The Malbec Masters 2017: results and analysis

Argentina may have single-handedly tranformed the fortunes of the once-ignored Malbec grape, creating a global star, but other countries are getting in on the act, with expressions that impressed our judges, writes Patrick Schmitt MW.

The modern history of wine has witnessed many phenomena, but no grape has risen as quickly from obscurity to mainstream popularity as Malbec. Despite the variety’s global presence, just one country should be credited for this turnaround: Argentina. This single nation has reinvented Malbec, elevating it from a French rustic rarity to the sumptuous Latin blockbuster it is today.

But like the formation of new landscapes, change occurs beneath the surface, and Argentine Malbec makers are still busy behind the scenes tweaking styles while seeking new expressions. At the same time, other parts of the world are waking up to the power of Malbec, crafting their own examples in the hope that they too can win some share of this successful red wine trend.

Whether it is the stylistic evolution in Argentina, or new products from elsewhere, our Malbec Masters serves to identify the overriding winemaking developments concerning this single grape and, at the same time, the best producers at a range of price levels.

In line with the market, the competition is dominated by samples from Argentina, although we did see a growing number from Chile, while Cahors in France – the native home of Malbec – also featured. But it was the consistent quality of Argentine Malbec, particularly at entry level prices, that really impressed the judges, and explained why this grape and-country combination has become so popular.

Nevertheless, if there were a sweet spot, it was among those samples priced between £10-£20, where the wines were not only concentrated and complex but also relatively good value, coming close in quality to examples priced much higher – where, to draw on a cliché, bigger wasn’t necessarily better.

So what did the judges like? Certainly a combination of Malbec’s juicy, fleshy, ripe dark fruits combined with its plummy freshness, and firm but fine tannins. Malbec complements ageing in barriques, and the best wines had found a pleasing balance between fruit concentration and barrel-sourced flavours and tannins.

Where wines were marked down, however, it was usually because there was some jammy, or baked character to the fruit, or, conversely, too much greenness, with some wines containing pyrazines, evident in a whiff of bell pepper (although in small doses this character was favoured by some of the judges). Restrained styles, however, were rewarded by the judges, including those Malbecs with overt peppery aromas, reminiscent of Syrah from the Northern Rhône. While their aromatic complexity excited the panel, we did wonder whether the consumer of Malbec, who is, for the most part, used to ripe and rich expressions, would be so enamoured.

Madeleine Stenwreth MW was excited to see some wonderful examples from Pedernal in San Juan

STRUCTURE AND FLESH

Considering the results by country, it was pleasing to see a French Malbec score well in the sub-£10 category, with Rigal in Cahors picking up a Silver for its juicy, bright fruit. Although there were very few wines from south-west France in the lineup, the samples for the most part delivered the right amount of structure and flesh.

In last year’s Malbec Masters we highlighted the rise of Chile, which appears to be crafting ever better wines with this grape, and that trend continued this year. The judges did pick up on a crunchy-fruited style from the country, with, at low prices, some slightly green, edgy wines, although the more expensive wines displayed juicier fruit. In particular, this year again, Colchagua delivered lovely juicy wines with the appealing addition of floral notes on the nose and palate. “At high altitudes and cooler climates in the south, the Chilean Malbecs were rather delectable: ripe fruit and bright acidity with flavour and wood in balance,” said Patricia Stefanowicz MW.

As for Argentina, despite the aforementioned consistency in quality, there was plenty of variation in style. Extremes were evident, with some powerful wines laden with oak and sweetness from elevated alcohols, and, in contrast, examples with a middleweight feel and herbal aromas, along with the aforementioned pepperiness.

One judge, Madeleine Stenwreth MW, said the latter lighter style was the result of both a move in Argentina towards sourcing Malbec from cooler sites, along with recent cooler vintages, and the use of more whole bunches in fermentations. She did, however, stress that it was important to “separate the great green from the bad green”, when considering the overall profile of such wines.

WONDERFUL EXAMPLES

In terms of particular parts of Argentina, the scores were highest for Malbecs from the Uco Valley, but there were also some wonderful examples from Pedernal in San Juan, with Pyros showing the greatness attainable in this relatively unknown Argentine valley.

Stenwreth also said that she was “happy to see Calchaquí Valley showing off with their Malbecs this year, with lovely examples in Piatelli and El Esteco, proving that the region is not only worthy of becoming famous for their beautiful Cabs. “They might have a tiny production compared with Mendoza, but this area is worthy of much more attention.”

Finally, the bright cherry-scented expression of the Trapiche Pure – which sees no oak influence – was a revelation for the judges, showing the quality inherent in Malbec “without the makeup”, according to Stenwreth.

Overall, the tasting was testament to the versatily of Malbec, which can be used to make price-competitive juicy-fruity entrylevel wines, or concentrated and powerful oak-laden expressions, along with fine complex aromatic examples. Although the quality attainable in different parts of the world may be similarly high, the character of the wines clearly varies according to source, proving that Malbec can also be an effective transmission of terroir.

As a result, one can be sure we’ll be seeing a lot more single vineyard expressions in the future – a development already being driven by Terrazas, Trapiche and Doña Paula to great effect. In other words, the approach to Malbec is becoming Burgundian.

The judges (l-r): David Round MW, Consultant; Sebastian Payne MW, The Wine Society; Madeleine Stenwreth MW, Consultant; Anthony Foster MW, Algodon Wine Estates; Patricia Stefanowicz MW, Consultant; Patrick Schmitt MW, the drinks business; Clément Robert MS, 28-50 Wine Workshop & Kitchen

Over the following pages are the medallists from this year’s Malbec Masters, along with comments from the judges.

Malbec rosé – 100% Malbec

Unoaked Malbec – 100% Malbec

Unoaked Malbec blend (minimum 50% Malbec)

Oaked Malbec – 100% Malbec

Oaked Malbec – 100% Malbec

Oaked Malbec blend (minimum 50% Malbec)

Judges comments: Patricia Stefanowicz MW

“Malbec is a great variety, and its quintessential expression is either Argentina or Cahors. We judged some amazing wines with the juicy black fruits we love and kisses of oak, whether French or American, both of which can work well.

The few from Cahors we judged were delicious with just the right amount of structure and fruit. I suppose I’d rather liked to have seen more examples from France.

Some of the great Argentinian wines are high altitude, but occasionally trying too hard, high alcohol, maybe too much high-toast oak and over-extraction at higher price-points. Could the wines have shown a little more flavour concentration? Perhaps.

Surprises were some very delightful Malbecs from the other side of the Andes, Chile. At high altitudes and cooler climates in the south, these wines were rather delectable. Ripe fruit and bright acidity with flavour and wood in balance.”

Judges comments: Clement Robert MS

“While I found some of the wines tasted this year were a bit too big, bold and ripe, some of the more floral, peppery and elegant styles were truly great and in general I like the fact that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a very good quality Malbec. Also, there were some very good Chilean Malbecs tasted this year.

On the other hand, I did not like the examples that I found were over-extracted, with a high alcohol content and a lot of oak – they lacked freshness and elegance. I thought that this style of wine was getting out of fashion in Argentina but on the evidence of the tasting such wines are still being made.

I was surprised to see very little French Malbec, which I think is always a shame as it is after all the country of origin of Malbec.”

Judges comments: Madeleine Stenwreth MW

“To look at the results by country, firstly, within France, a pleasant surprise in the below £10 category was the Rigal, where juicy charm and bright fruit shone through for a convincing silver score. There were unfortunately serious hygiene issues in a few other SW France offerings in our flight (even some top names).

Having said that, I find it very exciting that some of the top people having consulted in Argentina for decades are active in joint ventures with a few Cahors producers. This has resulted in wines reflecting their amazing terroir with extreme focus on maintaining the purity of fruit all the way through the sensitive stages of ageing through adapting a healthy approach to what should be part of a true terroir expression.

In Chile, at the lower end of the price spectrum, the offerings often became green and edgy, lacking fruit and charm which is probably a sign of the high yielding Cot-clone pushed for volumes in very young vineyards. Herbal qualities could be lovely but there is a huge gap between this quality attribute and the edgy, unripe greenness.

There were hints of floral notes as dried roses and violets in some wines where fruit quality was substantial enough to deliver this lovely character. It was especially Interesting to see Colchagua deliver so well this year again, bringing “flesh to the bones” in a more richly textured style without losing the refreshing red fruit and this fragile, floral fragrance (especially in the sample from Luis Felipe Edwards). The opposite side of the spectrum was when the blackcurrant ‘Ribena’ and mint pungency drove the wine into a corner, making it impossible to dig out something more of interest. I think that the contrasting climate effect (higher diurnal shift in temperatures) in Curico shows through in an attractive way where the herbal notes and firmness of tannins were nicely balanced by enough fruit density, which was a repetition from last year in the Curico examples. Are we starting to see some style consistency with Malbec styles in Chile despite the relatively few examples available/tasted in the last two editions of Malbec Masters?

As for Argentina, there are still some wines which are seriously powered by oak, everything from showing off top quality expensive new barrels to the other side of the spectrum revealing coffee-toasty oak chips-bombs. Oak is much better handled in just the last couple of years, possibly, as a result of the cooler vintages giving way to more elegant wines which are not built to handle the previously simple recipe of using high toasted oak chips for flavor addition. This necessary change came quicker to Argentina due to the challenges pre-/harvest time brought by the weather gods; for good and bad depending on the producers’ situation.

The greatness of green…  The lovely herbal quality attributes (as in wild thyme, lavender and peppery ruccola notes) from cooler sites (and vintages) are further pronounced as there is, where relevant, a push for more and more whole bunches going into the fermentation vats. It is important to note that there is one thing to become impressed by this in a tasting where the winemaker explains his cool and trendy ‘whole bunch fermentation philosophy’ and when a wine driven by this character is tasted blind. It demands your attention to separate the great green from the bad green, and its role in the overall quality and charismatic profile of the wine.

I was happy to see Calchaquies Valley showing off with their Malbecs this year, with lovely examples in Piatelli and El Esteco, proving that the region is not only worthy of becoming famous for their beautiful Cabs. They might have a tiny production compared to Mendoza, but seriously this area is worthy of much more attention.

Also, I was highly impressed by Pyros and the Sagrado Pedernal, showing the greatness of the yet relatively unknown world class terroir of Pedernal Valley in San Juan.

The pure, bright and energetic cherry-strawberry fruited expression of the Trapiche Pure was also a revelation as it ended up in the lineup among other wines; such an honest expression of Malbec without make-up.

The higher the price, the more it seemed to still be a need to impress by the power of oak and extraction, not mentioning the macho heavy weight bottles. Many £50+ were too much a caricature than a wine that communicates the desire to be drunk. The most pleasant surprise was the £10-15 category where the best showed pride and beauty in place and variety rather than boosting the makeup.

Overall, alcohol levels seem better managed, also an effect of cooler past vintages and in the best wines, an energizing freshness as a natural part of its vibrant fruit expression.

And, while there were still some unnecessary oak chip-dominated wines made with the aim to trying to charm the socks off the consumers looking for a smack in the face-effect… overall, and across all origins, there were also some very positive signs of improvements in the application of oak make-up.”

David Round MW

“The tasting confirmed my view that part of Malbec’s success, certainly amongst the Argentinian examples, derives from its consistency of quality. So I wasn’t surprised to see that there were relatively few poor wines on show. What surprised me was the large number of really good wines – I can’t remember awarding quite so many medals in other Masters tastings. I was also struck by how many excellent wines there were in the £10-£20 price band and how close they were in quality to wines in higher price categories.

The best examples had freshness, with ripe, focused fruit, integrated oak and weren’t too alcoholic. As expected, Argentina dominated the tasting both in number and quality of wines submitted, with Mendoza, in particular Valle de Uco, catching my eye but there were also some stylish examples from San Juan’s Valle de Pedernal. There were some very fresh, crunchy-fruited wines from Chile, especially Bio Bio, Curico and Rapel. South-west France also performed well, but there were very few wines included and the style here is so different that they are probably better judged in a separate category.

The reasons that I marked down some less successful wines included jamminess, stewed prune character to the fruit, greenness, too much oak and dilution. One particular issue was divisive amongst tasters: some wines had a green / bell pepper / pyrazine character that some liked but I did not.

Finally, I was surprised to see quite a few wines made in a very aromatic, peppery, restrained northern Rhone Syrah style – certainly not classic, but I really liked most of them. It was also good to see an interesting example from Turkey.”