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Ricardo Santos Las Madras Vineyard Malbec
2008
Malbec
Smooth
Argentina
Meat
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This wine comes from Ricardo Santos's home vineyard of Las Madras, located 2,800 feet above sea level in the Andes foothills. Here the grapes enjoy a temperate climate that allows for slow, steady ripening. The lean, rocky soils deliver small berries with thick skins that make for deeply colored, concentrated wines with moderate tannins and a depth of fruit that's easy to appreciate, even in youth. Imported by French immigrants in the 19th century, Malbec achieves a greatness in South America that it rarely does in its native southwestern France.
Argentine Malbec is a natural accompaniment to the grilled grass-fed beef that's everywhere in Argentina, but the supple tannins and generous black fruit of Malbec make it a good match for any dish with bold flavors, especially Latin cuisine, from boldly seasoned empanadas to chicken molé.
Serve at cool room temperature (64°F).
One of the first to understand the potential international appeal of Malbec from Argentina, Ricardo Santos founded the prominent Norton brand in the 1970s and was the first to export Malbec wine to the United States. After selling Norton he established a family winery under his own name. He and his wife, Estela, continue to produce benchmark wines from Mendoza with help from their sons, Patricio, the winemaker, and Pedro, the marketing director.
This rich red delivers what we have come to expect from Argentine Malbec. It has fresh violet, blackberry, kirsch and cassis aromas with notes of smoke and vanilla and generous black and red fruit flavors that are super-ripe and generous with subtle dark graphite, licorice and tar notes.