Another new bottle, this time procured in the finest store in the fine metropolis of Chicago, Illinois. This is a 100% Malbec offering from Karim Mussi's vineyards in the Uco Valley, spending 10 months aging in French Oak barrels. Here are my remarks on this bottle.
Nose: Cherry preserves, Hershey's chocolate. The fruit gets more pronounced with each pass. A little bit of oak with time and the cherry begins to weaken in favor of the chocolate. A little more time and the chocolate expands but is joined by a bit of blackberry and violet.
Palate: As advertised on the nose with a proper conversation between the red fruit and darker fruit with each sip. On the second sip there's a lot more oak cutting through and shifts this from a fruit-forward bottle to something much more robust. Medium acidity with a healthy dose of tannins.
Finish: Long and lingering, with the continuing to be the main story and the fruit playing out in the distance.
Was taken aback by the shift, but it was nothing terribly offensive. If anything it was a pleasant surprise. Nothing really offensive here to report, and overall an entertaining buy at a healthy price point. Alandes also offers a Malbec from the Salta region, more specifically the Alandes Calchaqui Valley area. I would be quite curious to pair the two together in a tasting for contrast.
$25 USD
Bodega Alandes (Karim Mussi)