Vina Alicia Las Compuertas Malbec 2007

93 pts Robert Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate - Rich on the palate, it has incipient complexity, superb grip and concentration, and a lengthy finish.

Tasting Notes

This is manually performed, using 12 to 14 kilo plastic cages, to ward against berry damage and protect from contamination. At this stage, two bunch selections have been practiced: the first after flowering and the second when the fruit colored, to discard misshapen, imperfect or insufficiently colored bunches. Only the better exposed, fully ripe and sunkissed berries are harvested. Upon arrival at the winery, the third selection of fruit bunches is carried out manually over special tables to separate immature grapes, dry or withered, before proceeding to remove stems. This operation is performed by a machine placed across the opening of the fermentation vessel. A cold maceration is allowed for two days before the onset of fermentation. Only then does alcoholic fermentation begin, thanks to the region's natural yeasts that bestow terroir character. An extensive maceration follows to enable thorough tannin and polyphenol extraction, crucial for wine longevity. During fermentation 2 to 3 daily mixings are made, with squeezing, to favor transference of these elements to the wine. All these operations are done in a very careful, gentle way. Once alcoholic fermentation ends, the wine is set in new French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. When this stage concludes, casks are cleaned and wine is kept in the same ones for 12 more months.

Awards, Reviews and other Notes

93 pts Robert Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate (JM)
The 2007 Malbec, sourced from ungrafted vines with an average age of over 100 years. It was aged for 12 months in new French oak. A glass-coating opaque purple color, it displays a brooding nose of wood smoke, graphite, spice box, black cherry, and plum. Medium- to full-bodied, dense opulent, and rich on the palate, it has incipient complexity, superb grip and concentration, and a lengthy finish. It will benefit from 3-4 years of additional cellaring and offer prime drinking from 2012 to 2022.
91 pts + Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar (JR)
This went through its malolactic fermentation in French barriques Bright ruby-red. Subdued but pure aromas of dark berries, smoke and licorice. Then suave, silky and seamless on the palate, with lovely inner-mouth perfume to the black raspberry and smoke flavors. In a rather restrained and subtly complex style, with no easy sweetness showing today. Finishes with plenty of grip and flavor intensity. Give this urbane malbec at least a year or two in the cellar.

87 pts Wine Enthusiast Magazine
More backed, muddled and heavy than Alicia's Paso de Piedra bottling, with roasted plum/berry flavors and a heavy, forceful palate that carries some bur, heat and rubber. Big and bullish, like a proverbial toro in a China shop. A lot of oak too.

87 pts Wine Spectator Magazine
This is dark and concentrated, with a nice winey core of blackberry, black currant and anise flavors that are dense enough to handle the hefty toast treatment. Spice and licorice notes linger on the full-bodied finish. A touch overdone, but will have fans.

Winemaker Notes

These are purple colored wines that are alcoholic, capable of aging very well, possessing a hint of sweetness and spices. Given time, they open up to complexity and depth of aromas. A combination of fresh fruit, sugar and subtlety, and even some touch of stone and minerals can be found. Moka, fig, honey and sour cherries. The taste is precise and forceful, filling the mouth with elegance.

Chemical Analysis

Price

SKU

Varietal

Alcohol %: 13.9%
PH: 3.5
Total Acid: 4.76
Residual Sugar: 1.25
Free Total Sulfur: 25 mg

$29.99

8435

Malbec