Fabre Montmayou Gran Reserva Malbec '21

 
As the most well-known, and most-planted, red grape of the Argentinian region of Mendoza, Malbec is made in so many styles, and at so many price points, that finding a good one can prove challenging. Although the grape is native to France (and most well known from Cahors, Bordeaux, and the Loire Valley), many will argue that Mendoza—strongly influenced by the Andes and the dry, cool, yet sunny conditions there—is where it now achieves its most classic expression. And this is thanks to producers such as Fabre Montmayou, who have focused on producing wines that express the grape’s characteristics as well as the vineyards where it grows. 

Hervé Joyaux Fabre founded the Fabre Montmayou winery in the early 1990s, when he moved from his native Bordeaux to Argentina. He recognized that Argentina had potential for great wine, and he has focused on making wines that express terroir and purity of fruit as well as complexity, freshness, and elegance.

The Gran Reserva is made solely from Malbec, from vineyards in Vistalba (in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza), with vines over 50 years in age. The grapes are manually harvested and undergo a cold maceration for five days prior to fermentation. There are four pump-overs per day, with a 25-day maceration period. The wine is aged in French oak barrels for 12 months, and then in bottle for 12 months before release.

Notes of cherry, plum, and cedar on the beautiful nose. This wine has concentration, though without the overt extraction typical of some Mendoza Malbecs. This is the way Malbec should be made. A great everyday red—have a glass on its own or with a homemade smash burger.