World Malbec Day: Celebration and Toast
The month of April celebrates Argentina’s flagship grape variety. A good opportunity to raise the glasses with a careful selection of the variety that most represents us, in this case awarded by two prestigious critics with high knowledge of Argentine wines: Tim Atkin and James Sucklig.
On April 17, World Malbec Day, tribute is paid to this red variety which, although it is not native to our territory, is where it has achieved its best versions, is where it has achieved its best versions. Es por eso que se ha convertido en la cepa insignia de la Argentina ante el mundo, una embajadora de nuestra vitivinicultura y toda su tradición.
Its importance is reflected in the export figures, since it is the variety that most arrives from Argentina to international markets. is the variety that most arrives from Argentina to international markets.. También es la variedad tinta más implantada y la Argentineans, who recognize it as their own, when it comes to savoring a good wine.
Although it is a single variety, it is versatile, as it achieves different expressions according to the terroir, that combination of particular elements of the place where the wine is grown and produced. This is also part of its charm.
Why is World Malbec Day celebrated on April 17?
The history dates back to the 19th century, when Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, on that date but in 1853, founded the Quinta Agronómica Mendoza in his feverishness. Mendoza, which receives European vines for its implantation, among them Malbec vines from France, which will later become a legend in our soil.
With which wines to celebrate Malbec?
To pay tribute to our ambassador, we have selected some of the labels from the different Rutini lines awarded with outstanding scores by two notable critics, Tim Atkin and James Suckling. Rutini lines awarded with outstanding scores by two notable critics, Tim Atkin and James Suckling..
Rutini’s first Malbec varietal since 1995, its 2020 vintage was awarded 91 points by Tim Atkin. It is a Blend of Malbec from Gualtallary, Altamira and La Consulta, in which each blend contributes the predominant characteristics of the terroir of origin, resulting in a balanced, fresh and complex Malbec..
It is purplish red with bluish hues. The nose displays great aromatic complexity: notes of plums intermingled with spices reminiscent of vanilla, anise, black pepper and a floral background evoking violet blossom. On the palate, the fruity accents are reaffirmed, its enveloping and silky tannins, well present but pleasant, highlight its personality and its great complexity.
What to pair this Malbec with?
It is a wine that combines very well with a table of hard or semi-hard cheeses with nuts and some olives. Also, as a good exponent of its variety, it goes perfectly with beef. Creole foods such as locro or lentil stew also go very well.. Si lo reservamos para una sobremesa, el chocolate amargo es un compañero ideal.
Single Vineyard Malbec Gualtallary
Tim Atkin and James Suckling have awarded 93 and 95 points respectively to the latest vintage of this varietal, which has been aged 50% in new French oak barrels and 50% in second-use French oak barrels, and has a 15-year aging potential.
It is a very lively purple wine, with dense garnet reflections. A very aromatic red wine that surprises with its intense floral (violet) and fruity (cherry, plum, blueberry) tones. It is very voluminous on the palate, where it displays a unique expression of both the Malbec grape variety and the terroir from which it originates.. Las frutas rojas y berries y las especias (pimienta, vainilla) aparecen realzados por la crianza en roble, que trae consigo los típicos acentos de cacao amargo y tabaco. En el retrogusto, una fugaz astringencia y la lograda acidez prometen un largo potencial de añejamiento.
The grapes used to make this wine come from Gualtallary, at 1,235 meters above sea level, and it bears the hallmark of that area: it is floral, has great acidity and freshness, and is intense and elegant.
What to pair this Malbec with?
Because of its greater intensity, we suggest drinking it with grilled red meats, such as steak eye with french fries, colita baked rump steak, Mediterranean lamb, tenderloin brochette, roasted venison. It also goes very well with spicy empanadas of organic chicken baked in a clay oven and with stews and casserole dishes seasoned with fresh herbs and spices for a very Argentinean meal.
Single Vineyard Malbec Altamira 2019
The wines produced with grapes from Altamira, at 1,100 meters above sea level in San Carlos, Mendoza, because its soils are calcareous and heavier than those of Gualtallary, are fuller and rounder. are more unctuous and rounder wines.
Such is the case of this Single Vineyard that comes from a classified parcel (clone 104) which is preferred from our collection of 26 different Malbec selections. In this terroir, the grapes produce low yields and when they are at the right moment of ripeness, we obtain a great aromatic concentration, highlighting floral aromas on the nose.The nose highlights floral aromas with a predominance of violets and lavender, and a certain aniseed character, combined with notes of cocoa and toast. On the palate, firm yet round tannins are perceived. The finish is fresh and lingering. .
As in previous cases, it was distinguished with high scores: 92 points by Tim Atkin and 94 points by James Suckling. Eighty percent of the wine is aged for 12 months in French oak and has 15 years of aging potential.
What to pair this Malbec with?
A wine without a doubt to accompany dishes with grilled red meats: chorizo steak, steak eye, or T-bone with peppered sweet potato puree, grilled or baked lamb with roasted tomatoes and eggplants, grilled pork with rosemary and baked sweet potatoes. With tasty Creole empanadas of knife-cut meat it also goes spectacular.
This April there is no excuse not to toast to the great Argentine Malbec, a pride that represents us.
