Norton Reserva Malbec - Dependably Satisfying • Reverse Wine Snob®

Classic Malbec at a great price, the Norton Reserva Malbec.

100% Malbec from 30 to 50 year old vines in Lujan de Cuyo (50%) and Valle de Uco (50%), Mendoza, Argentina. The wine was aged for 12 months in first and second use French oak barrels and then another 10 months in bottle before release. It has residual sugar of just 1.8 g/L.

Sample submitted for review. The Norton Reserva Malbec has an SRP of $19 and is available for as low as $12. Ready to buy? Check your local retailers. Imported by Guarachi Wine Partners. 125,000 cases imported.

From the bottle:

Bodega Norton was founded in 1895 at the Mendoza River Valley. The estate winery is located at the foothills of the Andes, at altitudes ranging between 850 to 1100m above sea level. “Reserva” is made from carefully selected grapes from vineyards more than 30 years old. The wine is aged 12 months in French oak barrels and then additionally in bottles before release. Our people’s passion, together with the harmonious coexistence of fruit and oak over time, have made this a great wine, characterized by its elegance and complexity.

14% Alcohol

Today’s wine is a great example of how a little air can transform a wine into something special. In many of our reviews you’ll hear us recommend giving a wine an hour or so in the glass to “open up”. It’s called decanting and the effect of a little oxygen can be quite dramatic in some wines!

It’s also the reason we never post reviews based on one or two sips taken at tastings where wine after wine is sipped, spit and then judged. For us drinking wine “normally” means opening a bottle and enjoying it over a long period of time, with and without food, and even coming back to it the next day to see how it has held up. (After all, many of us don’t polish off a whole bottle every night, so if you’re going to pay for it you want to make sure it can last a couple nights!)

This wine is a great example of what can happen when you allow a wine to breathe. It’s actually a fascinating process to pour a glass and sip it slowly over several hours, noting how the flavors and aromas change. I encourage you to give it a try if you have not already.

The 2014 Norton Reserva Malbec begins with a very pleasant aroma of black cherry, plum and spice along with hints of lavender, violets and vanilla. Taking a sip reveals a pretty classic Malbec with plenty of oak influence. It’s balanced, smooth and silky with an abundance of spice-filled blackberry fruit. It ends with lots of lingering fruit plus hints of tobacco, more vanilla and oaky spice on the long, dry finish. This would make a great burger wine, it’s a really solid Malbec for the price.

Ready to buy the Norton Reserva Malbec? Check your local retailers.