Alamos Selección Malbec 2018 (Argentina) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a delicious Malbec that returned to the LCBO this weekend as part of the March 5 LCBO VINTAGES Release.

It is produced by Alamos, a producer whose history is rooted in over 100 years of family winemaking with the founding wine family of Argentina - the Catenas. With generations of passion and expertise, the adventurous spirit of Alamos wines are crafted from high-elevation vineyards at the foot of the Andes. The wines are flavourful, approachable, and authentically Argentine, with this Malbec the pinnacle of their portfolio.

The winemaker at Alamos is Lucía Vaieretti. She comes from a family of winegrowers who have been tending vines in Mendoza for more than 40 years. Lucía attended Don Bosco, South America's most prestigious viticulture and enology school and has been working with the Catena family of wineries for nearly 20 years, eventually taking over the Alamos cellar in 2016. Alamos wines are internationally renowned for their ability to blend quality grapes from various terroirs and elevations. At high elevations, the intense sunlight leads to thicker grape skins and richer, more flavourful wines, while the crisp, cool nights allow the grapes to gain complexity while retaining balance and acidity. The mineral-rich irrigation from mountain snowmelt also add to the rich, layered aromas and flavours of Argentina's signature varieties.

Without a doubt, Malbec is Argentina's signature varietal with 23 percent of the country's vineyards planted to the varietal and two out of every three bottles exported to other countries. Malbec is grown from north to south and this particular bottling is from the small winegrowing sub-region of La Consulta in the southern Uco Valley of Mendoza. It was grown and hand-picked at high-altitude vineyards between 910 to 1,520 metres (2,985 to 4,986 feet) elevation. At the winery, the grapes were de-stemmed, crushed, and fermented in upright and conical tanks, with each Malbec lot kept separate throughout the vinification process. The wine was aged in French oak for 9 to 12 months prior to blending, then aged another 4 months in bottle.

I first enjoyed the 2016 Alamos Selección Malbec in November 2020. I also enjoyed the 2018 vintage when it first arrived on shelves in July of last year and am curious to see if it has evolved much over the past 8 months...

Tasting Notes:

ALAMOS SELECCIÓN MALBEC 2018 - La Consulta, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (#322800) (XD) - $16.95
100% Malbec from high-elevation vineyards between 910 to 1,520 metres (2,985 to 4,986 feet), the medium-high intensity nose offers lush, ripe dark fruited aromas of blackberry, purple fruit, violet, and dried herbal spice with some savoury, earthy, and stony minerality notes rising out of the glass. It's medium-full bodied with juicy, well-balanced acidity and smooth, rounded, fine-grained tannins that support the ripe blackberry, black cherry, and black raspberry, smoky mineral, and wood flavours. Slightly tangy with a touch of warmth on the mid-palate, while smoky mineral, wood, black raspberry and dark berry notes linger on the finish, with very good length. Recommended buy. Score: 88+ pts

Other delicious wines from Alamos are available at the LCBO and through their Agent - E & J Gallo Winery Canada.

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Wines of Argentina - July 24, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Wine Reviews

To help satisfy your wine wanderlust, tonight's wine reviews continue the recent series on Wines of Argentina, the world's fifth largest wine producer, with this quintet of delicious wines arriving at the LCBO this weekend as part of the July 24th LCBO VINTAGES Release. In this post, I explore Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Malbec-based blends from Mendoza.

Mendoza is Argentina's largest and most important winegrowing region with 75% of all vineyards in the country located here. Not surprisingly, Mendoza also has the largest number of wineries in the country and is one of the main producing centres in the world. It is located on a high-altitude plateau at the edge of the Andes Mountains at an altitude between 430 - 2,003 metres (1,410 - 6,500 feet) above sea level. The Andes act as a barrier to the humid winds from the Pacific, and with a fair long distance to the Atlantic in the east, the climate here is continental. In addition, with the heterogeneity of soils and snowmelt water providing irrigation, the conditions are ideal for vine cultivation. Mendoza is divided into five sub-regions - Uco Valley, Primera Zone (which includes Luján de Cuyo and Maipú), the Northern oasis, the East, and the South.

Chardonnay is the third most widely planted white varietal in Argentina (and seventh most among all varietals), with the ability to ripen well and produce a wide range of wines. Malbec is the flagship varietal of Argentina and, as of 2011, is the most widely cultivated varietal in the country. Malbec is most often produced as a single varietal wine, but is also blended with Bonarda (which is is the second most widely planted varietal) and Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot to produce more structured reds as we see in the two examples below. Cabernet Sauvignon is the third most cultivated varietal in the country and is one of the most researched varieties in recent years. Research has found that Argentina has at least three continental climate styles of Cabernet Sauvignon, with wines from Cuyo described as fruity in character with ripe currants.

All of the red wines in this post are from the 2018 vintage, which was dry and sunny, and considered the best quality since 2013, while the 2019 Chardonnay comes from a cool and dry vintage that is considered the best in nearly 30 years. Let's see how these delicious wines from Argentina are tasting tonight...

Tasting Notes:

KAIKEN ULTRA CHARDONNAY 2019 - Mendoza, Argentina (#355552) (XD) - $19.95
From Altamira (Uco Valley) at 1,200 metres (3,937 feet) altitude and Vistalba (Luján de Cuyo) at 1,050 meters (3,444 feet) altitude, 65% of this Chardonnay was fermented in concrete tanks and the rest in new barrels. Screw cap enclosure. The open, medium-high intensity nose has yummy tropical fruit, pineapple, lemon citrus, and stone fruit aromas. The full-bodied, crunchy and creamy palate has very good fruit concentration with citrus, ripe apple, and smoke flavours accented with vanilla, butter, and a touch of pink bubble gum adding complexity and interest. Acids are well-balanced, while the lingering, citrusy finish has a slightly chalky texture, with some saline mineral notes on the aftertaste. Agent: Trajectory Beverage Partners. Score: 89 pts

ALAMOS SELECCIÓN MALBEC 2018 - La Consulta, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (#322800) (XD) - $16.95
From high-altitude vineyards planted between 910 and 1,520 metres (2,985 feet and 4,986 feet) above sea level and aged in French oak for 9 to 12 months before assemblage. The medium+ intensity nose has very ripe aromas of black and blueberries rising out of the glass, joined by smoky minerals, violet, and hints of dried herb. It's medium-full bodied on the palate with smooth, finely textured tannins and fresh, balanced acidity, and flavours of blackberry, violet, smoky mineral, and black tea. I like the strong mineral and savoury notes on the juicy finish, with very good length. Agent: E & J Gallo Winery Canada. Score: 89 pts

KAIKEN TERROIR SERIES MALBEC / BONARDA / PETIT VERDOT 2018 - Mendoza, Argentina (#450163) (XD) - $18.95
This blend of 80% Malbec, 15% Bonarda, and 5% Petit Verdot was grown in Los Chacayes (Uco Valley) and Agrelo (Luján de Cuyo) between at 950 and 1,250 metres (3,117 and 4,101 feet). It was fermented in concrete tanks and aged in a mix of French oak barrels for 12 months. After taking some time to open up, the nose reveals fresh aromas of dark fruit, blackberry, blueberry, stony mineral, and some vanillin oak spice, leafy herb, and black plum notes. It's full-ish bodied on the somewhat structured palate with nice aroma replays, plus violet notes, all supported by balanced acidity and structured, gritty, and slightly chalky tannins. The finish length is very good, with mineral, cedar oak, and dark berry with hints of violet. Enjoyable now with BBQ fare, but should be even better in 2 years. Agent: Trajectory Beverage Partners. Score: 88+ pts

D.V. CATENA HISTORIC RED BLEND 2018 - Tupungato, Mendoza, Argentina (#555466) (XD) - $19.95
Blend of 75% Malbec, 19% Bonarda, and 6% Petit Verdot from four historic estate vineyards at 750 to 1,450 metres (2,460 to 4,757 feet) altitude. The grapes fermented with wild yeasts and aged for 12 to 14 months in barrel. The medium+ intensity nose is oak-driven with earthy, red and black fruits, along with a mineral note that emerges with time in the glass. The full-ish bodied palate is dark fruited with blackberry, earthy, oak spice, and touches of leafy herb flavours supported by fine-grained, slightly grippy tannins. Acids are juicy and well-balanced, while savoury oak and earthy notes with touches of blackberry linger on the finish, with good length. Agent: Noble Estates Wines & Spirits. Score: 88+ pts

GAUCHEZCO RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - Alto Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina (#17460) (XD) - $16.95
100% Cabernet Sauvignon, of which half was aged in French and American oak barrels for 10 months. The medium intensity nose seems a bit shy, offering glimpses of black cherry, ripe red & black fruits, green pepper, and herbal aromas. The full-bodied palate has flavours of black cherry, ripe currant, green pepper, and sour cherry, layered over savoury, earthy, and toasty oak notes. It has very good, balanced acidity to go along with structured, grainy tannins that have some grip. Savoury and earthy on the finish, with very good length. Agent: Majestic Wine Cellars. Score: 88+ pts

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Alamos Selección Malbec 2016 (Argentina) - Wine Review

To continue my series on Malbec wines from Argentina, tonight's wine review is a lovely Malbec that has come through VINTAGES a few times over the past 15 months, and most recently appeared at the LCBO as part of the July 11th LCBO VINTAGES Release - with bottles readily available across Ontario.

This Malbec is produced by Alamos - a label whose roots are based on the founding wine family of Argentina - the Catena family. With more than 100 years of passion and research in winemaking, Alamos strives to put the very best of Argentina into every bottle. The wines of Alamos showcase Argentina’s high-altitude winegrowing to create authentic wines from Argentina's signature grapes grown in Mendoza and Salta. Alamos wines are grown in the shadow of the Andes Mountains at elevations of 3,000 to 10,000 feet above sea level, where intense sunlight, cool evening temperatures, and mineral-rich irrigation from mountain snowmelt translates into rich, layered aromas and flavours of Argentina’s hallmark varieties.

The Winemaker at Alamos is Lucía Vaieretti. She grew up in Mendoza and her family has tended vines for more than 40 years. Lucía also worked the vineyards by picking grapes and pruning vines with her family when she was young. After completing high school, Lucia attended South America's oldest and most prestigious school of viticulture and oenology - Don Bosco in Mendoza. While still studying at Don Bosco, she began working for the Catena Family wineries in Mendoza and joined the company full-time after graduating in 2006. In 2010, Lucía began making wine at Alamos before taking over as head of winemaking in 2016.

The grapes for this Malbec come from La Consulta, within the Uco Valley in Mendoza, from an area that is tucked under the massive shoulders of the Andes Mountains in west-central Argentina. The grapes were grown at high-altitude between 3,000 to 5,000 feet. These high-altitude desert vineyards are irrigated by mineral-rich snowmelt from glaciers and snowfields. At this altitude, the air is clear and there is more sunlight. At night, the cold air sweeps down from the mountains to give the grapes the structure and complexity to balance perfectly with the intense flavours that make Malbec from Mendoza so unique.

Tasting Note:

ALAMOS SELECCIÓN MALBEC 2016 - La Consulta, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (#322800) (XD) - $17.95
100% Malbec hand selected from special blocks within their favourite vineyards at high-altitude between 3,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level. The medium+ intensity nose delivers ripe blackberry, earthy, and chocolate aromas with a touch of herb. It is medium-full with good fruit concentration and flavours of blackberry, smoky mineral, and savoury notes on the spicy palate accented by herbal and subtle oak influence. It has lively acidity and supple tannins that are well-integrated, along with some purple fruit notes on the mid-palate. The long finish has more blackberry and smoky mineral notes with a touch of white pepper spice. Great buy! Score: 89 pts

Other delicious wines from Alamos can be found at the LCBO, as well as through their Agent - E & J Gallo Winery Canada.

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