Description
The 2017 Malbec Gran Reserva fermented in closed barrels with some three to four percent Sémillon in search of an elegant and less concentrated Malbec. The wine also matured in these French oak barrels (always from Mercurey for this specific wine) for 18 months, shorter than ever before, as it's usually 24 months. 2016 was a very rainy year, when phenolic ripeness was reached very early, so the wine has a lighter profile and a fresh and floral nose, with a lot less impact from the oak than I expected. It has an exuberant and showy nose of sweet and oriental spices, very floral with cracked peppercorns. It has a medium body and less concentration than the Reserva, with nicely integrated oak—a great change from previous vintages—and very contained ripeness. Maybe this is a one-off because of the unusual vintage.