de angeles gran malbec 2018 

De Angeles

Is it actually possible to improve upon the ‘regular’ Malbec from De Angeles? And if so, what are the differences? Well, this is even more dense and concentrated on the nose with hedonistic aromas of sweet black plums and dried violets mingling with subtle spice and mocha. In the mouth the wine is luxuriously succulent with plush tannins and beautiful, gentle acidity and an incredibly long finish redolent of sweet blackcurrant with hints of molasses and liquorice on the end, but again the wine is by no means overbearing or ‘showy’. Winemaker Juan Manuel Gonzalez has again allowed these fantastic old vines do most of the work. The Gran Malbec, however, is aged in new French oak barrels for 14 months and this is a key difference, but these barrels have very low toast levels and thus the fruit / oak integration is sublimely integrated. This is nothing short of a masterpiece that speaks volumes of its unique raw materials – very old un-grafted vines. We wonder if Malbec from Bordeaux could ever have tasted this good when it was the main grape of that region pre-phylloxera; probably far too hypothetical to contemplate given the likely lack of cleanliness in the winemaking back then. Anyway, this is gorgeous!

94 / 100, Tim Atkin Special Report (2017 vintage)