100% Malbec from San Juan, Argentina.
SRP of $13 and available for as low as $9. Sample submitted for review purposes.
From the bottle:
"Graffigna (grah FEE nyah) Centenario is a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the winery, founded by Santiago Graffigna in 1870. His commitment and passionate dedication created the foundation on which the winery was built. Graffigna has become a true Argentinean icon, delivering premium, world class wines for over 135 years. Oaky notes in this wine are the result of aging 50% of the wine in oak barrels for 12 months, which combines with 50% unaged in oak, offering plenty of fruit.
Suggested Food Matching: Lamb Ossobuco with hot spicy pumpkin risotto in Malbec reduction.
14.0% Alcohol"
Today's wine was my drink of choice last Tuesday for #MalbecWorldDay. This variety is a particular favorite of mine and for awhile it seemed as if Malbec could do wrong -- virtually every one I tried was relatively good. However, perhaps like many of you, I've found myself becoming more picky about which ones I will drink as it seems the quality isn't always there.
Today's recommendation comes from the second oldest winery in Argentina, in San Juan, which is quite a remarkable place. I wouldn't have suspected that precipitation levels similar to the Sahara desert would be good for growing grapes, but thanks to the abundant underground water supply, over 310 days of sunshine a year and the high altitude, my suspicions were wrong.
The 2010 Graffigna Centenario Reserve Malbec begins with complex aromas of blackberry, spice, lavender, cola and vanilla. Tasting the wine shows dense, rich and juicy flavors along with great balance and complexity. This tasty wine has lots of great berry and toasty oak, cola and a little chocolate plus prominent dense tannins. It ends with a good, medium-long finish with continued notes of toasty oak and chocolate. Highly recommended!
See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.
Overall Rating: 8.0
