2010 Malbec Finca Ambrosia

The 2010 Terroir Series Malbec Finca Ambrosia, like all these Terroir Series Malbecs, was fermented in concrete vats and aged for 18 months in new and second-use French oak barrels to show the differences of the different sub-regions and vineyards. This is sourced from Gualtallary at 1,200 meters altitude on sandy soils and offers notes of ripe peaches, violets and raspberries intermixed with sweet vanilla. It is aromatic and showy, with a seductive nose. The palate is full-bodied with fine-grained tannins and a more soil-driven character that retains very good freshness and acidity. It is my favorite from the Terroir Series. At this quality level it represents very good value. Superb! Drink 2015-2020. Trapiche is one of the oldest brands still produced in Argentina. It used to belong to the Pulenta family, creators of the Penaflor Group, which was bought in 2010 by the Argentine Bemberg family. They are a large company with over 1,200 hectares of vineyards and produce wines in all price ranges. A considerable amount of grapes goes into producing grape concentrate, a product of which Argentina is the leading producer on earth. The group is dynamic and invests some 15 million dollars per year. Trapiche produces an impressive 30 million liters of wine per year, and it is the largest exported brand from Argentina. The wines are sound, often big-sized and considerably oaked, but moving toward the top ranges where there must be less commercial pressure, I find more freshness and tension, more drinkability, which is very welcome, even if some wines are still quite big. Some wines in the Terroir Series, which reflects the grapes of small suppliers throughout the province of Mendoza, are simply phenomenal. The oak cask range is aged with oak staves, as it is the only possibility of offering oak-aged wines at these prices. I met with Daniel Pi, winemaker for Trapiche and tasted through a wide range of their wines. I also had the chance to drink some older bottles while in Mendoza, such as an impressive Medalla white from 1983 produced mostly with Semillon grapes. I also tasted some Cabernet Sauvignons from the 1970s that were very much alive, like the 1978 Fond de Cave, among others. I shall visit their historical cellars next time I’m in Mendoza. Importer: The Wine Group; tel. (925) 583-1569; www.thewinegroup.com