2013 Malbec Achaval Ferrer, Mendoza, Argentina.
Opening this bottle was a challenge, the cork did not really want to come off – the Durand helped. The first sniff and sip gave the impression of a grumpy, tired Argentinian: he was really upset to be disturbed and asked to perform a tango dance.
Deep and obscure ruby color. In the nose, the initial aromas I found were dried plum, blueberry compote, smoky, with a touch of Brettanomyces. The wine was quite closed, also on the palate. So I decided to give it time to wake up and breathe.
An hour and a half later, the wine resembled a man who just lit a cigarette, still not ready to dance, but at least willing to talk… And yet another half hour later, he danced! Beautiful aromas of dark red and black fruit, blackberry, dried plum, blueberry compote, cigar box, smoky note, but the Brett note gone.
On the palate, the 2013 Malbec Achaval Ferrer is dry, with medium acidity. The tannins are nicely integrated and fine grained. Alcohol is high, the body is full and it has a rather long finish. A really nice tango indeed that it finally showed. TBM 90 points.
