Premium Argentinian Malbec: panel tasting results

Alistair Cooper MW, Dirceu Vianna Junior MW and Amanda Barnes tasted 87 wines with 4 Outstanding and 53 Highly Recommended.

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit 100% Malbec priced at £15 and above in the UK, from any Argentinian region and vintage of their choice

Premium Argentinian Malbec panel tasting scores

87 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 4

Highly recommended 53

Recommended 26

Commended 3

Fair 1

Poor 0

Faulty 0

Malbec continues to show why it is Argentina’s champion,’ said Amanda Barnes after this very encouraging panel tasting. Dirceu Vianna Junior MW agreed: ‘It was an excellent tasting that gave us a snapshot of the quality of premium Malbec at present, and illustrates why consumers are so seduced by it – especially those willing to pay a bit more.’

I was also impressed and, as noted by Vianna, it was pleasing to see that premium examples of Malbec are worth splashing out on. This should be welcome news to producers as Malbec remains Argentina’s undisputed star – and on this showing quite rightly so.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top premium Argentinian Malbec wines

The key development for Malbec over the past decade has been the meteoric rise and progression of regional typicity. This was excitingly apparent throughout the tasting.

While 15 years ago we talked largely about the Uco Valley and altitude plantings in a relatively generic manner, now the nuances between regions at altitude are clear to see.

Barnes explained: ‘Malbec expresses itself so well in so many different regions, from the brooding yet fresh Malbecs of Cafayate to the floral and silky wines of Altamira, it really is a great communicator of terroir.’

‘Unsurprisingly, the area that performed best was Gualtallary,’ said Vianna, ‘and I also found some beautiful wines from Paraje Altamira and Agrelo.’ I concur, and scored all but one of the 16 entries from Gualtallary and Paraje Altamira above 90 points. To illustrate the consistency of the tasting, Vianna scored two-thirds of all entries at 90 points or above.

I’d liked to have seen more entries from Salta (seven) and Patagonia (two). Both of these areas can produce superlative examples. I am a big admirer of the pure, vibrant expressions from Salta, which can exhibit vivacious, highly tuned palates that are like watching an ultra-high-definition television. Patagonia, meanwhile, can produce detailed, savoury styles with real structure and poise.

See all 87 premium Argentinian Malbec wines from the panel tasting

Argentina has experienced considerable vintage variation over the years, and here we had entries from every vintage between 2012 and 2020. ‘2019 is the star for me,’ commented Barnes, ‘although some of the 2018s were impressive too. I think the older vintages have potential for cellaring further, but it rather depends on the winemaking – overripe wines were losing their fruit far too quickly.’

Vianna had positive news for consumers and producers alike. ‘Recent vintages seemed to be kind to Malbec. Consumers can reach out for a bottle with great confidence without having to worry excessively about vintages.’ Excessive use of oak, which was a serious problem in the past, thankfully seems to be waning. Yet there were still some wines that unfortunately suffered from the heavy hand of clumsy oaking. There is certainly a place for judicious oaking with Malbec, yet it must frame the wine rather than dominate it.

This heartening tasting showed quite how far premium Malbec has come in a relatively short space of time. Consumers can confidently trade up to experience the wide array of styles, regionality and high quality that Argentinian Malbec clearly possesses.

Top-scoring wines from the premium Argentinian Malbec panel tasting

All wines scored 92 and above

The judges

Alistair Cooper MW is a wine consultant, writer and educator with a particular focus on South America. President of the Cata d’Or wine awards in Chile, he writes regularly for Decanter and many other publications, and is consultant wine buyer for United Cellars in Sydney.

Amanda Barnes is an awarded travel and wine writer specialising in South America’s wines and regions. A DWWA judge, she is the author of The South America Wine Guide print edition, now available via her website southamericawineguide.com.

Dirceu Vianna Junior MW is a wine writer, technical advisor, consultant and educator. After moving to the UK in 1989, he was wine director for some of the UK’s most prominent wine distributors, and in 2008 he became the first South American male to obtain the title of Master of Wine.

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