Lariviere Yturbe Malbec Partida Limitada – One Of The Best Malbecs You’ve Never Heard Of

Available for $19.99 at Oscar Super Cash & Carry in Puerto Rico. After bemoaning the quality of the Malbecs at Trader Joe’s on twitter, Carlos Toro from Oscar’s sent me a bottle of this wine to try. According to the Lariviere website their wines are currently only exported to Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Denmark, Uruguay, Guatemala, and Australia. From the winemaker:

GRAPE: Malbec 100%.

HARVEST: 2008

LOCATION VINYEARD: Luján de Cuyo, Ugarteche, Mendoza a 975 msnm.

DESCRIPTION OF WINE: Red ruby with a twinkle of violet, intense, brilliant; it has a frutal expression prevailing over the oak. This important presence of fruit will later transform into the velvet, elegant and lasting flavour of the bouquet.

GUARD: 14 months in contact with French and American oaks, medium plus toasted.

ASSORTMENTS: Excellent with strong cheeses, red roasted meats and pastas with red sauces.

SERVE: between 16 and 17 ºC.

Terroir Luján de Cuyo have special characteristics, that had to be respected, in order to be revealed in the final product. Mario Toso refers to a concept which involves a detailed planning, deep knowledge and commitment that needs to the present to obtain such a purpose. The result is a complete and humble agriculture which doesn´t search to impose itself in a context but to respond to what the place is looking for, with a deep respect to the terroir.

Wines The objective is to produce wines with a strong personality and elegance given by a french savoir faire with the talent of Mendoza’s team and the incredible taste of the grapes. To focus on the elaboration of few wines but all of them with a very unique style.

So here we have a great story, a cool label with individually numbered bottles and limited availability, which makes for quite an exclusive wine at around $20. (This one looks like it could do well in the American market!) While all this is nice, I’m much more interested in how the wine tastes. I’m not a big fan of all those other things (which can so easily feed into the wine snobbery I so dislike) — taste and value are what this blog is about. However, if the wine can back up all the talk and window dressing with great taste then I can live with it.

The 2008 Lariviere Yturbe Malbec Partida Limitada does indeed come through with great taste. Ripe fruit and a bit of coffee/vanilla on the nose. Smooth and fruity in the mouth with some spice and heavier tannins on the lingering finish. Overall quite good and much more complex than a typical Malbec. Words don’t really do this one justice. If you are in Puerto Rico, you need to go pick up a bottle and give it a try. For the rest of us, here’s hoping that this wine makes it to the States soon!

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

Taste Rating: 8 I’m only giving this one a Taste rating for now since it is not available in the U.S. yet.

All ratings use a simple 10 point scale with 10 being the best. Check out the Interactive Wine Rating Chart to find all my reviews! You can sort by type of wine, cost, rating, etc. in the interactive spreadsheet.