2009 Altocedro Malbec La Consulta Reserva

Wine Advocate
"92 pts ... The 2009 Malbec Reserva was sourced from vines averaging 75 years of age and spent 15 months in a mix of new and second-use French oak. It delivers a step up in richness from the Ano Cedro cuvee, along with greater density, succulence, and length. Plush on the palate, it conceals enough structure to evolve for another 2-3 years and will be at its best from 2012 to 2021."

Winemaker's Notes
"85% Malbec, 15% Tempranillo–aged for 12 months in oak, deeply saturated blue-purple color attests to the wine's power and concentration, and the flavor is pure ripe berry, plum, with a nuance of sweet tobacco. The tannins are rounded, lingering generously into a rich mouth-filling finish."

Wine Spectator
"92 pts ... A dark and racy red, sporting a creamy mix of blackberry, cassis and dark plum fruit wrapped in silky tannins. Hints of freshly cured tobacco and spice fill the finish." --10/11

Technical Notes
"Limited production with sustainable growing practices make the Altocedro wines a cult-type wine in Argentina. Winemaker Karim Mussi Saffie focuses on producing terroir-driven wines. All harvesting, sorting, and crushing are done in individual batches by hand using no machinery in the process. The vines range up to 70 years of age, with only 1,600 plants per acre, and strict harvesting of only 1.2 kg of grapes per vine. The extract is done with a gravity flow system developed at the winery over 100 years ago. 14.9% alc."