Malbec Essentials
Malbec comes from humble beginnings. In the Middle Ages, it was associated almost entirely with southwestern France and the ‘black wines’ of the Cahors region. The grape expanded its footprint in Bordeaux in the 1780s, but after Bordeaux’s destructive hard frost of 1956 Malbec was widely replaced with Merlot. After that, the grape went on to languish as something of an afterthought in France and greater Europe.
History
Fortunately, pre-phylloxera Malbec cuttings were transported by immigrants traveling from Europe to South America following Argentina’s declaration of independence from Spain in 1816. Though Argentina was politically isolated during much of the 1900s, Malbec had gained a foothold and began to flourish in Argentina’s favorable climate. As Argentina’s economy became less insular in the 1980s, important producers like Nicolas Catena looked to capitalize on export markets.
With the help of outside investment and technology, Malbec was catapulted onto the world stage around the turn of the century. Today, the grape is a household name and is renowned as Argentina’s flagship grape.
Flavors
Malbec makes produces distinctly different styles in its strongholds across the world. The wines of Cahors have fairly pronounced dark fruit flavors, moderate levels of acidity, and relatively high levels of tannin that can sometimes have a rustic edge. Malbec in Bordeaux is mostly grown in outlying appellations and used in small percentages, adding depth of color, dark fruit character, and spice, to red blends. In Argentina, it is most often bottled as a single variety, providing flavors of dark plum, blackberry, black cherry, leather, spice, violets, and often vanilla, cocoa, cedar, and chocolate, from aging in new oak.
In the warm, dry, and sunny conditions of Mendoza’s climate the Malbec grape produces deeply colored full-bodied reds with high levels of ripe tannin and flavors of blackberry, plum, and black cherry, often with notes of vanilla and cedar from the influence of new oak. In the slightly cooler mesoclimates found in higher altitude sub-regions like the Uco Valley, Malbec produces wines that are deep ruby in color with medium-plus acidity, medium-plus levels of firm tannin, and added notes of violets and red fruits.
Viticulture & Winemaking
Malbec is a vigorous mid-ripening red grape variety that is adaptable to a wide range of soil types, though it has a problem with poor ‘fruit set’ in cool and wet climates like Bordeaux, and that can lead to low yields. The Côtes de Bordeaux appellation emphasizes Malbec with 10% of its vineyard area being planted to the grape, but this is by far the highest percentage planted in any Bordeaux appellation. The wines of Cahors must be at least 70% Malbec by law, and destemming is required to minimize tannin content in the potentially rustic wines. Malbec has thrived beautifully in the well-drained alluvial soils beneath the Andes mountains in Mendoza, and vines located at these high altitudes tend to produce grapes with thicker skins and higher levels of antioxidants like quercetin. Beginning in the 1990s, the winemakers of Mendoza tended toward making very ripe high-alcohol wines with heavy new oak treatment, but that pendulum has swung back the other way, and today most winemakers try to produce better-balanced wines with much less new oak influence.
Food + Wine
The quintessential meal to have with Malbec is the Argentine Asado, a nearly sacred backyard ritual during which a wide range of high-quality meat is roasted on a parrilla (grill) over a slow-burning wood fire until it emerges tender and richly flavored. Soft and fruity styles of Malbec can work well with charcuterie, fajitas, beef burgers, mild lamb curry, chili con carne, and dishes with red sauce and meatballs. Dense and weighty styles of Malbec complement wild game, duck confit, pork with chili-based rubs, lamb tagines, beef stews, and all manner of steak.
Malbec in Bordeaux
Malbec was first planted in Bordeaux back in the 1780s. Following the destructive hard frost of 1956, Merlot was widely planted in place of Malbec which had great difficulty ripening and severe problems with poor ‘fruit set’ (coulure) in Bordeaux’s maritime climate. 10% of the Côtes de Bordeaux is planted to Malbec, the highest percentage of any Bordeaux appellation. Malbec is known as Pressac along the Right Bank of the Gironde.
Malbec in Cahors
The Cahors region of southwest France is the only French appellation based on Malbec (called Auxerrois, Côt). Since the Middle Ages, wines from this region have been known as the ‘Black Wines of Cahors’ because of their deep color. Cahors must be at least 70% Malbec, with the balance Merlot and/or Tannat. Destemming is required in the appellation to minimize tannin. Cahors has recently sought to exploit Mendoza Malbec’s popularity by touting itself as ‘The Original Malbec.’
Malbec in Argentina
Malbec is Argentina’s signature variety. Since 2000, Malbec plantings in Argentina have increased by over 250%! It constitutes about 20% of the country’s total vineyard area and commands over 35% of Mendoza’s vineyard area. About 30% of Argentina’s overall vineyards are over 40 years old, including many caches of old vine Malbec in Mendoza grown from cuttings brought over from France before phylloxera struck Europe in the late 1800s. There has been considerable foreign investment in Mendoza, leading to rapid modernization and tireless viticultural research. The last two decades have seen Argentine Malbec grow to account for about 60% of Argentina’s exported wine total.
SUBREGIONS OF ARGENTINA
Agrelo: subregion of Luján de Cuyo. Highly concentrated, firmly structured styles of Malbec. 1,000m avg. altitude. Many famous wineries.
La Consulta: subregion of Valle de Uco, on its southern end. Deeply colored and intense style. Up to 4,000m altitude! Many new wineries.
Las Compuertas: subregion of Luján de Cuyo. Lush styles of Malbec. 1,000m avg. altitude. High percentage of old vines. In Andes foothills.
Los Chacayes: subregion of Valle de Uco, nestled up against Andes foothills. Low yield and high intensity style. 1,200m avg. altitude.
Luján de Cuyo: Argentina’s 1st DOC. 3,000m avg. altitude. Wines must age for 24 months minimum and spend at least 12 months in oak.
San Rafael: located south of Valle de Uco and spread down and away from the Andes. Soft style, value-driven wines. 600m avg. altitude.
Tupungato: subregion of Valle de Uco, most northern, at the foot of a lava dome. Intense and very well-balanced style. 1,300m avg. altitude.
Ugarteche: subregion of Luján de Cuyo, at its southern edge. Balanced, moderate style. 900m avg. altitude. Historic winegrowing region.
Valle de Uco: key region about 60 miles south of Mendoza. Intense, floral, terroir-driven Malbec. Range of high altitudes, many old vines.
