High Note Elevated Malbec (2007)
Vista del Sur Winery
Malbec
Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
Ohio's weather is never predictable this time of year. Recently we've had temperatures dipping into the 40s and 30s. In my living room I can clearly see my breath mere inches from my face. Maybe it's because we're resilient to the cold - or maybe just cheap and stubborn - but we've not yet turned on the heat and until the snow sticks I refuse to accept fall's inevitable end.
In an effort to fend off the cold I turned to High Note, an Argentinian Malbec produced by Vista del Sur winery near Mendoza. Supporting the tag line that "Altitude is everything," I'm assured that the vines used for this wine are grown somewhere between 3,700 and 5,000 feet above sea level in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. With many primo growing regions butting right up to this massive range, producers are famous for boasting about how high up their grapes are grown. Marketing at its best.
While High Note is not 100% Malbec, Argentina's poster-grape does make up 83% of the blend. The other 17 is divided between Cabernet Sauvignon (8), Cabernet Franc (6), and Petit Verdot (3). Malbec, having found its way from Europe and the minor leagues of Bordeaux blends, has become an undeniable star in South American wine making. All those sun-filled days beef up the fruity characteristics and give Malbec a more supple body much earlier than it's counterpart in Cahors.
Appearance: The High Note was a deep ruby-violet, leaving a good amount of color on the sides of my glass - warm climate indicator for sure! Text was not legible through the wine.
Nose: Clean nose with a slightly more than medium intensity, with floral and red fruit being the first aromas to register. Very youthful and fruity, the raspberry and red cherry stood out from everything else as I got deeper into my glass. Lighter aromas included a violet or perfumed fragrance (from the PV perhaps), spice (black pepper), and chocolate.
Palate: Dry with a medium to full body. Fruity tannins that seemed tight, but will probably loosen up with time. Raspberry, blackberry, and pepper dominate, backed by chocolate from the nose. Lighter flavors of coffee and oak lingered on the finish.
The marker on the map below is an approximation of where the Uco Valley is located. Surrounding (terrain view) and to the west you can see the Andes, and beyond them the narrow country of Chile, popular for its own French variety, Carménère, which until recently was widely mistaken for Merlot - another feat in marketing genius for a later post.
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With a knack for full-bodied reds, Argentina currently holds the number 5 spot for wine-production (just after the US and Europe's "Big Three": Italy, France, and Spain). It's no secret that they are going to be getting a lot of attention in the coming years. All the money being dumped on them from the top European producers surely is helping, but I'm thinking it might not hurt that their forecast is sunny with highs in the mid-80s for the rest of the week. For what it's worth (around $15 retail), High Note wasn't a bad way to bring a little of that warmth to Ohio. A new world wine no doubt, I'd recommend High Note to anyone who enjoys full-bodied reds that exhibit more fruit than some of the earthy, terroir-driven old world options.
Cheers!
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