SALENTEIN GRAN CORTE MALBEC/MERLOT

Wine Enthusiast 93 points – Salentein’s wines have never been better than over the last few vintages. This Malbec-heavy blend is rich, with aromatic notes of raisin, prune, licorice and almond candy. A full, tannic and slightly bumpy palate holds impressive flavors of cassis, black plum, blackberry, toast and peppercorn. On the finish, coffee, toast, mocha, licorice and cassis flavors are deep and delicious. Drink through 2026..Michael Schachner, February/2017Vinous 90 points – Bright full ruby. Strong peppery/herbal lift to the aromas of blackberry, black cherry and menthol. Offers lovely density, pliancy and sweetness, but the wine’s pungent fresh tobacco and herb elements currently clash with its sweet oak and rich cocoa flavors. There are some distinctly herbaceous notes here but I like the wine’s generosity of texture and sweet tannins. not to mention its length..July/2017James Suckling 92 points – Slightly over-extracted style, but there’s lots of ripe fruit and spices. Full-bodied, juicy and intense. Walnuts and toasted oak. Give it time to come together. A blend of malbec, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, petit verdot and merlot. Drink in 2020..June/2017 | 14.5% abv | The grapes were hand-harvested in the early morning and placed in 18 kg-plastic bins. Upon arrival in the winery, a cluster selection and soft de-stemming were performed, without breaking the berries. From there, they were placed in the tank, without using pumps, where cold maceration was performed at 8 C to 10 C for 5 days, with the berries virtually intact. After cold maceration, select yeasts were added and fermentation started in a controlled manner for 10 days. The must was pumped over and the cap was manually punched down very softly until the end of fermentation. Subsequently, maceration continued for 20 more days. After this stage, the wine was immediately racked to new and second-use French oak barrels, where malo-lactic fermentation took place. | Deep ruby red with violet hues. Aromas of plums and blackberries on the palate velvety tannins set the stage for an enviably round finish.