A true sense of place, encompassing culture, people and landscape, is the essential ingredient in the production of a memorable wine. Since 2000, Trivento’s Golden Reserve Malbec has been showcasing the truth of this statement, as well as the passion and appreciation the Trivento team has for the terroir of Luján de Cuyo.
The birth of an Argentinian Malbec ambassador
The year 2000 was a pivotal moment for the Argentinian wine scene. It was around the turn of the millennium that Trivento, one of the leading wine producers in South America founded by Viña Concha y Toro Family of Wineries in 1996, was beginning to show the great potential of its vineyards, especially through Malbec. The variety would soon become the figurehead on the prow as the Argentinian wine industry ventured overseas.
That same year, Trivento released a new wine that would become a major landmark in the winery’s history: Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec.
It was Trivento’s first high-end wine to be produced with grapes painstakingly selected from vineyards in Luján de Cuyo, Malbec’s ancestral home.
‘I remember the birth of Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec quite vividly as I’d only just arrived at the winery. This was a very important period for Mendoza, when we were only just beginning to explore the potential of high-altitude terroirs and ancient Malbec vineyards,’ remembers Germán Di Cesare, Chief Winemaker at Trivento, who has been in charge of this label since 2009.
Magdalena Viani and Germán Di Cesare
The constant reinterpretation of an iconic wine
Twenty years after the release of the first Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec, the wine scene in Argentina has dramatically changed. The world now recognises the quality of Argentinian wine, and Golden Reserve Malbec is an important benchmark to appreciate and understand these changes. ‘For us, Luján de Cuyo is a place to be treasured,” says Di Cesare. “We always aim to reflect the identity of the terroir at its purest, and each bottle of Golden Reserve Malbec is our interpretation of what that is.’
The extensive experience of Germán Di Cesare is now complemented by the talent of winemaker Magdalena Viani. Together they have produced a Malbec of balance and freshness that is an authentic expression of the old vines, soils and climate of Luján de Cuyo.
‘We have selected the best vineyards of Vistalba, Las Compuertas, Agrelo and Perdriel, the key regions of Luján de Cuyo, to make Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec as precise and expressive as we possibly can’ says Magadalena Viani. ‘The dry climate, sunlight and extensive temperature range of the first two regions deliver muscle, concentration and a lovely aromatic expression. Perdriel and Agrelo, on the other hand, have a mild climate and clay soils that impart gentler texture and sweet, rounded tannins.’
Having received a Platinum Medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020, in addition to several other accolades in the past two decades, Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec is a flagship wine in the Argentinian scene. After spending 12 months in French oak barrels and foudres, the 2020 vintage is now available in all key markets, reflecting Trivento’s leading role as the most sold Argentinian wine brand across the world.
‘2020 is one of the best vintages of Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec we’ve ever produced,’ says Di Cesare. ‘It’s a very well-defined expression of Luján de Cuyo Malbec, with clear notes of cherry and raspberry, a rich and vivid colour, and polished tannins, thanks to the work done with the casks and barrels, involving very little new oak. It’s a silky, fluid wine with excellent ageing potential.’
