Biutiful Malbec 2019 - MAAL - Mendoza, Argentina 75cl

Up high along the eastern edge of the Andes Mountains, is Vista Flores a tiny appellation within the Uco Valley's Mendoza region, where winemaker Alfredo Merlo and grower Matias Fraga make MAAL wines, which simply stands for "Malbec As Alfredo Likes". It's all about Malbec for these guys, produced in varying styles and grown 900-1350m above sea level. With the majority of their fruit coming from Vista Flores, they also source small parcels from top appellations such us Las Compuertas, in Luján de Cuyo, and Campo Los Andes, in Uco Valley

Fruit is sourced from the Altamira and San Carlos sites, both with an altitude of 1250m. The soil characteristics are mostly stony and sandy soils, with calcareous clay in small areas. The age of the vineyards are approximately 25 years old with a vine trellis system of vertical shoot positioning and plant density of 5000 plants per hectare. All fruit is hand harvested and taken to the winery for four days of pre-fermentation cold soak maceration. Wild ferment then occurs at 22-25°C, with a 25 day maceration. Full malolactic fermentation in tank. This wine is unoaked, favouring a fruit forward style.

Intense blackcurrant and dark fruit with mocha. Concentrated fresh dark fruits and incredibly smooth, well integrated tannins.