Gwynne Hogan tastes the malbec of angels at The Vines' Winemaker's Night...
You’ve got to love a winery that knows what they’re good at and sticks to it. One such winery goes by the name Malbec de Angeles, and presents just two wines in their entire portfolio, both of which are malbecs…surprise surprise! Located in Vistalba, a prime location that is said to have a desirable combo of Uco Valley and Lujan characteristics, Malbec de Angeles sits of some of the oldest vineyards in the area dating back to 1924. Unlike the vast majority of wineries who buy more grapes than they grow, Malbec de Angeles owns twenty hectares of land, only 3.5 of which are in use for the production of their wines!
Winemaker Juan Manuel Gonzalez joined us at The Vines Winemaker’s Night last Wednesday to inform us more about their project and to guide us through a tasting of three malbecs. We begin with a vertical tasting of their “entry” level, Malbec, although at $100 pesos and layered with levels of fruit and complexity, its hard to call this wine “entry”. We try 2008 and 2009 one after the other. Both of these wines were only 20% oaked for eight months in the 2nd use of the barrel, conserving their fruity and refreshing characteristics. For me, it comes as a relief to taste high caliber malbecs (and wine in general) like these that do not rely heavily on the oak trick. In the case of these malbecs we’ll encounter just hints of vanilla or cinnamon. The most prominent aromas and flavors, however, are a tantalizing fruit combo of fresh picked raspberry, cherry and plum, and a lingering mint and floral quality.
From our mini-vertical we move onto their iconic wine, Gran Malbec. With just a swirl or two we encounter another deeply fruity malbec, but whose fruit is perhaps more juicy, dark and voluptuous! The delicate vanilla and clove weaves into the aromas more proudly, and a firm tannic structure and good acidity on the palate tell us we should leave this wine more a few more years in the proverbial cellar (Proverbial since no-one in Argentina has one!).
Gonzalez helps to illuminate the unique character of these Malbecs by explaining that his wines, “are very expressive of the vineyard.” All of these wines, in fact, are single vineyard. However in the whole French concept of terroir or vineyard that emphasizes land and the climate, Gonzalez declares that we “always forget one of the most important components in terroir—the man who works the vineyard.” In the case of Malbec de Angeles, the man who works their vineyards is 77 years old and was taught by his father before him, who had also spent his whole life managing the same vines. This history of the vines themselves, as well as the intimate knowledge of how they work best, helps Gonzalez and his team at Malbec de Angeles to produce such soulful Malbecs. So scrumptious, in fact, were these wines, that an older Peruvian gentleman in the audience declared that his cup must have holes in it!
The Vines Winemaker's Night is held every Wednesday evening in The Vines, Espejo 567, and costs $40pesos. Call for reservations:438 8327.
Visit Malbec de los Angeles website here
