And now for a little bit of history in the making – a World Premiere, no less! Yes, we believe this to be the first commercially available belnd of its kind, an unorthodox and utterly delicious blend of Argentina’s two most famous grapes, Malbec and Torrontés.
The idea for this rather odd, must-try blend was inspired by the great wines of Côte Rôtie in France’s northern Rhône Valley. Back in the dark mists of time, a relatively small proportion of aromatic white wine made from Viognier grapes was added to the big, tough red wines made from Syrah in the region, probably to make them, well, more drinkable! As the decades rolled on, however, the practice became tradition and is now embedded in the wine’s heritage. In more modern times, those clever Aussies took on this idea to create their delicious Shiraz Viognier blends, still very popular today, as indeed is Côte Rôtie of course.
And so, in similar fashion, the Malbrontes idea was to add a judicious dash of the delightfully fresh and highly aromatic Torrontés grape to the classic, chunky, succulent Malbec that we all love so much. The result? The nose is even more fragrant than a ‘normal’ Malbec, with enhanced but still subtle high notes of violets; the palate is also lightened and freshened with a touch of acidity, making for a wine that remains a full-blooded red in every sense, but is beguilingly approachable and soft, so much so that it is wonderful when slightly chilled.
That was the idea; but the real challenge was to find a winemaker capable and, frankly, willing to take on the challenge. Who else but the Malbec Maestro himself, Mauricio Lorca? As you’d expect from this guy, the wine is fabulous. And the REALLY good news is this wine is a lot less expensive than its French and Antipodean progenitors.
95% Malbec; 5% Torrontés; 100% Argentina = Malbrontes
"...It's young ... very satisfying, well balanced, velvety fruit with just a lightly floral note...this one certainly seems a good buy to me for drinking over the next year or two. It is even gentle enough to consider drinking without food."
Jancis Robinson, jancisrobinson.com, February 2010
"Beefy but scented Argentine Malbec with some white Torrontés grapes following the Côte Rôtie habit of adding some Viognier to Syrah. Velvety and fun."
Jancis Robinson's summer favourites, Financial Times, June 26/27 2010
Commended, Decanter Magazine Awards 2010
Bronze Medal, International Wine Challenge 2010
