I’ve commented in previous reviews that not all malbec comes from Argentina. Today we have the opportunity to check out one from Chile, the Maule Valley region to be more specific.
This malbec is from Apaltagua, not an unfamiliar brand to us. We’ve reviewed a few of their other wines and found them to be nice, so we were certainly curious to see what they would do with a malbec.
This malbec is definitely different from the Argentine ones we’ve tasted. The nose has a pronounced vegetal/herbal characteristic that I would describe as a cross of green pepper and mint. I often appreciate the complexity and character that an herbal or vegetal aroma will add to a wine, but in this case it’s a little out of balance, making it detract from rather than add to the wine. On the positive side, it also shows some clove, plum and cherry aromas which are quite nice.
The palate offers up plum and cherry flavors with some black pepper toward the finish, which is a touch on the bitter side. The fruit is nice, but I still find myself questioning the balance in this wine. I’m starting to sound a little negative, so to be clear I don’t hate this wine. But at the same time, I don’t love it. It’s a drinkable malbec, but it just doesn’t have the balance and harmony needed to make it a great malbec.
Wine: Apaltagua Reserva
Variety: Malbec
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 82
Price: $12.00
Find Apaltagua Reserva Malbec with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.