Red Blend over £10

And the winner is...

Sophenia, Synthesis The Blend, Tupungato, Mendoza, Argentina 2008 (14.5%)

Vivd and voluptuous with a full body, generous blueberry fruit and ripe, chewy tannins. Surprisingly fragrant with wonderful aromatic persistence. Harmonious now, but it will age for four to six years.

UK: £32.50; ELL, Har, StG

Bringing the curtain down on a staggering performance by Argentina this year – this is its sixth International Trophy – is a brilliant wine that showcases the complexity Malbec can achieve in a blend. Its multi-layered fruit and elegance reflects the personality of Sophenia’s vineyard and the dedication of its team. ‘We must have made more than 500 tastings of the grapes – the varietal components and the final blend for this wine,’ reckon Matías Michelini and Rogelio Rabino, Sophenia’s winemaker consultant and winemaker respectively.

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