. What Hans has achieved at his remote Patagonian winery in the Rio Negro Valley 998km south of Buenos Aires in the middle of a desert is absolutely astonishing. In this barren region, viticulture is only made possible by channel irrigation excavated in the 1820s by British colonists with the Andes snowmelt fed rivers of Neuquén and Limay supplying the water for a growing season that varies in temperature between 28 and 9 degrees C.

For most of Argentina’s wine regions, 2021 was a cooler vintage which brought its own challenges but also offered the potential for fresher styles of wine. Covid restrictions were still in place for the 2021 vintage in Argentina although, after their experience of 2020, wine producers were much better equipped to deal with the extra challenges. In southern Argentina, in Patagonia’s Rio Negro and Neuquén regions, winemakers reported a relatively dry, windy summer with warm daytime temperatures and cooler nights. This combination of conditions for the harvest 2021 led to wines with piercing concentration but also wonderfully fresh acidities with lower pHs. Tasting this wine with Hans’s UK importer, The Wine Treasury, we all agreed that this is possibly the finest vintage of the A Lisa Malbec to date. Definitely a wine worth buying to experience the dramatic quality from the remote Patagonia region.

Bodegas Noemia A Lisa Malbec 2021, Patagonia, 14% Abv.

The A Lisa from Bodegas Noemia is always an impressive glass of wine, but with the 2021 vintage, we see an exceptionally exuberant expression of Malbec marked by intensely perfumed aromatics and a piercingly vibrant palate. The nose is rich, detailed and opulent with exotic notes of violets, sweet rose petals, black plum, sweet herbs, black cherry and intense layers of sweet crème de cassis with a salty black liquorice graphite hint. Packed full of juicy red and black berry fruits, the palate displays an incredible intensity that really elevates this vintage above previous releases. Sumptuously soft, luxuriously fleshy, there is an alluring brightness, a fruit precision and a tight knit acid focus that makes for a very sophisticated offering indeed. Drink now and over the next 5 to 8+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)