A red blend done right, the Santa Julia Reserva Mountain Blend.
70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Franc from Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina. It spends 10 months in French oak barrels.
Sample submitted for review. The Santa Julia Reserva Mountain Blend has an SRP of $13 and is available for as low as $10. Ready to buy? Check your local retailers. Imported by Winesellers LTD.
The grapes for Santa Julia Reserva are sourced from Uco Valley vineyards, planted at elevations between 3,130 and 4,600 ft above sea level. This astonishing terroir provides excellent conditions for producing wines that stand out for their concentration of aromas and flavors.
This blend is a full body red wine, with red plum, dark fruit and spice notes.
Our passion for wine was born more than 50 years ago when my grandfather planted his first vineyards in Mendoza. Since, we aim to produce wines that express the uniqueness of our region with respect for the environment. – Julia Zuccardi.
14% Alcohol
One of my favorite aspects of a good red blend is finding the unexpected. Let's face it, a lot of mass market red blends are simply boring. Overly sweet with lots of artificial oak flavor, they're certainly drinkable, but hardly fulfilling. There are; however, plenty of red blends that break out of this mold. Today we have the perfect example that uses a blend you don't often see - Malbec and Cabernet Franc.
The 2018 Santa Julia Reserva Mountain Blend begins with pleasing aromas of plum, a little cranberry, blueberry and spice notes with a hint of vanilla and chocolate. The wine tastes even better than it smells with tons of fresh dark fruit imbued with spice and coffee notes and wrapped up in a smooth, velvety and delicious texture. I love this combination of grapes with the Cabernet Franc adding a bit of an earthy dimension to the fruit from the Malbec. The coffee and spice notes come to the front on the finish that also features more dark, juicy fruit.
Upon popping and pouring we were a bit disappointed as compared to previous vintages although it does continue to improve as it has more air. It is still quite good for the price but I can't rate this vintage quite as highly as previous years when it even sat atop our Top 10 reds list.
Ready to buy? Check your local retailers.
You can also find more of our favorite wines from Argentina here.
